Posted by DStahl on November 11, 2001:

In Reply to: Re: Magnets, good! posted by Alan7Marshall on November 10, 2001:

Alan--

I realize the reference I gave to Fundamentals of Physics may not do you much good. I searched out a couple of sites that do a good job explaining the right-hand rule and how it arises from electromagnetic vectors.

From an ask-the-scientist site: http://spider.ipac.caltech.edu/staff/waw/mad/mad7.html

Slightly more technical description of the mathematical origin of the right-hand rule, from the University of Winnipeg: http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/physics/mag/node2.html

Enjoy.