Biot-Savart Law

Equipment provided for the session

Measuring the magnetic flux around a straight rod with a current through it

Equpiment needed to measure the magnetic flux around a current carrying loop

Any moving charge or charges (a current) creates a magnetic field. The Biot-Savart Law can be used to determine the magnetic field due to an arbitrary current. However, in practice only a few special cases have simple analytic solutions of which you will consider two: the field from a straight conductor; and the field along the axis of a circular loop.

In this laboratory activity, you will test the Biot-Savart law and use it to determine the permeability of free space, μ₀, by measuring the magnetic fields using a Gaussmeter.

Current students can find more information on Learn Ultra.

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