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The Motor Effect (Edexcel GCSE Physics)
Revision Note
The Force on a Wire
Higher Tier Only
- The motor effect occurs:
When a wire with current flowing through it is placed in a magnetic field and experiences a force
- This effect is a result of two interacting magnetic fields
- One is produced around the wire due to the current flowing through it
- The second is the magnetic field into which the wire is placed, for example, between two magnets
- As a result of the interactions of the two magnetic fields, the wire will experience a force
The magnetic field between opposite poles of magnets interact with the magnetic field produced around a current-carrying wire
The motor effect is a result of two magnetic fields interacting to produce a force on the wire
Magnetic Forces
Higher Tier Only
- Magnetic forces are due to interactions between magnetic fields
- Stronger magnetic fields produce stronger forces and vice versa
- For a current carrying conductor, the size of the force exerted by the magnetic fields can be increased by:
- Increasing the amount of current flowing through the wire
- This will increase the magnetic field around the wire
- Using stronger magnets
- This will increase the magnetic field between the poles of the magnet
- Placing the wire at 90o to the direction of the magnetic field lines between the poles of the magnet
- This will result in the maximum interaction between the two magnetic fields
- Increasing the amount of current flowing through the wire
- Note: If the two magnetic fields are parallel there will be no interaction between the two magnetic fields and therefore no force produced
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