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Introductory Physics Homework Help
Understanding the Force on Current-Carrying Wires in Magnetic Fields
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[QUOTE="Simon Bridge, post: 4752729, member: 367532"] The deflection of a current-carrying wire in the presence of a permanent magnet, or another current, can be understood at your level in terms of an interaction between magnetic fields. That is not the whole picture. In the standard model, it is understood in terms of electric charges interacting via photons. I think the next step to your understanding is to look at the force on a charge moving in an electro-magnetic field. The equation describing that is: $$\vec F = q(\vec E + \vec v \times \vec B)$$... where v is the velocity of the charge and q is the amount of charge. E and B are the electric and magnetic field vectors - which will usually differ at different points in space. The cross product means that the magnetic force acts perpendicularly to the field [i]and[/i] the velocity. An electric current, in this picture, is a whole lot of charges moving along the wire at some speed - so this should help you understand the relationship between the force on the current and individual magnetic fields. The relationship between electric and magnetic fields gets clearer when you learn about relativity. Later on you'll also learn about intrinsic magnetic dipole moments and how atoms can act as small magnets... this is what gives rise to the usual magnetism of magnets that you are used to. But right now, you are still exploring the phenomena. [/QUOTE]
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Understanding the Force on Current-Carrying Wires in Magnetic Fields
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