Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor

A current-carrying conductor produces its own magnetic field

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

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

Force on a Current-Carrying Copper Rod in a Magnetic Field

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

Examiner 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

  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

Fleming's left-hand rule can be used to determine directions of the

force (thumb), magnetic field (first finger) and current (second
finger)

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.
Answer:

Step 1: Determine the direction of the magnetic field

 Start by pointing your First Finger in the direction of the

(magnetic) Field.

Step 2: Determine the direction of the current

 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

Examiner 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!

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
Repulsion & Attraction of Current-Carrying Wires

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 depends on the amount of current and

the length of the wire

Force per Unit Length Between Two Parallel Conductors

 The force is attractive if the currents are in the same

direction and repulsive if they are in opposite directions

 Where:

 o F is the force applied between the two parallel wires (N)
o L is the length of each parallel conductor (m)
o μ0 is the constant for the magnetic permeability of free space = 4π × 10 −7 N
A−2
o I1 is the current through the first conducting wire (A)
o I2 is the current through the second conducting wire (A)
o r is the separation between the two conducting wires (m)

Forces on Current-Carrying Wires

The forces on each of the current-carrying wires are equal and

opposite in direction

Obtaining the Equation

 The force from wire 2 on wire 1, F2 = B2I1Lsin(θ)

 In this situation the magnetic field is perpendicular to the current in the

wire, so sin(θ) = 1

 Worked example

 Two long, straight, current-carrying conductors, WX and YZ, are held at

a close distance, as shown in diagram 1.

The conductors each carry

 the same magnitude current in the same direction. A plan view from
above the conductors is shown in diagram 2.

On diagram 2, draw arrows, one

in each case, to show the direction of:

 The magnetic field at X due to the current in wire YZ (label this arrow
BYZ)

 The force at X as a result of the magnetic field due to the current in the
wire YZ (label this arrow FYZ)

 The magnetic field at Y due to the current in wire WX (label this arrow
BWX)

 The force at Y as a result of the magnetic field due to the current in the
wire WX (label this arrow FWX)

 Answer:

 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

 The DC Motor

 The motor effect can be used to create a simple d.c electric motor

 The simple d.c. motor consists of a coil of wire (which is free to rotate)
positioned in a uniform magnetic field:

 Structure of a Simple D.C. Motor



 A simple D.C. electric motor consists of a coil that rotates in a

magnetic field, a split ring commutator and brushes

 This causes the coil to rotate since it experiences a turning effect

 The turning effect is increased by increasing:

 The number of turns on the coil

 The current

 The strength of the magnetic field

 Operation of a DC Motor

 When the current is flowing in the coil at 90 o to the direction of the

magnetic field:

 The current creates a magnetic field around the coil

 The magnetic field produced around the coil interacts with the field
produced by the magnets

 This results in a force being exerted on the coil

 The direction of the force can be determined using Fleming's left-

hand rule

 As current will flow in opposite directions on each side of the coil, the
force produced from the magnetic field will push one side of the
coil up and the other side of the coil down

 This will cause the coil to rotate, and it will continue to rotate until it is
in the vertical position

 In the vertical position momentum keeps the coil turning until the
magnetic force takes over again
 The split ring commutator swaps the contacts of the coil

 This reverses the direction in which the current is flowing every half
turn

 This keeps the current leaving the motor in the same direction (d.c)

 Reversing the direction of the current will also reverse the direction in
which the forces are acting

 As a result, the coil will continue to rotate

 Force on Coil in a D.C. Motor

 Forces on coil after commutator has reversed the direction of

the current

 The split-ring commutator reverses the direction of the current in the

coil every half turn

 This will keep the coil rotating continuously as long as the current is
flowing

 Factors Affecting the D.C Motor

 The speed at which the coil rotates can be increased by:

 Increasing the current

 Use a stronger magnet

 The direction of rotation of coil in the d.c motor can be changed by:

 Reversing the direction of the current

 Reversing the direction of the magnetic field by reversing the poles of

the magnet

 The force supplied by the motor can be increased by:

 Increasing the current in the coil

 Increasing the strength of the magnetic field

 Adding more turns to the coil

 Worked example

 A d.c motor is set up as shown below.

 Determine whether the coil will be rotating clockwise or anticlockwise.

