Write the help of a labelled circuit diagram, describe an activity to illustrate the patterns of the magnetic field lines around a straight current carrying long conducting wire.
(i) Name the rule that is used to find the direction of magnetic field associated with a current carrying conductor.
(ii) Is there a similar magnetic field produced around a thin beam of moving: (a) alpha particles (b) neutrons? Justify your answer.

Explanation

Activity
Take a battery (12 V), a variable resistance (or a rheostat), an ammeter (0-5 A), a plug key, and a long straight thick copper wire. Insert the thick wire through the centre, normal to the plane of a rectangular cardboard. Take care that the cardboard is fixed and does not slide up or down.
Connect the copper wire vertically between the points X and Y, as shown in diagram in series with the battery, a plug and key. Sprinkle some iron filings uniformly on the cardboard. Keep the variable of the rheostat at a fixed position and note the current through the ammeter. Close the key so that a current flows through the wire. Ensure that the copper wire placed between the points X and Y remains vertically straight.
Gently tap the cardboard a few times. Observe the pattern of the iron filings. It is observed that the iron filings align themselves showing a pattern of concentric circles around the copper wire. These represent the magnetic field lines.