Question
Explain why, when the current is switched ON through a wire, the needle of a compass kept nearby gets deflected from its North-South position?

Answer

When an electric current flows through a wire, it produces a magnetic field around the wire.A compass needle aligns itself along the direction of the magnetic field it experiences.Normally, the needle points North-South due to Earth’s magnetic field.When the current is switched ON, the magnetic field of the wire interacts with Earth’s field, causing the needle to deflect from its North-South position.This experiment shows that electric current produces a magnetic effect.

Need a full question paper?

Generate a complete, print-ready paper with questions like this in minutes — across 16+ boards, with answer keys.

Start Generating Free