YOUR NOTES
IB Physics SL
Motion in Electromagnetic Fields
CONTENTS
Charged Particles in Electric Fields
Charged Particles in Magnetic Fields
Charged Particles in Electric & Magnetic Fields
Magnetic Force on a Charge
Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor
Magnetic Force between Two Parallel Conductors
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Charged Particles in Electric Fields YOUR NOTES
Charged Particles in Electric Fields
A charged particle in an electric field will experience a force on it that will cause it to move
If a charged particle remains stationary in a uniform electric field, it will move parallel to the
electric field lines (along or against the field lines depending on its charge)
If a charged particle is in motion through a uniform electric field (e.g. between two charged
parallel plates), it will experience a constant electric force and travel in a parabolic
trajectory
The parabolic path of charged particles in a uniform electric field
The direction of the parabola will depend on the charge of the particle
A positive charge will be deflected towards the negative plate
A negative charge will be deflected towards the positive plate
The force on the particle is the same at all points and is always in the same direction
Note: an uncharged particle, such as a neutron experiences no force in an electric field and
will therefore travel straight through the plates undeflected
The amount of deflection depends on the following properties of the particles:
Mass – the greater the mass, the smaller the deflection and vice versa
Charge – the greater the magnitude of the charge of the particle, the greater the
deflection and vice versa
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Speed – the greater the speed of the particle, the smaller the deflection and vice YOUR NOTES
versa
Page 3 of 26
Charged Particles in Magnetic Fields YOUR NOTES
Charged Particles in Magnetic Fields
A charged particle in uniform magnetic field which is perpendicular to its direction of motion
travels in a circular path
This is because the magnetic force FB will always be perpendicular to its velocity v
FB will always be directed towards the centre of the path
A charged particle moves travels in a circular path in a magnetic field
The magnetic force FB provides the centripetal force on the particle
Recall the equation for centripetal force:
Where:
m = mass of the particle (kg)
v = linear velocity of the particle (m s-1)
r = radius of the orbit (m)
Equating this to the force on a moving charged particle gives the equation:
Page 6 of 26
The thumb points in the direction of motion of the rod (or the direction of the force) (F) YOUR NOTES
The first finger points in the direction of the external magnetic field (B)
The second finger points in the direction of conventional current flow (I)On the left
hand, with the thumb pointed upwards, first finger forwards and the second finger to
the right, ie. all three are perpendicular to each other
Fleming’s left-hand rule
Since this is represented in 3D space, sometimes the current, force or magnetic field could
be directed into or out of the page, not just left, right, up and down
The direction of the magnetic field into or out of the page in 3D is represented by the
following symbols:
Dots (sometimes with a circle around them) represent the magnetic field directed out
of the plane of the page
Crosses represent the magnetic field directed into the plane of the page
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YOUR NOTES
The magnetic field into or out of the page is represented by circles with dots or crosses
The way to remember this is by imagining an arrow used in archery or darts:
If the arrow is approaching head-on, such as out of a page, only the very tip of the
arrow can be seen (a dot)
When the arrow is receding away, such as into a page, only the cross of the feathers at
the back can be seen (a cross)
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Charged Particles in Electric & Magnetic Fields YOUR NOTES
Charged Particles in Electric & Magnetic Fields
A charged particle moving at a constant speed in electric and magnetic fields orientated
at right angles to each other will continue to travel at a constant speed
One particular orientation is:
Motion of particle, v to the right
Magnetic field B coming out of the page on the z-axis
Electric field E going up the page on the y-axis
Hence, the three vectors are perpendicular to each other
An example of the orientation of an electric field perpendicular to a magnetic field
Situation 1: Moving Positively Charged Particle
The electric force is parallel to the electric field, so it acts up the page
The magnetic force is perpendicular to the magnetic field according to Fleming's left
hand rule
When applied to the orientation above:
The positive charge moves to the right, this is the second finger
The magnetic field comes out of the page, this is the first finger
So, the magnetic force is acting down the page, this is the thumb
Hence, the electric force and magnetic force act in opposite directions on the charge
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YOUR NOTES
The electric force acts up the page and the magnetic force acts in the opposite direction
down the page
Situation 2: Moving Negatively Charged Particle
The charge is negative, so the electric force acts in the opposite direction to the electric
field, down the page
The magnetic force is perpendicular to the magnetic field according to the Fleming's left
hand rule
When applied to the orientation above:
A positive charge moves to the left, this is the second finger (since the negative
moves to the right, in the opposite direction)
The magnetic field comes out of the page, this is the first finger
So, the magnetic force is acting up the page, this is the thumb
Page 12 of 26
YOUR NOTES
The magnetic force acts up the page and the electric force acts in the opposite direction
down the page
Strength of Forces
Adjusting the strengths of the two fields the magnitude of the electric and magnetic forces
can be made equal
So the forces cancel each other out
Hence, the particle continues its original motion in a straight line with its constant speed v
