7/1/2016 Fleming'slefthandruleformotorsWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Fleming'slefthandruleformotors
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Fleming'slefthandrule(formotors),andFleming'sright
handrule(forgenerators)areapairofvisualmnemonics.
TheywereoriginatedbyJohnAmbroseFleming,inthelate
19thcentury,asasimplewayofworkingoutthedirectionof
motioninanelectricmotor,orthedirectionofelectriccurrent
inanelectricgenerator.[1]

Whencurrentflowsinawire,andanexternalmagneticfieldis
appliedacrossthatflow,thewireexperiencesaforce
perpendicularbothtothatfieldandtothedirectionofthe
currentflow.Alefthandcanbeheld,asshowninthe
illustration,soastorepresentthreemutuallyorthogonalaxes
onthethumb,firstfingerandmiddlefinger.Eachfingeristhen Fleming'slefthandrule
assignedtoaquantity(mechanicalforce,magneticfieldand
electriccurrent).Therightandlefthandareusedforgenerators
andmotorsrespectively.

Contents
1 Conventions
2 Mnemonics
2.1 Firstvariant
2.2 Secondvariant
2.3 Thirdvariant
3 Distinctionbetweentherighthandandlefthandrule
4 Physicalbasisfortherules
5 Seealso
6 References
7 Externallinks

Conventions
Thedirectionofthemechanicalforceistheliteralone
Thedirectionofthemagneticfieldisfromnorthtosouth
Thedirectionoftheelectriccurrentisthatofconventionalcurrent:frompositivetonegative.

Mnemonics
Severalmemoryaidshavebeenusedinordertorememberthequantityeachfingerrepresents.

Firstvariant
TheThumbrepresentsthedirectionoftheThrustontheconductor/MotionoftheConductor
TheForefingerrepresentsthedirectionofthemagneticField
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TheCentrefingerrepresentsthedirectionoftheCurrent.

Secondvariant
TheThumbrepresentsthedirectionofMotionresulting
fromtheforceontheconductor
TheFirstfingerrepresentsthedirectionofthemagnetic
Field
TheSecondfingerrepresentsthedirectionofthe
Current.

Thirdvariant

VandeGraaff'stranslationofFleming'srulesistheFBIrule,
easilyrememberedbecausethesearetheinitialsoftheFederal
BureauofInvestigation.
thumb
ThisusestheconventionalsymbolicparametersofF(for
Lorentzforce),B(formagneticfluxdensity)andI(forelectriccurrent),andattributingtheminthatorder(FBI)
respectivelytothethumb,firstfingerandsecondfinger.

Thethumbistheforce,F
Thefirstfingeristhemagneticfluxdensity,B
Thesecondfingeristheelectriccurrent,I.

Ofcourse,ifthemnemonicistaught(andremembered)withadifferentarrangementoftheparameterstothe
fingers,itcouldendupasamnemonicthatalsoreversestherolesofthetwohands(insteadofthestandardleft
handformotors,righthandforgenerators).ThesevariantsarecataloguedmorefullyontheFBImnemonicspage.

Distinctionbetweentherighthandandlefthandrule
Fleming'slefthandruleisusedforelectricmotors,while
Fleming'srighthandruleisusedforelectricgenerators.

Differenthandsneedtobeusedformotorsandgenerators
becauseofthedifferencesbetweencauseandeffect.

Inanelectricmotor,theelectriccurrentandmagneticfield
exist(whicharethecauses),andtheyleadtotheforcethat
createsthemotion(whichistheeffect),andsothelefthand
ruleisused.Inanelectricgenerator,themotionandmagnetic
fieldexist(causes),andtheyleadtothecreationoftheelectric
current(effect),andsotherighthandruleisused.

Toillustratewhy,considerthatmanytypesofelectricmotors Fleming'srighthandrule
canalsobeusedaselectricgenerators.Avehiclepoweredby
suchamotorcanbeaccelerateduptohighspeedbyconnectingthemotortoafullychargedbattery.Ifthemotoris
thendisconnectedfromthefullychargedbattery,andconnectedinsteadtoacompletelyflatbattery,thevehicle
willdecelerate.Themotorwillactasageneratorandconvertthevehicle'skineticenergybacktoelectricalenergy,
whichisthenstoredinthebattery.Sinceneitherthedirectionofmotionnorthedirectionofthemagneticfield
(insidethemotor/generator)haschanged,thedirectionoftheelectriccurrentinthemotor/generatorhasreversed.

