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A Simple Oersted Apparatus

This simple apparatus demonstrates magnetic field lines around a current-carrying wire, providing quantitative data on field strength variations. Cost-effective construction allows for student use, and a lantern battery eliminates the need for a high-current supply. It showcases both the circular field geometry and radial field dependence, though precise measurements rely on a high-quality Hall probe. The experiment yields meaningful insights despite some limitations due to equipment sensitivity.

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A Simple Oersted Apparatus

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  1. A Simple Oersted Apparatus

  2. Experiment Goals • To demonstrate the circular geometry of the magnetic field lines surrounding a current-carrying wire • To provide quantitative data on the radial dependence of the magnetic field strength as a function of the radial distance from the wire

  3. Overview Push Button Lucite Supports Banana Connections Current-Carrying Wire Compasses to Sense Field Direction Support Table 6 V Lantern Battery Current Supply

  4. Construction • Support table constructed from inexpensive commercial cutting board and Lucite rod legs • Very simple to construct, requires a minimum of skilled fabrication • Suitable for student fabrication • Total cost ~ $25

  5. Data • Ratio of finite wire field to infinite wire field = 0.9 at • r = 5 cm (calculated) • Deviation from r -1 attributed to poor Hall probe performance • near the limits of sensitivity (large zero offset drift present) • At 5 cm wire field is comparable to Earth’s field; requires • apparatus to be aligned so Earth’s field is radial to wire

  6. Summary and Conclusions • Apparatus is exceptionally inexpensive and easy to construct • Lantern battery can supply ~ 10 amp for brief periods, eliminating the need for an expensive high-current supply • Excellent qualitative demonstration of the circular magnetic field line geometry surrounding the wire • Good quantitative data for the radial dependence of the magnetic field with distance is possible, but requires a high quality Hall probe which can measure ~ 0.01 mTesla with good accuracy. • Actual field is 0.9 of infinite wire field calculated from Ampere’s law at 5 cm

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