Interpreting the magnetic moment

The simulation shows the magnetic field from a current loop. We're looking at the side of the loop.

Which way is the current?

  1. Out of the screen at the top; into the screen at the bottom
  2. Into the screen at the top; out of the screen at the botom


















For loops like this our color code will be red for out of the screen and blue for into the screen.

There are strong parallels between a bar magnet and a current loop. One way to think about the magnetic moment of a current loop is to interpret it as the strength of the bar magnet the current loop is equivalent to.

The magnetic moment points from the south pole to the north pole of the equivalent bar magnet, the same direction the magnetic field goes.