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Thisfollowsfromthesecondlawofthermodynamics(thegeneratorcurrentmustopposethemotorcurrent,and
thestrongercurrentoutweighstheothertoallowtheenergytoflowfromthemoreenergeticsourcetotheless
energeticsource).

Theruleformotorscanberecalledbyrememberingthat"motorsdriveontheleftinBritain".Therulefor
generatorscanberecalledbyrememberingthateithertheletters"g"and"r"iscommontoboth"right"and
"generator",orthephrase"Jennyisalwaysright"("Genny"beingacommonshortenedversionofGenerator).

Physicalbasisfortherules
Whenelectrons,oranychargedparticles,flowinthesamedirection(for
example,asanelectriccurrentinanelectricalconductor,suchasametal
wire)theygenerateacylindricalmagneticfieldthatwrapsroundthe
conductor(asdiscoveredbyHansChristianrsted).

Thedirectionoftheinducedmagneticfieldissometimesrememberedby
Maxwell'scorkscrewrule.Thatis,iftheconventionalcurrentisflowing
awayfromtheviewer,themagneticfieldrunsclockwiseroundthe
conductor,inthesamedirectionthatacorkscrewwouldhavetoturnin
ordertomoveawayfromtheviewer.Thedirectionoftheinducedmagnetic
Predictionofdirectionoffluxdensity
fieldisalsosometimesrememberedbytherighthandgriprule,asdepicted
(B),giventhatthecurrentIflowsin
intheillustration,withthethumbshowingthedirectionoftheconventional
thedirectionofthethumb.
current,andthefingersshowingthedirectionofthemagneticfield.The
existenceofthismagneticfieldcanbeconfirmedbyplacingmagnetic
compassesatvariouspointsroundtheperipheryofanelectricalconductorthatiscarryingarelativelylargeelectric
current.

Ifanexternalmagneticfieldisappliedhorizontally,sothatitcrossestheflowofelectrons(inthewireconductor,
orintheelectronbeam),thetwomagneticfieldswillinteract.MichaelFaradayintroducedavisualanalogyfor
this,intheformofimaginarymagneticlinesofforce:thoseintheconductorformconcentriccirclesroundthe
conductorthoseintheexternallyappliedmagneticfieldruninparallellines.Ifthoseononesideoftheconductor
arerunning(fromthenorthtosouthmagneticpole)intheoppositedirectiontothosesurroundingtheconductor,
theywillbedeflectedsothattheypassontheothersidetheconductor(becausemagneticlinesofforcecannot
crossorruncontrarytoeachother).Consequently,therewillbealargenumberofmagneticfieldlinesinasmall
spaceonthatsideoftheconductor,andadearthofthemontheoriginalsideoftheconductor.Sincethemagnetic
fieldlinesofforcearenolongerstraightlines,butcurvedtorunaroundtheelectricalconductor,theyareunder
tension(likestretchedelasticbands),withenergyboundupinthemagneticfield.Sincethisenergeticfieldisnow
mostlyunopposed,itsbuilduporexpulsioninonedirectioncreatesinamanneranalogoustoNewton'sThird
LawofMotionaforceintheoppositedirection.Sincethereisonlyonemoveableobjectinthissystem(the
electricalconductor)forthisforcetoworkupon,theneteffectisaphysicalforceworkingtoexpelelectrical
conductoroutoftheexternallyappliedmagneticfieldinthedirectionoppositetothatwhichthemagneticfluxis
beingredirectedtointhiscase(motors),iftheconductoriscarryingconventionalcurrentupwards,andthe
externalmagneticfieldismovingawayfromtheviewer,thephysicalforcewillworktopushtheconductortothe
left.Thisisthereasonfortorqueinanelectricmotor.(Theelectricmotoristhenconstructedsothattheexpulsion
oftheconductoroutofthemagneticfieldcausesitbeplacedinsidethenextmagneticfield,andforthisswitching
tobecontinuedindefinitely.)

Faraday'sLaw:theinducedelectromotiveforceinaconductorisdirectlyproportionaltotherateofchangeofthe
magneticfluxintheconductor.

Seealso
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Righthandrule

References
1.Fleming,JohnAmbrose(1902).MagnetsandElectricCurrents,2ndEdition.London:E.&F.N.Spon.pp.173174.

Externallinks
Diagramsatmagnet.fsu.edu(http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/
WikimediaCommonshas
electricity/generators/index.html) mediarelatedtoLefthand
rule.
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
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Categories: Rules Sciencemnemonics Electromagnetism Electricmotors

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