• A current-carrying conductor produces its own?magnetic field
  • When interacting with an external magnetic field, it 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
• A simple situation would be a copper rod placed within a uniform magnetic field
• When current is passed through the copper rod, it experiences a force that makes it move

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

Calculating Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor

• The strength of a?magnetic field?is known as the?magnetic flux density, B
  • This is also known as the magnetic field strength
  • It is measured in units of?Tesla (T)
• The force?F?on a conductor carrying current?I?at right angles to a magnetic field with flux density?B?is defined by the equation

F = BIL sinθ

• Where:
  • F = force on a current carrying conductor in a B field (N)
  • B = magnetic flux density of external B field (T)
  • I = current in the conductor (A)
  • L = length of the conductor (m)
  • θ = angle between the conductor and external B field (degrees)
• This equation shows that the greater the current or the magnetic field strength, the greater the force on the conductor

Magnitude of the force on a current carrying conductor depends on the angle of the conductor to the external B field

• The?maximum?force occurs when sin θ = 1
  • This means θ = 90o?and the conductor is?perpendicular?to the B field
  • This equation for the magnetic force now becomes:

F = BIL

• The?minimum?force (0) is when sin θ = 0
  • This means θ = 0o?and the conductor is?parallel?to the B field

• It is important to note that a current-carrying conductor will experience?no?force if the current in the conductor is parallel to the field

Step 1:?Write down the known quantities

Magnetic flux density, B = 80 mT = 80 × 10-3?T

Current, I = 0.87 A

Length of wire, L = 1.4 m

Angle between the wire and the magnetic field, θ = 30o

Step 2:?Write down the equation for force on a current-carrying conductor

F = BIL sinθ

Step 3:?Substitute in values and calculate

F =? (80 × 10-3) × (0.87) × (1.4) × sin(30) = 0.04872 = 0.049 N (2 s.f)

Origin of the Forces Between Current-Carrying Conductors

• A current carrying conductor, such as a wire, produces a?magnetic field?around it
• The direction of the field depends on the direction of the current through the wire
  • This is determined by the?right hand thumb rule

• Parallel current-carrying conductors will therefore either attract or repel each other
  • If the currents are in the?same?direction in both conductors, the magnetic field lines between the conductors cancel out – the conductors will?attract?each other
  • If the currents are in the?opposite?direction in both conductors, the magnetic field lines between the conductors push each other apart – the conductors will?repel?each other

Both wires will attract if their currents are in the same direction and repel if in opposite directions

• When the conductors?attract, the direction of the?magnetic forces?will be?towards?each other
• When the conductors?repel, the direction of the magnetic forces will be?away?from each other
• The magnitude of each force depend on the amount of current and length of the wire

• Newton’s Third Law states:
  • When two bodies interact, the force on one body is?equal but opposite?in direction to the force on the other body
• Therefore, the forces on the wires act in equal but opposite directions