Report of Natural Science Experiments

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Electrical Engineering and

Department Year 2nd Year Student
Computer Science

Student ID Name Jocelyn Kezia Sutadharma

No.
1TE22125G

Title 【Physics】 Magnetic Field Formed by Electric Currents

Measurement of Magnetic Field Formed by Linear and Circular Currents

Experiment Date
Date
10/20/2023
Submitted
10/26/2023
I. Objective
Using Hall element-based apparatus, with linear and circular currents to
observe and measure the magnetic field produced. By doing this and
understanding the difference between the theoretical and measured values,
it will expand our knowledge of electromagnetics.

II. Theory
a. Hall effect and Hall elements
The Hall effect enables us to measure the electromotive force produced
when a current-carrying conductor is placed perpendicular to a magnetic
field. A Hall element is a semiconductor device that utilizes this Hall
effect to detect and measure magnetic fields.
When particles with a charge 𝑞moves in
the magnetic field B at velocity v, it
experiences the Lorentz force stated as
𝑭 = 𝑞𝒗 × 𝑩 . The direction of the
Lorentz force will be perpendicular to
𝒗 and 𝑩 as current flow from point 3 to
point 1 in Figure 1 of the Hall element.
The particle with charge 𝑞 (positive)
moves to the left side due to the force
Figure 1 and will result in a Hall electromotive
force to be generated at two ends of the
Hall element. With the assumption that an electric field produced by the
polarization is 𝑬, the electric force and the Lorentz force reach a balanced
steady state. This results in 𝑞𝑬 = 𝑞𝒗 × 𝑩, and further 𝑬 = 𝒗𝑩. Meanwhile,
the current density 𝒋 is given by 𝒋 = 𝑛𝑞𝒗, where 𝑛 is the number density
of particles. Thus, 𝑬 = 𝑅𝑗𝑩 holds and 𝑬, the generated electric field is
proportional to the current density and the magnetic field. From this, 𝑅 =
1
, is known as the Hall coefficient with its sign and magnitude
𝑛𝑞

dependent on multiple factors such as material properties and

temperature. With this, the Hall electromotive force 𝑉 is proportional to
electric current 𝐼 and magnetic field 𝑩.
b. Magnetic field produced by an infinitely long linear current
In Figure 2, the linear current flow generates
concentric magnetic field, with the electric
current positioned at the center. The strength of
the magnetic field 𝑩 decreases as the distance
from the electric current increases; it is inversely
proportional. The direction of this magnetic field
is counterclockwise when observed from the
direction of the current’s movement. By using the
Figure 2
right-hand rule, the direction of the magnetic
field can be determined if the direction of the
current is known. When considering an infinitely extending linear
current I, the magnetic field’s magnitude 𝑩(𝒓) at a distance r from the
electric current is expressed as follows
𝜇0𝐼
𝐵(𝑟) =
2𝜋𝑟
where 𝜇 0 is defined as magnetic permeability in vacuum and carries the
value 𝜇0 = 4𝜋 × 10−7 [H/m].

c. Magnetic field produced by circular current

For a circular current I with radius 𝑎 , as

depicted in Figure 3, the magnetic field’s
magnitude generated by the electric current
at its center is expressed as follows;
𝜇0 𝐼
𝐵= 2𝑎

where the direction is orthogonal to the plane of

the circle. The magnetic field created by the
electric current exhibits the same pattern as
Figure 3
the magnetic field of a usual bar magnet. When
focusing on a distant position 𝑥 from the center
of the circle and perpendicular to the plane of the circle, the direction of the
magnetic field is the same as previously and the magnitude 𝐵(𝑥) is expressed as
𝜇0 𝑎 2 𝐼
𝐵(𝑥) =
2(𝑎2 + 𝑥 2 )3/2
In this instance, since the center of the circle corresponds to 𝑥 = 0, when we
substitute 𝑥 = 0 to 𝐵(𝑥), it aligns with equation 𝐵.
III. Apparatus and Setup
For these experiments, the below apparatus is required:

1. Digital multimeter (DMM)

2. Power supply
3. Hall elements
4. Wires
5. Circular coil (for circular current) –
Experiment 1
6. Rectangular coil (for infinitely long
linear current) – Experiment 2 Figure 4
Apparatus 1 up to 4 will all be used for
both experiments 1 and 2, while apparatus 5 and 6 will be used accordingly
to each experiment. The wires and hall elements will be arranged as seen in
Figure 4.