 Answer:

 Step 1: Draw arrows to show the direction of the magnetic

field lines

 These will go from the north pole of the magnet to the south pole of
the magnet

 Step 2: Draw arrows to show the direction the current is

flowing in the coils

 Current will flow from the positive terminal of the battery to the
negative terminal


 Step 3: Use Fleming’s left-hand rule to determine the direction

of the force on each side of the coil

 Start by pointing your First Finger in the direction of the

(magnetic) Field

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

 The THumb will now be pointing in the direction of the THrust (the
force)

 Step 4: Use the force arrows to determine the direction of

rotation

 The coil will be turning clockwise

 Examiner Tip

 It is important to remember all the steps that causes the rotation of the
coil in a d.c. motor.
 Use Fleming's left-hand rule to convince yourself of the direction of the
forces on each side of the coil. These should be in opposite directions
because the direction of the current through them is in opposite
directions.

 Transformer

 A transformer is an electrical device that can be used to increase or

decrease the potential difference of an alternating
current (voltage transformations)

 This is achieved using the generator effect

 A basic transformer consists of:

 A primary coil

 A secondary coil

 A soft iron core

 Iron is used because it is easily magnetised

 Structure of a Transformer

 Structure of a transformer consists of a soft iron core, and a

primary and secondary coil

 An alternating current is supplied to the primary coil

 The current is continually changing direction

 This means it will produce a changing magnetic field around the

primary coil

 The iron core is easily magnetised, so the changing magnetic field

passes through it

 As a result, there is now a changing magnetic field inside

the secondary coil
 This changing field cuts through the secondary coil and induces a
potential difference

 As the magnetic field is continually changing the potential difference

induced will be alternating

 The alternating potential difference will have the same frequency as

the alternating current supplied to the primary coil

 If the secondary coil is part of a complete circuit it will cause

an alternating current to flow

 Step-up & Step-down Transformers

 A transformer consists of a primary and secondary coil

 The primary coil is the first coil

 The second coil is the second coil

 A step-up transformer increases the potential difference of a power

source

 A step-up transformer has more turns on the secondary coil than on

the primary coil (Ns > Np)

 A step-down transformer decreases the potential difference of a

power source

 A step-down transformer has fewer turns on the secondary coil than

on the primary coil (Ns < Np)

 Transformer Calculations

 The output potential difference (voltage) of a transformer depends

on:

 The number of turns on the primary and secondary coils

 The input potential difference (voltage)

 Where
o Vp = potential difference (voltage) across the primary coil in volts (V)
o Vs = potential difference (voltage) across the secondary coil in volts (V)
o np = number of turns on primary coil
o ns = number of turns on secondary coil
 The equation above can be flipped upside down to give:

Uses of an Oscilloscope
 Displaying Waveforms

 An oscilloscope is a device that can be used to study a

rapidly changing signal, such as:

o A sound wave

o An alternating current

An Oscilloscope

Oscilloscopes have lots of dials and buttons, but their main

purpose is to display and measure changing signals like sound
waves and alternating current

 When a microphone is connected to an oscilloscope, the (longitudinal)

sound wave is displayed as though it were a transverse wave on the
screen

 An alternating current (A.C.) on an oscilloscope is also represented as a

transverse wave.

 Using the oscilloscope the frequency and amplitude of these waves can
be determined

 The x-axis is the time and the y-axis is the voltage (or y-gain)

Measuring P.D. and Time Intervals

 The p.d. can be measured using the oscilloscope's vertical axis called
the y-gain

o This is done by measuring the wave amplitude, by counting the

number of squares from the centre of the wave to the peak or
trough of the waveform, and applying the correct scale

o The vertical axis has the units volts per division, volts/div
 o It is possible to adjust the y-gain scale by turning the correct
switch on the oscilloscope

o The y-gain may have a scale of 1 volt per division but by

zooming in it is possible to increase the scale to 10 volts per
division for example

 Short intervals of time can be measured using the oscilloscope's x-axis

called the time-base:

o The time base is how many seconds each division

represents measured commonly in seconds per division, s/div,
or seconder per centimetre, s/cm

o Measuring time is done by measuring the time-period of one

wavelength, by counting the number of squares from one point
on one wave to the equivalent point on the next wave

o It is possible to adjust the time-base scale by turning the correct

switch on the oscilloscope

o The time-base may have a scale of 1 second per division but it is

possible to increase or decrease the scale by zooming in or out

Wavelength and Amplitude

A sound wave is displayed as though it were a transverse wave

on the screen of the oscilloscope. The amplitude can be used
to measure the y-gain of the waveform. The time base can be
used to measure a full time-period of the wave cycle
 Calculating Frequency

 Use as many wavelengths shown on the screen as possible to reduce

uncertainties

 Dividing the total time by the number of wavelengths will give the
time-period T (time taken for one complete oscillation)

 The frequency is then determined using the equation

An Example of Counting Wavelengths

An Oscilloscope display showing wavelengths and a time-

base setting of 5 ms/div