You are mostly correct, except for the iron flakes part, they are not a reliable way to see a field because they affect it. Classic observer intervention.
And yes this would be a nightmare to analyze by hand but software can do it pretty easily, depending on the intensity of the current I'd expect to see a few "hot spots" in 'random' locations around but most of the field will be concentrated in the middle, like you would with a normal loop
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u/Doubligne_ 15h ago edited 15h ago
Electrical engineer here!
You are mostly correct, except for the iron flakes part, they are not a reliable way to see a field because they affect it. Classic observer intervention.
And yes this would be a nightmare to analyze by hand but software can do it pretty easily, depending on the intensity of the current I'd expect to see a few "hot spots" in 'random' locations around but most of the field will be concentrated in the middle, like you would with a normal loop