Section 16.

Force on current-carrying
conductor in magnetic field
• Fleming's left-hand rule
• Factors affecting the magnitude
of force on current-carrying conductor
• Turning effect of coil
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 1
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 120)

Force on current-carrying conductor

in magnetic field

current-carrying conductor experiences force

in magnetic field

Go to

Discussion 5
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 2
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 121)

Force on current-carrying conductor

in magnetic field
Expt. 16D
Magnetic force d.c. power supply
on a current-
carrying
conductor

magnet
rider

Fleming's apparatus
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 3
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 121)

Force on current-carrying conductor

in magnetic field

either
• direction of current
• poles of magnet
reversed
→ moves in opposite
direction

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 4

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 121)

Fleming's left-hand rule

Fleming's left-hand rule force

field

current
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 5
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 122)

Fleming's left-hand rule

force

field

current
current

CAL
Workshop 1
Force on
current-
carrying
conductor in
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. magnetic field 6
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 122)

Factors affecting the magnitude of

force on current-carrying conductor

magnetic force ↑ by

(1) Use stronger magnet

current
(2) ↑ no. of turns of wire

(3) ↑ current

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 7

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 123)

Turning effect of coil

field
current
force

turning effect
Thinking 6 principle of motors & meters
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 8
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 123)

Example 2:
A conducting rod is placed in each of the following open
circuits. State the motion of the conducting rod.
(a) (b)

Solut
To the right. ion To the left.

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 9

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 123)

Example 2: (Cont)

(c) (d)

Solut
To the right. At rest.
ion

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 10

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 124)

Class Practice 3:
A copper rod is placed on an open circuit. When the switch
is closed and the resistance of the rheostat is increased
gradually, state and explain the motion of the rod when it is
placed at positions AB and CD.
Ans
wer

magnetic
field region

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 11

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 124)

Class Practice 3:
At AB,
the rod does not move because there is
no magnetic field around it.
magnetic
Ans field
At CD, wer region

the rod moves to the right according to

Fleming's left hand rule. It moves at a decreasing
acceleration because the current is decreasing.

Thinking 7 Thinking 8
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 12
 To section 16.5

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 13

16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 120)

Discussion 5:
What happens when a current-carrying conductor
is placed in a magnetic field? Discuss with your
classmates.
(Hint: A magnet experiences a force near another
magnet.) Ans
wer
The current-carrying conductor experiences a force in
a magnetic field.

Return to

Text
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 14
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 120)

Thinking 6

Ans
wer
The figure shows three long current-carrying
straight wires P, Q and R. The magnitude of
the current flowing through each wire is the
same. Draw a diagram to represent the
direction of the resultant force acting on P.
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 15
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 120)

Thinking 6 (Cont)

Return to

Text
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 16
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 124)

Thinking 7

In Class Practice 3, if both the directions of the

magnetic field and the terminals of the cell are
reversed, does the motion of the rod at
positions AB and CD change?
Ans
wer

magnetic
At AB, the rod still does not move. field
region
Return to
At CD, the rod still moves to the right.
© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd.
Text 17
16.4 Force on current-carrying conductor in magnetic field (SB p. 124)

Thinking 8

When lightning strikes, negative charges flow from

a cloud to the ground. Explain why
the strike is deflected to the west.
The downward flow of negative
Ans
wer in a lightning strike is
charges
equivalent to an upward flow of current. With the
earth's magnetic field pointing from the south to
the north, by Fleming's left hand rule, the
negative charges in the lightning strike would
be deflected towards the west, except at the Return to

Arctic and the Antarctic of the earth. Text

© Manhattan Press (H.K.) Ltd. 18