Lesson Plan: The Magnetic Field due to a Current in a Straight Wire Physics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to calculate the magnetic field produced by a current in a straight wire.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- use the formula to find the magnitude of the magnetic field strength at a distance away from a long, straight wire carrying a current ,
- recognize that the magnetic field strength due to a current-carrying wire is inversely proportional to the distance of a point from the wire: ,
- use the right-hand rule to determine the direction of the magnetic field at a point due to a long, straight wire.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- the idea that current-carrying wires produce magnetic fields,
- the shape of the magnetic field produced by a straight, current-carrying wire.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- other geometries of wire (e.g., circle, square, solenoid, etc.),
- the vector forms of this formula.
