Asked by wholemelt

Horatio drew a diagram to illustrate how magnetism is produced by electric currents.

A copper colored wire has arrows emerging from its sides pointing away. The arrows are labeled magnetic field.

Which best explains Horatio’s error?

Magnetism is not produced by electric currents unless the wire is coiled.
The magnetic field does not continually spread outward from the wire.
The magnetic field is produced inside the wire, not outside of it.
Magnetism is only produced when a metal bar is placed near the wire

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"The magnetic field does not continually spread outward from the wire."

A straight current-carrying wire produces magnetic field lines that form concentric circles around the wire (use the right‑hand rule), not radial lines pointing away. The field strength falls off with distance (∝1/r) but it encircles the wire rather than radiating outward.