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In mathematics and physics, the right-hand rule is a convention and a mnemonic, utilized to define the orientation of axes in three-dimensional space and to determine the direction of the cross product of two vectors, as well as to establish the direction of the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field.
There is also a Fleming's left-hand rule (for electric motors). The appropriately handed rule can be recalled from the letter "g", which is in "right" and "generator". These mnemonics are named after British engineer John Ambrose Fleming, who invented them. An equivalent version of Fleming's right-hand rule is the left-hand palm rule. [2]
The various FBI mnemonics (for electric motors) show the direction of the force on a conductor carrying a current in a magnetic field as predicted by Fleming's left hand rule for motors [1] and Faraday's law of induction. Other mnemonics exist that use a right hand rule for predicting resulting motion from a preexisting current and field.
Using the right hand rule to find the direction of the magnetic field. The direction of the magnetic field at a point, the direction of the arrowheads on the magnetic field lines, which is the direction that the "north pole" of the compass needle points, can be found from the current by the right-hand rule.
Sir John Ambrose Fleming (29 November 1849 – 18 April 1945) was an English electrical engineer and physicist who invented the vacuum tube, [2] designed the radio transmitter with which the first transatlantic radio transmission was made, and also established the right-hand rule used in physics.
In the three-dimensional Euclidean space, right-handed bases are typically declared to be positively oriented, but the choice is arbitrary, as they may also be assigned a negative orientation. A vector space with an orientation selected is called an oriented vector space , while one not having an orientation selected, is called unoriented .
Fleming's rules are a pair of visual mnemonics for determining the relative directions of magnetic field, electric current, and velocity of a conductor. [1]There are two rules, one is Fleming's left-hand rule for motors which applies to situations where an electric current induces motion in the conductor in the presence of magnetic fields (Lorentz force).
Angles are commonly defined according to the right-hand rule. Namely, they have positive values when they represent a rotation that appears clockwise when looking in the positive direction of the axis, and negative values when the rotation appears counter-clockwise. The opposite convention (left hand rule) is less frequently adopted.