Question

The directions of current flowing in the coil of a electromagnet at its ends X and Y are as shown below :

(a) What is the polarity of end X ?

(b) What is the polarity of end Y ?

(c) Name and state the rule which you have used to determine the polarities.

Answer 1

a) End X is S-pole (because current flows in clockwise direction).
(b) End Y is N-pole (because current flows in anticlockwise direction).
(c) Clock face rule – Looking at the face of a loop, if the current around that face is in anticlockwise direction, the face has north polarity, while if the current at that face is in clockwise direction, the face has south polarity.