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