Figure 5 – Circular coil Figure 6 – Linear coil

IV. Methods
a. Initial procedure for both experiments 1 and 2:
It is expected to connect lead wires to the DMM and power supply
terminal of the magnetic field sensor. Press the power button on the
power supply to turn it on, and set the output voltage to 5.00 V.
b. Procedure for experiment 1: Magnetic field measurement produced by
electric current in a circular coil
i. Set up Figure 5 to measure using the circular coil.
ii. After the initial procedure is completed, use a bar magnet to check
if the output of the voltage changes depending on which pole of the
magnetic field is applied and record the sign of the measured
voltage.
iii. Position the magnetic field sensor on the circular coil apparatus as
the Hall element without applying any electrical current to
measure the offset voltage.
 iv. Connect a lead wire from the circular coil to the power supply, turn
it on, and press output to set it to generate an output of 1.00 A for
the circular coil.
v. Once an electric current is flowing, measure the voltage using the
sensor with 10mm increments from 𝑥 = −40 mm up to 𝑥 = +40 mm.
vi. From the measured voltage value, deduct the offset voltage to
obtain the value of Hall electromotive force due to the magnetic
field produced by the current.
vii. To obtain the magnetic field by the coil, multiply the Hall
electromotive force value by 0.02.
viii. Draw up a table with distances from the circular coil x [m], the
measured voltage level [mV], the Hall electromotive force [mV],
and the magnetic field produced by the electric current [mT].
ix. Using the data in the table, draw a graph of the magnetic field
produced by the electric current [mT] on the y-axis against
distance from the circular coil x [m] on the x-axis.
c. Procedure for experiment 2: Magnetic field measurement produced by
electric current flowing in a rectangular coil
i. Set up Figure 6 to measure using the rectangular coil.
ii. After the initial procedure is completed, use a bar magnet to check
if the output of the voltage changes depending on which pole of the
magnetic field is applied and record the sign of the measured
voltage.
iii. Position the magnetic field sensor on the side of the rectangular
coil apparatus as the Hall element without applying any electrical
current to measure the offset voltage.
iv. Connect a lead wire from the rectangular coil to a power supply,
turn it on, and press output to set it to generate an output of 1.00 A
for the rectangular coil.
v. Once an electric current is flowing, measure the voltage using the
sensor with 10 mm increments for values of r ranging from 𝑟 =
25 mm up to 𝑟 = 135 mm.
vi. From the measured voltage value, deduct the offset voltage to
obtain the value of Hall electromotive force due to the magnetic
field produced by the current.
vii. To obtain the magnetic field by the coil, multiply the Hall
electromotive force value by 0.02.
viii. Draw up a table with distances from the rectangular coil r [m], the
inverse of distances 1/r [m-1], the measured voltage level [mV], the
 Hall electromotive force [mV], and the magnetic field produced by
the electric current [mT].
ix. Using the data in the table, draw a graph of the magnetic field
produced by the electric current [mT] on the y-axis against
distance from the circular coil 1/r [m-1] on the x-axis.

V. Results
a. Experiment 1

Magnet pole closer to Hall sensor Sign on multimeter

N Negative (-)
S Positive (+)

Offset voltage: 24.06 mV

Magnitude of
Position DMM Voltage Hall voltage Magnetic theoretical magnetic
𝑥 (m) (mV) (mV) field (mT) field (mT)
-0.04 4.10 -19.96 -0.3992 0.3837
-0.03 -5.40 -29.46 -0.5892 0.5616
-0.02 -17.83 -41.89 -0.8378 0.7945
-0.01 -30.03 -54.09 -1.0818 1.0250
0.00 -35.19 -59.25 -1.1850 1.1278
0.01 -30.69 -54.75 -1.0950 1.0250
0.02 -18.85 -42.91 -0.8582 0.7945
0.03 -6.01 -30.07 -0.6014 0.5616
0.04 3.17 -20.89 -0.4178 0.3837

Magnetic field of circular coil

1.4

1.2

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
-0.05 -0.04 -0.03 -0.02 -0.01 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05

Magnitude of theoretical magnetic field (mT) Magnetic field

 b. Experiment 2

Magnet pole closer to Hall sensor Sign on multimeter

N Negative (-)
S Positive (+)

Offset voltage: -18.56 mV

Magnitude of
Distance DMM Hall Magnetic theoretical
from wire r voltage Voltage field magnetic field
[m] 1/ r [m^-1] [mV] [mV] [mT] (mT)
0.025 40.00 -40.42 -21.86 -0.4372 0.5600
0.035 28.57 -33.18 -14.62 -0.2924 0.4000
0.045 22.22 -29.29 -10.73 -0.2146 0.3111
0.055 18.18 -26.71 -8.15 -0.1630 0.2545
0.065 15.38 -24.42 -5.86 -0.1172 0.2154
0.075 13.33 -23.75 -5.19 -0.1038 0.1867
0.085 11.76 -22.77 -4.21 -0.0842 0.1647
0.095 10.53 -22.12 -3.56 -0.0712 0.1474
0.105 9.52 -21.61 -3.05 -0.0610 0.1333
0.115 8.70 -21.17 -2.61 -0.0522 0.1217
0.125 8.00 -20.82 -2.26 -0.0452 0.1120
0.135 7.41 -20.56 -2.00 -0.0400 0.1037

