Oersted's Apparatus

This Oersted's apparatus demonstrates the effect of electric current on a magnetic needle. A 75mm cobalt steel compass needle with an agate bearing is supported on a pivot and mounted on a plastic base, surrounded by a rectangular conductor frame fitted with terminals. When current flows through the conductor frame, the magnetic field produced deflects the compass needle, demonstrating that electric current creates a magnetic field. This was one of the first experiments to establish the connection between electricity and magnetism. Suitable for physics demonstrations covering electromagnetism, the relationship between current and magnetic fields, and the historical foundations of electromagnetic theory.