Experiment 8

Force on a Current-Carrying Wire in a Magnetic Field

Apparatus

 Power supply
 Loop
 Balance
 Connecting wires
 Ammeter
 Magnets

Reading Assignment

Read related topics from your Physics Textbook.

Introduction

When a current-carrying wire is placed in a uniform magnetic field it experiences a magnetic

force.

 B

The relation between the magnetic force F on the wire carrying a current I, and the magnetic
field B is

F = Il x B (1)

or F = Il B sin  (2)

where l is the length of the wire, and  is the angle between the current and the magnetic field.
It is assumed in the relation that the magnetic field is uniform, the current flows along the
straight wire and also the wire along its length is uniform.

The direction of the force is perpendicular to the direction of the current and the direction of
the magnetic field. It can be determined by using Fleming's left hand rule.

If the direction of the current is perpendicular to the direction of the magnetic field, then
equation (2) can be written as

F = IlB (3)
In this situation the force is maximum and if the magnetic field and the current are parallel
then, the force will be zero.
When the current carrying wire is placed in the magnet assembly as shown in Figure 1, the
interaction of the magnetic field produced by the current carrying wire and the magnet
assembly will produce the change in the weight of the magnet assembly. The magnetic force
is equal to the weight change.

In this experiment we will investigate the dependence of the magnetic force on; the current
and the length of the wire in a uniform magnetic field.

Procedure

Force versus current

1. Set up the apparatus as in Figure 1.

Figure 1.

2. Select the loop SF 41, and plug it into the ends of the arms of the main unit.
Place the magnet assembly on the balance. The current loop shouldn’t touch the magnets.
The horizontal portion of the conductive foil on the current loop should pass through the
pole region of the magnets. Connect the circuit as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2.

3. Measure the mass of the magnet assembly with no current flowing. Record it as mo.

4. Turn on the power supply and adjust the current to 1.0 A.

5. Measure the mass of the magnet assembly m1. Find the difference (m1 - mo = m) and then
calculate the force (F = mg).
6. Increase the current in 0.5 A increments to a maximum value of 3.0 A, each time repeat
step (5). Tabulate your data.
7. Plot a graph of force versus current (use MS Excel). Discuss the relation between the
current variation and the force acting on the wire.

8. Determine the slope of the line from the graph.

9. Calculate the magnetic field from the value of the slope. Use equation 3.

Force versus length of the loop

10. Turn the power supply off. Remove the current loop and replace it with the loop of length
2.2 cm. Set the current to 3.0 A.

11. Measure the mass of the magnet assembly m1. Find the difference (m1 - mo = m) and then
calculate the force (F = mg).

12. Repeat steps 10 and 11 for all available loops. Tabulate your data.

13. Plot a graph of force versus the length of the loop (use MS Excel). Discuss the relation
between the length of the loop and the force acting on the wire.

14. Determine the slope of the line from the graph.

15. Calculate the magnetic field from the value of the slope. Use equation 3.

16. Compare the values of B obtained from part1 and part 2. Discuss the results.

17. Write the sources of errors in this experiment.

Current Loop Length Current Loop Length Current Loop Length

SF 40 1.2 cm SF 37 2.2 cm SF 39 3.2 cm

SF 38 4.2 cm SF 41 6.4 cm SF 42 8.4 cm