eli5: Why Do Magnetic Fields Point Clockwise Around a Current?

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As we know through experiment, the magnetic force around a current carrying wire always points in the same direction given the direction of current, and this direction is described with the ‘right hand rule.’ What is it about the universe that has this ‘preference’ for this, and only this, direction?

Or from a mathematics perspective, why are our electromagnetic vector coordinates the way they are, and not the other way around? It seems the direction of fields is axiomatic to the equations, and something we tack on at the end after calculating magnitudes. For instance, “we just used ampere’s law to calculate the force at this distance from the wire, now to know the direction, let’s use the right hand rule.” Nowhere in the math does it say that the direction is a necessity.

It seems to just be an observed fact, and we have to include this fact in our equations. But this fact is not derived from the equations. For context, I understand that the electromagnetic equations can be solved with either a right or left convention. My question does not pertain to this convention, but the underlying nature of the universe and its ‘preference’ to follow the same direction every time given a direction of current. If it’s said the angular momentum of the vector causes this direction, then still it remains why this direction and not the other?

It all seems so asymmetric and arbitrary.

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11 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

This is actually due to bosonic fields having a polarity which goes towards the high which the high is the right hand spin by nature but technically just is a forward motion. An induced high potential induces forward motion in an inductor coil and levitation with a motion orienting the pin towards the center of the inductor (servo) which the direction of this spin is in the inertia vector of the levitated metal which tends to go in the direction of the first turn for a large crude inductor coil or for a small servo coil has no orientation or an orientation of a compass. This is because the voltage is variable across the inductor coil and this causes a torque from low weld point of high voltage to high weld point of low voltage of a torque starting from the coil start portion and ending at the coil end portion for a high voltage conductor. To answer your question for general servo this is because of the magnetic field of the earth primarially points towards the right hand except at the poles which there would be less servo levitation oscillation at the poles. This is related to toilets which toilets in the southern hemisphere flush oppositive and i am not sure but perhaps also this magnetic field difference exists in planets with two poles not the earth which then there is a right and a left hand spin as the earth’s magnetic field is always pointed upwards at the ionosphere.

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