What are the two sources that can produce magnetic fields?

Moving charges and permanent magnets.

What do magnetic field lines represent in terms of direction and strength?

Magnetic field lines show the direction of the field (tangent to the line at any point) and their spacing indicates relative strength—closer lines mean a stronger field.

What does the magnetic field pattern of a flat circular coil resemble?

It resembles the field of a short bar magnet, with field lines emerging from one face and entering the other.

OCR A-Level Physics A H556

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Electromagnetism

Magnetic fields and field patterns

3 things to know
Papers 1, 2 and 3

Overview

Recall questions on sources of magnetic fields, field lines, the field patterns of a straight wire, a flat coil and a solenoid, and finding the direction of the field around a wire.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

How do permanent magnets produce a magnetic field?

Key term

Describe the shape of the magnetic field pattern around a long straight wire carrying a current.

Key term

Describe the magnetic field inside a long solenoid.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What are the two sources that can produce magnetic fields?
Model answer
Moving charges and permanent magnets.
2
How do permanent magnets produce a magnetic field?
Model answer
Permanent magnets produce magnetic fields due to the alignment of magnetic domains within the material, arising from electron spin and orbital motion.
3
What do magnetic field lines represent in terms of direction and strength?
Model answer
Magnetic field lines show the direction of the field (tangent to the line at any point) and their spacing indicates relative strength—closer lines mean a stronger field.
4
Describe the shape of the magnetic field pattern around a long straight wire carrying a current.
Model answer
The field lines form concentric circles centred on the wire, lying in planes perpendicular to the wire.
5
What does the magnetic field pattern of a flat circular coil resemble?
Model answer
It resembles the field of a short bar magnet, with field lines emerging from one face and entering the other.
6
Describe the magnetic field inside a long solenoid.
Model answer
The field inside is uniform and parallel to the axis of the solenoid.

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