Magnetic Field of Rectangular Coil

0.6
Magnitude of magnetic field [mT]

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Inverse of distance from current [m^-1]

magnitude of mag field (mT) mag of theoretical(mT)

VI. Questions
a. Experiment 1
1. When the North (N) pole of the magnet is brought near the Hall
element, the multimeter displays a negative reading, while it shows a
positive reading when the South (S) pole is brought close. Most of the
recorded voltage values in the table for each position were also
negative. Consequently, it can be inferred that the magnetic field has
a negative polarity as it approaches the magnetic field sensor and a
positive polarity as it moves away from the sensor. Furthermore, the
direction of the magnetic field is determined to be clockwise.

Blue line: magnetic field lines,

North pole: left side, south
pole, right side

2. For data comparison, see part V(a) experiment 1. From the data, the
theoretical values are consistently lower than the measured voltage
values. Both the theoretical and measured voltage values follow the
same trend, and they peak at position 𝑥 = 0.00mm.
3. The graph is already included in the graph of part V(a) experiment 1.
b. Experiment 2
1. The multimeter displays a negative reading when the Hall element is
in proximity to the magnet's North (N) pole and a positive reading
when the South (S) pole is close. All voltage values recorded in the
table for each position were consistently negative. Thus, it can be
inferred that the magnetic field exhibits a negative sign as it
approaches the Hall sensor and a positive sign as it recedes from the
 sensor. The direction of the magnetic field can be described as
clockwise, into the page, as depicted in the illustration below:

Blue line: magnetic field lines

2. The graph with the added line for theoretical values is inserted in part
V(b) experiment 2.
3. In the experiment, the coil used had a length of 0.25m, not infinite as
what the theory states. Substituting 0 and 0.25m as limits into the
integral of equation 6-14, and assuming we are calculating at distance
r = 0.1m from the origin,
𝜇0 𝐼 𝑧2 𝑧1
( − )
4𝜋𝑟 √𝑟 2 + 𝑧2 2 √𝑟 2 + 𝑧1 2
where magnetic permeability in vacuum 𝜇0 = 4𝜋 × 10−7 [H/m]
4𝜋× 10−7 𝑥 70 𝑥 1 ∞
Infinite = (√0.12 ) = 1.4x10-4 T
4𝜋 𝑥 0.05 +∞2

4𝜋× 10−7 𝑥 70 𝑥 1 0.25

Finite = (√0.12 − 0) = 1.3x10-4 T
4𝜋 𝑥 0.05 +0.252

From this we can verify that the longer the wire, the larger the
magnitude of the magnetic field.
 Furthermore, the magnetic field generated by side C of the coil is
oriented in the opposite direction. This results in a situation where
these magnetic fields overlap and interfere destructively, leading to a
reduction in the magnitude of the overall magnetic field, as illustrated
in the diagram below.

VII. Discussion
During the experiment, we encountered a challenge in obtaining stable
voltage readings on the digital multimeter as the values tended to fluctuate.
This fluctuation raises concerns about potential inaccuracies in subsequent
calculations, including those related to the Hall electromotive force (e.m.f.)
and magnetic field measurements.
Additionally, when comparing the theoretical values of the magnetic field
generated by the circular coil with the actual values obtained in the
experiment, it became evident that the theoretical values consistently
appeared lower. This discrepancy between theory and experiment might be
attributed to a variety of errors and inaccuracies in the experimental
conditions.
In the context of conducting experiments with an infinite linear current, it's
important to consider potential sources of error. One such source could be
related to assumptions made in theoretical models, which might not fully
capture the real-world conditions especially since it is almost impossible to
replicate an infinitely long current.
VIII. Conclusion
Through this experiment, we have successfully affirmed the fundamental
connection between electric currents and the generation of magnetic fields.
Our efforts involved the calculation of magnetic field magnitudes for various
coil configurations, where the orientation was determined with the
assistance of Hall elements. Moreover, we computed the theoretical
magnetic field values to make comparisons.

The results of these experiments have effectively demonstrated the inverse

relationship between distance and the magnitude of the magnetic field.
Specifically, the findings indicate that as one moves farther away from the
coil, the magnetic field's strength weakens. This observation underscores the
principle that distance plays a crucial role in influencing the magnetic field's
intensity.