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4.4.6 Force On A Current-Carrying Conductor

When a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a force due to the interaction between the magnetic field produced by the current and the external magnetic field. Fleming's left-hand rule can be used to determine the direction of this force. When a charged particle such as an electron moves through a magnetic field, it is deflected due to the force exerted by the magnetic field. Again, Fleming's left-hand rule, or the right hand rule, can determine the direction of force on the charged particle. The amount of force depends on the angle between the particle's velocity and the magnetic field lines.

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330 views4 pages

4.4.6 Force On A Current-Carrying Conductor

When a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, it experiences a force due to the interaction between the magnetic field produced by the current and the external magnetic field. Fleming's left-hand rule can be used to determine the direction of this force. When a charged particle such as an electron moves through a magnetic field, it is deflected due to the force exerted by the magnetic field. Again, Fleming's left-hand rule, or the right hand rule, can determine the direction of force on the charged particle. The amount of force depends on the angle between the particle's velocity and the magnetic field lines.

Uploaded by

Ishimwe Habiyakare
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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4.4.

6 Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor


Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor
 A current-carrying conductor produces its own magnetic field
o When interacting with an external magnetic field, it therefore will experience
a force
 A current-carrying conductor will only experience a force if the current through it
is perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field lines
o A simple situation would be a copper rod placed within a uniform magnetic field
o When current is passed through the copper rod, it experiences a force which
makes it move

A copper rod moves within a magnetic field when current is passed through it

 Two ways to reverse the direction of the force (and therefore, the copper rod) are by
reversing:
o The direction of the current
o The direction of the magnetic field

Exam Tip
This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as 'the motor effect'. The direction of the force is
determined by Fleming's left-hand rule.
Left Hand Rule
EXTENDED

 The direction of the force (aka the thrust) on a current carrying wire depends on the
direction of the current and the direction of the magnetic field
 All three will be perpendicular to each other
o This means that sometimes the force could appear to be acting either into or out of
the page
 The direction of the force (or thrust) can be worked out by using Fleming's left-hand
rule:

Fleming's left-hand rule can be used to determine directions of the force, magnetic field and
current

Worked Example
Use Fleming’s left-hand rule to show that if the current-carrying wire is placed into the magnetic
field between the poles of the magnet, as shown below, there will be a downwards force acting
on the wire.

Step 1: Determine the direction of the magnetic field


o Start by pointing your First Finger in the direction of the (magnetic) Field.
Step 2: Determine the direction of the current


o Now rotate your hand around the first finger so that the seCond finger points in
the direction of the Current

Step 3: Determine the direction of the force


o The THumb will now be pointing in the direction of the THrust (the force)
o Therefore, this will be the direction in which the wire will move

Exam Tip
Remember that the magnetic field is always in the direction from North to South and current is
always in the direction of a positive terminal to a negative terminal.

Feel free to use Fleming's left- hand rule in your exam, just don't make it too distracting for other
students!

Charged Particles in a Magnetic Field


EXTENDED

 When a current-carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field, it will experience a force if


the wire is perpendicular
o This is because the magnetic field exerts a force on each individual electron
flowing through the wire
 Therefore, when a charged particle passes through a magnetic field, the field can exert
a force on the particle, causing it to deflect
o The force is always at 90 degrees to both the direction of travel and the magnetic
field lines
o The direction can be worked out by using Fleming's left-hand rule
 In the case of a electron in a magnetic field the second finger points in the opposite
direction to the direction of motion
o Conventional current is said to flow opposite to the direction of flow of electrons
o The finger represents current
o An alternative is to use the right hand to work out directions for charged particles

When a charged particle (such as an electron) enters a magnetic field, it is deflected by the
field

 If the particle is travelling perpendicular to the field lines:


o It will experience the maximum force
 If the particle is travelling parallel to the field lines:
o It will experience no force
 If the particle is travelling at an angle to the field lines:
o It will experience a small force

Exam Tip
Remember that the direction of current is the direction of positive charged. Therefore, if a
particle has a negative charge (such as an electron), then the second finger (current) must point in
the opposite direction to its direction of travel.

The left-hand rule can be applied to any charged particles, but in the IGCSE exam questions are
likely to stick to electrons.

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