The magnitude of electric current is increasing from A towards B. If there is any induced current in the loop as shown in the figure, its direction will be:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Clockwise
Lenz's law: the induced current flows in the direction that opposes the change in magnetic flux producing it.
The current in the straight wire flows from A to B (to the right), and the loop lies above the wire. By the right-hand thumb rule, the magnetic field of the wire at the loop points out of the plane of the paper.
The current is increasing, so the outward flux through the loop is increasing. To oppose this rise, the induced current must produce a field into the plane of the paper inside the loop.
A current that makes a field into the paper inside a loop flows clockwise as seen from the front.
NCERT (2026-27):
Lenz’s Law and Conservation of Energy – “In 1834, German physicist Heinrich Friedrich Lenz (1804-1865) deduced a rule, known as Lenz’s law which gives the polarity of the induced emf in a clear and concise fashion. The statement of the law is: The polarity of induced emf is such that it tends to produce a current which opposes the change in magnetic flux that produced it.”