I have a question that I am trying to figure out:
- Two long parallel wires placed side-by-side on a horizontal table carry identical size currents in opposite directions. The wire on your right carries current toward you, and the wire on your left carries current away from you. From your point of view, the magnetic field at the point exactly midway between the two wires
a. points upward.
b. points downward.
c. points toward you.
d. points away from you.
e. is zero.
I am using the right hand rule and just really confusing myself. It's easy for the current that is facing me. I point my thumb in my direction and see that my fingers wrap in a direction "down." However, when I point my thumb away from me, if my palm is facing up, then my fingers will wrap up, but if my palm is facing down, then my fingers will wrap down. I don't understand which way is the correct way to hold my hand, whether my palm should always be up or down. I know there are other "right hand rules" but this is the one I've been using until now and I have a test in a few hours so I really can't learn a "new" one, so could somebody clarify my confusion for me?
Best Answer
Note that a current carrying wire produces a circular magnetic field that's why it doesn't matter how you hold your hand ie how you rotate your hand around your arm as long as your thumb shows the direction of the current.
Edit after comments:
See the illustration I've added below. Now use your hand in the way that you've learned and convince yourself that what I've drawn below is correct.