Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor (CIE A Level Physics)

• 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 which makes it move

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

• 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 = 90^o 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 = 0^o 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 = 30^o

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)