Calculating Particle Velocity
When the two forces are equal then electric force, FE = magnetic force, FB
FE = Eq and FB = Bqv
So, Eq = Bqv
and Bv = E
E
Hence, v =
B
The equation for the magnetic force FB on charge is introduced in this revision note
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Magnetic Force on a Charge YOUR NOTES
Magnetic Force on a Charge
The magnetic force on an isolating moving charge, such an electron, is given by the
equation:
F = BQv sin
Where:
F = force on the charge (N)
B = magnetic flux density (T)
Q = charge of the particle (C)
v = speed of the charge (m s-1)
θ = angle between charge’s velocity and magnetic field (degrees)
The force on an isolated moving charge is perpendicular to its motion and the magnetic field
B
Equivalent to the force on a wire, if the magnetic field B is perpendicular ( to the direction of
the charge’s velocity, the equation simplifies to:
F = BQv
This is because sin( 90) = 1
According to Fleming’s left hand rule:
When an electron enters a magnetic field from the left, and if the magnetic field is
directed into the page, then the force on it will be directed downwards
This equation shows that
The force due to the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the velocity of the electron
Note: this is equivalent to circular motion
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Fleming’s left-hand rule can be used again to find the direction of the force, magnetic field YOUR NOTES
and velocity
The key difference is that the second finger representing current I (direction of positive
charge) is now the direction of velocity v of the positive charge
The electron experiences a force upwards when it travels through the magnetic field
between the two poles
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Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor YOUR NOTES
Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor
A current-carrying conductor produces its own magnetic field
When interacting with an external magnetic field, it 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 that makes it move
A copper rod moves within a magnetic field when current is passed through it
Calculating Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor
The strength of a magnetic field is known as the magnetic flux density, B
This is also known as the magnetic field strength
It is measured in units of Tesla (T)
The force F on a conductor carrying current I at right angles to a magnetic field with flux
density B is defined by the equation
F = BIL sin
Where:
F = force on a current carrying conductor in a magnetic field (N)
B = magnetic flux density of external magnetic field (T)
I = current in the conductor (A)
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L = length of the conductor (m) YOUR NOTES
θ = angle between the conductor and external magnetic field (degrees)
This equation shows that the greater the current or the magnetic field strength, the greater
the force on the conductor
Magnitude of the force on a current carrying conductor depends on the angle of the
conductor to the external B field
The maximum force occurs when sin θ = 1
This means θ = 90o and the conductor is perpendicular to the B field
This equation for the magnetic force now becomes:
F = BIL
The minimum force (0) is when sin θ = 0
This means θ = 0o and the conductor is parallel to the B field
It is important to note that a current-carrying conductor will experience no force if the
current in the conductor is parallel to the field
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Magnetic Force between Two Parallel Conductors YOUR NOTES
Magnetic Force Between Two Parallel Conductors
A current carrying conductor, such as a wire, produces a magnetic field around it
The direction of the field depends on the direction of the current through the wire
This is determined by the right hand thumb rule
Parallel current-carrying conductors will therefore either attract or repel each other
If the currents are in the same direction in both conductors, the magnetic field lines
between the conductors cancel out – the conductors will attract each other
If the currents are in the opposite direction in both conductors, the magnetic field lines
between the conductors push each other apart – the conductors will repel each other
Both wires will attract if their currents are in the same direction and repel if in opposite
directions
When the conductors attract, the direction of the magnetic forces will be towards each
other
When the conductors repel, the direction of the magnetic forces will be away from each
other
The magnitude of each force depends on the amount of current and the length of the wire
Force per Unit Length Between Two Parallel Conductors
F
is the force per unit length between two parallel currents I1 and I2 separated by a
L
distance r
The force is attractive if the currents are in the same direction and repulsive if they are in
opposite directions
It is calculated using the equation:
Page 22 of 26
YOUR NOTES
Where:
F is the force applied between the two parallel wires (N)
L is the length of each parallel conductor (m)
μ0 is the constant for the magnetic permeability of free space = 4π × 10−7 N A−2
I1 is the current through the first conducting wire (A)
I2 is the current through the second conducting wire (A)
r is the separation between the two conducting wires (m)
The forces on each of the current-carrying wires are equal and opposite in direction
Obtaining the Equation
The force from wire 2 on wire 1, F2 = B2I1Lsin( )
In this situation the magnetic field is perpendicular to the current in the wire, so sin(θ) = 1
F2 = −F1 so the force between them is F
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F B2 I1L YOUR NOTES
The force on a unit length of the wires is then given by =
L L
F
Hence, = B2 I1
L
The magnitude of the magnetic field at a radial distance, r away from the current
μ0I
conducting wire is: B =
2πr
In this case the magnetic field strength from B2 at a distance r away from wire 2 is:
μ 0 I2
B2 =
2πr
F ⎛⎜ μ 0 I2 ⎞⎟
Substituting for B2 into the force per unit length equation gives us: = ⎜⎜ ⎟⎟ I
L ⎝ 2 π r ⎠1
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