What is Fleming's left hand rule?

It's a rule that tells us about the motor effect.If a wire carrying a current enters a magnetic field and the current in the wire is travelling perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field. The wire will move due to the motor effect. We can tell which direction the motor will move in by using Fleming's left hand rule.We hold our thumb, index and middle finger on our left hand so that they are perpendicular to each other.Our thumb represents the direction of motion of the wire.Our index finger represents the direction of the magnetic field (N ->S)Our middle finger represents the direction of the current in the wire (+ -> -)

GH
Answered by Gary H. Physics tutor

2959 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

In the early 20th Century the plum pudding model of the atom was replaced by the nuclear model of the atom, explain why this happened.


For a car with a mass of 1200kg, how long will it take for it to accelerate to 25m/s, starting from rest, with a total driving force of 1,500N?


The time taken for a wave to pass a point is 2.5 seconds. What is the frequency of the wave?


Describe how the forces change on a parachutist while they fall.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning