Mastery Programme

G10 Advanced Physics

Term 2
Key Concept 8: Electromagnetic Forces
 Learning Outcomes
Key Concept 8: Electromagnetic Forces
 Describe the pattern and direction of the magnetic field due to currents in straight wires and in solenoids
 Describe an experiment to identify the pattern of the magnetic field (including direction) due to currents in straight wires
and in solenoids
 State the qualitative variation of the strength of the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids
 Describe how the magnetic effect of a current is used in relays and loudspeakers and give examples of their application
 Describe the effect on the magnetic field around straight wires and solenoids of changing the magnitude and direction of the
current
 Describe an experiment to show that a force acts on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field, including the effect of
reversing:
(a) the current
(b) the direction of the field
 Recall and use the relative directions of force, magnetic field and current
 Determine the direction of the force on beams of charged particles in a magnetic field
 Know that a current-carrying coil in a magnetic field may experience a turning effect and that the turning effect is increased
by increasing:
(a) the number of turns on the coil
(b) the current
(c) the strength of the magnetic field
Magnetic Fields Around Wires
When a current flows through a conducting wire
a magnetic field is produced around the wire

• A conducting wire is any wire that has current flowing

through it

The shape and direction of the magnetic field can be

investigated using plotting compasses

• The compasses would produce a magnetic field lines

pattern that would like look like the figure

• The magnetic field is made up of concentric circles

• A circular field pattern indicates that the magnetic field

around a current-carrying wire has no poles

• As the distance from the wire increases the circles get

further apart
Diagram showing the magnetic field around a current-
• This shows that the magnetic field is strongest closest carrying wire
to the wire and gets weaker as the distance from the
wire increases
 Reversing the direction in which the current flows through
Magnetic Fields Around Wires the wire will reverse the direction of the magnetic field
Right Hand Rule:

The right-hand thumb rule can be used to work out

the direction of the magnetic field

• If there is no current flowing through the conductor

there will be no magnetic field
• Increasing the amount of current flowing through the
The right-hand thumb rule shows the direction of current wire will increase the strength of the magnetic field. This
flow through a wire and the direction of the magnetic field means the field lines will become closer together
around the wire
 • The magnetic field inside the solenoid is strong and uniform
Magnetic Field Around a Solenoid • One end of the solenoid behaves like the north pole of a
magnet; the other side behaves like the south pole
When a wire is looped into a coil, the magnetic field lines • To work out the polarity of each end of the solenoid it
circle around each part of the coil, passing through the
needs to be viewed from the end
center of it • If the current is travelling around in
a clockwise direction, then it is the south pole
• If the current is travelling around in
an anticlockwise direction, then it is the north pole
• If the current changes direction, then the north and
south poles will be reversed
Diagram showing the magnetic field around a flat • If there is no current flowing through the wire, then there will
circular coil be no magnetic field produced around or through the
• To increase the strength of the magnetic field around solenoid
the wire it should be coiled to form a solenoid
• The magnetic field around the solenoid is like that of
a bar magnet

Poles of a Solenoid
Magnetic Effects of Changing Current
A solenoid can be used as an electromagnet by adding
a soft iron core

• The iron core will become an induced

magnet when current is flowing through the coils

• The magnetic field produced from the solenoid and

the iron core will create a much stronger magnet An electromagnet consists of a solenoid wrapped
overall around a soft iron core

• The magnetic field produced by the electromagnet Factors Affecting Magnetic Field Strength
can be switched on and off
• The strength of the magnetic field produced around
• When the current is flowing there will be a a solenoid can be increased by:
magnetic field produced around the electromagnet • Increasing the size of the current which is flowing
through the wire
• When the current is switched off there will • Increasing the number of coils
be no magnetic field produced around the • Adding an iron core through the centre of the coils
electromagnet
• The strength of an electromagnet can be changed by:
• Changing the direction of the current also changes • Increasing the current will increase the magnetic field
the direction of the magnetic field produced by the produced around the electromagnet
iron core • Decreasing the current will decrease the magnetic field
produced around the electromagnet
Applications of the Magnetic Effect of a Current
Electromagnets are used in a wide variety of applications,
including:
• Relay circuits (utilised in electric bells, electronic locks,
scrapyard cranes etc)
• Loudspeakers & headphones

Relay Circuits
• Electromagnets are commonly used in relay circuits
• Relays are switches that open and close via the action
of an electromagnet
• A relay circuit consists of:
• An electrical circuit containing an electromagnet
• A second circuit with a switch which is near to the
electromagnet in the first circuit
• When a current flows through Circuit 1, a magnetic
field is induced around the coil
• The magnetic field attracts the switch, causing it to
pivot and close the contacts in Circuit 2
• This allows a current to flow in Circuit 2
• When no current flows through Circuit 1, the magnetic
force stops When a current passes through the coil in Circuit 1,
• The electromagnet stops attracting the switch it attracts the switch in Circuit 2, closing it enables
• The current in Circuit 2 stops flowing a current to flow in Circuit 2
Applications of the Magnetic Effect of a Current

Electric bells also utilize relay circuits to function.

