RechtenHandRegel

RechtenHandRegel, often referred to as the right-hand rule, is a convention used in physics and engineering to determine the directions of certain vectors in three-dimensional space. It provides a consistent orientation tied to the right-handed coordinate system and is especially useful for visualizing cross products and electromagnetic relations.

For two vectors a and b, the right-hand rule states: point the index finger in the direction of a, the middle finger in the direction of b, and the thumb will point in the direction of the cross product a × b. This rule sets the orientation of the resulting vector in a manner that aligns with the geometry of a right-handed system.

In electromagnetism, the rule is applied to F = q v × B or F = I L × B. For a moving positive charge, orient the index finger along the velocity v, the middle finger along the magnetic field B, and the thumb points in the direction of the force F. For a current-carrying wire, align the vector L with the current direction and B with the magnetic field; the thumb then indicates the direction of the magnetic force on the wire. Variants such as the FBI rule are common in teaching, where the index finger points to B, the middle finger to I, and the thumb to F.

Notes: the rule yields the opposite direction for negative charges, and a left-hand version exists for certain particles or contexts. The rechtenHandRegel underpins many practical calculations in physics, engineering, and vector algebra. See also cross product, Lorentz force, and magnetic torque.