Magnetic Fields Induced by Currents

[Srd2000]

Hello, I've got a bit of a hole in my understanding of fields. How exactly does a current passing through a wire generate a magnetic field? Does it involve the movement of electrons in the wire? I understand the formulae, laws and rules, it's just the how part that's missing.

Thank you, imagine you are explaining this to a 5 year old....

[jamonwindeyer]

Hey! The answer is: Because it does. That is just a rule, that moving charges generate magnetic fields. You aren't required to understand why (and indeed it's a really complex bit of Physics). I've been taught a decent way to sort of explain it using special relativity, but it is wayyyyy beyond what you need for HSC Physics (even my current course on electromagnetic Physics doesn't touch it). You can just take it for granted

Edit: Woops, didn't realise this was in the VCE section. Surely you guys don't cover why this happens to any proper extent either though right?

[Srd2000]

But.... But.... But.... Why?
I am having to do a report on an electric motor explaining it to a child, so I how do I simply say that a current passing through a wire generates a magnetic field? Where does the force come from? What is being attracted/repelled?

Thank you though, I always try to find questions that can't be answered.

[jamonwindeyer]

But.... But.... But.... Why?
I am having to do a report on an electric motor explaining it to a child, so I how do I simply say that a current passing through a wire generates a magnetic field? Where does the force come from? What is being attracted/repelled?

Thank you though, I always try to find questions that can't be answered.

That's a cool assignment! Yeah, especially if this is for a child, I can't think of an easy way to explain it, unfortunately. You could perhaps come up with a good analogy?

But yeah, unless you get super technical, there is no easy way to explain why a magnetic field forms around a current in a wire. It just happens because of the moving charges, and there's no more explanation than that