When the button K is pressed:

• A current passes through the electromagnet E

creating a magnetic field

• This attracted the iron armature A, causing the

hammer to strike the bell B

• The movement of the armature breaks the circuit at T

• This stops the current, destroying the magnetic field

and so the armature returns to its previous position

• This re-establishes the circuit, and the whole process Electric bells utilize relay circuits. As the current
starts again alternates, the metal arm strikes the bell and
drops repeatedly to produce the ringing effect
Applications of the Magnetic Effect of a Current
Loudspeakers & Headphones

• Loudspeakers and headphones convert electrical

signals into sound

• They work due to the motor effect

• A loudspeaker consists of a coil of wire which is

wrapped around one pole of a permanent magnet

• An alternating current passes through the coil of the

loudspeaker
• This creates a changing magnetic field around
the coil • The direction of the force at any instant can be determined
using Fleming’s left-hand rule
• As the current is constantly changing direction, the
direction of the magnetic field will be constantly • As the magnetic field is constantly changing direction,
changing the force exerted on the coil will constantly change
direction
• The magnetic field produced around the • This makes the coil oscillate
coil interacts with the field from the permanent magnet
• The oscillating coil causes the speaker cone to oscillate
• The interacting magnetic fields will exert a force on the • This makes the air oscillate, creating sound waves
coil
Investigating the Field Around a Wire
The magnetic field patterns due to currents in
straight wires and in solenoids can be
investigated using:

• A thick wire
• A solenoid (a wire wrapped into a coil)
- for example, a metal slinky
• Cell, ammeter, variable resistor and
connecting wires
• Cardboard with holes (the holes must
be large enough for the wire to fit
through)
• Clamp stand
• Iron filings or a compass

Procedure:

• Spread the iron filings uniformly on the

cardboard and place the magnetic needle
on the board
• Tap the cardboard slightly and observe the
orientation of iron filings
Investigating the Field Around a Wire (Cont’d)
Experiment 1: Plotting the magnetic Using iron filings:
• If using iron filings, simply pour the filings onto the cards
field around a wire and gently shake the card until the filings settle in the
• Attach the thick wire through a hole in the middle of the pattern of the magnetic field around the wire
cardboard and secure it to the clamp stand
• Secure the wire vertically so it sits perpendicularly to
the cardboard
• Attach the ends of the wire to a series circuit containing
the variable resistor and ammeter on either side of the cell

Using plotting compasses:

• Place plotting compasses on the card and draw dots at
each end of the needle once it settles
• Make sure to draw an arrow to show the direction of
the field at different points
• Move the compass so that it points away from the new
dot, and repeat the process above
• Keep repeating the previous process until there is a chain
of dots on the card
• Then remove the compass, or compasses, and link the
dots using a smooth curve – this will be the magnetic field
line
• Repeat the whole process several times to create several
other magnetic field lines
Investigating the Field Around a Wire (Cont’d)
Experiment 2: Plotting the magnetic field around a
Solenoid

• Attach the thick wire through a hole on one side of the

cardboard and loop it through a hole on the other side of
the cardboard and secure it to the clamp stand
• Secure the wire so it forms a circular loop around the
cardboard
• Attach the ends of the wire to a series circuit containing
the variable resistor and ammeter on either side of the cell

Using plotting compasses:

• Follow the procedure outlined in Experiment 1
• Note: this can be carried out using a solenoid, but
since a solenoid is essentially many circular loops,
the pattern around a circular loop can be extended to
give the pattern around a solenoid

Using iron filings and a solenoid:

• Take a solenoid (a metal slinky works well for this) and
thread it through pre-made holes in a piece of card
• Pour the filings onto the card and gently shake the card
until the filings settle in the pattern of the magnetic field
around the solenoid
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

• Two ways to reverse the direction of the force (and

therefore, the copper rod) are by reversing:
• The direction of the current
• The direction of the magnetic field

This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as 'the

motor effect'. The direction of the force is
determined by Fleming's left-hand rule
The Left Hand Rule
The direction of the force (or 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

• 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 can be used to

determine directions of the force, magnetic field
and current
 Step 1: Determine the direction of the field
The Left Hand Rule • 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
• The THumb will now be pointing in the
direction of the THrust (the force)
• Therefore, this will be the direction in which
the wire will move

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.
Charged Particles in a Magnetic Field
• When a current-carrying wire is placed in a magnetic
field, it will experience a force if the wire is
perpendicular
• This is because the magnetic field exerts a force
on each individual electron flowing through the
wire

• Therefore, when a charged particle passes through a

magnetic field, the field can exert a force on the
particle, causing it to deflect
• The force is always at 90 degrees to both the
direction of travel and the magnetic field lines
• The direction can be worked out by
using Fleming's left-hand rule • If the particle is travelling perpendicular to the field lines:
• It will experience the maximum force
• In the case of an electron in a magnetic field the second
finger points in the opposite direction to the direction of • If the particle is travelling parallel to the field lines:
motion • It will experience no force
• Conventional current is said to flow opposite to the
direction of flow of electrons • If the particle is travelling at an angle to the field lines:
• The finger represents current • It will experience a small force
• An alternative is to use the right hand to work out
directions for charged particles
Electric Motor (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:

• 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 • Reversing the direction of the current will also reverse
• In the vertical position momentum keeps the coil the direction in which the forces are acting
turning until the magnetic force takes over again • As a result, the coil will continue to rotate

• The split ring commutator swaps the contacts of the coil • The split-ring commutator reverses the direction of the
• This reverses the direction in which the current is current in the coil every half turn. This will keep the coil
flowing every half turn rotating continuously as long as the current is flowing
• This keeps the current leaving the motor in the same
direction (d.c)
Operation of a DC Motor

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
Operation of a DC Motor 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

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