Special Cases of Force on Current Carrying Conductor
There are a few special cases of force on the current-carrying conductors depending on the position of the conductor in the magnetic field. These cases are explained as follows:
Case I: When a conductor is placed parallel to the Magnetic Field
When sin θ = 0 (minimum) i.e., θ = 0° or 180°, then force on the current element in a magnetic field is zero(minimum).
Fmin = 0
A current element in a magnetic field does not experience any force if the current in it is collinear with the field, thus it is the least magnitude of the force experienced by the conductor in the given magnetic field.
Case II: When a conductor is placed perpendicular to the Magnetic Field
When sin θ = 1 (maximum) i.e., θ = 90°, then force on the current element in a magnetic field is maximum (=ILB).
Fmax = ILB
The direction of force is always perpendicular to the plane containing and and this is the maximum possible force experienced by the conductor in the given magnetic field.
Force on a Current Carrying Conductor in Magnetic Field
Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor is a fundamental concept in the field of electromagnetism. It was discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in the year 1820 that when current flows through a conductor, it produces a magnetic field around it. When this conductor is placed in a uniform magnetic field, the magnetic field produced by it interacts with the external magnetic field to produce a force on the conductor which we will learn about it in detail in this article further. This article covers the topic of Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor and its mathematical formula in detail. Also the rule for finding the direction of the motion due to this force.