Force on a Current

A tutorial sheet of questions on the force on a current is given below

  1. Define current.
  2. Define the SI unit for current.
  3. What are the charge carriers in a copper wire?

  4. When a current carrying wire is in an external magnetic field do the moving charge carriers in the wire experience a force?

  5. How is the force on the moving charge carriers transferred to the wire? (charge carriers experience a force moving them to one side of the wire creating a charge separation that exerts a force on the postive ions in the lattice of the wire pulling the wire sideways)
  6. Is the direction of the magnetic force on the wire the same as the magnetic force on the charge carriers?
  7. A uniform magnetic field is directed into the page. A current in a wire flows to the right. What is the direction of the force on the charge carriers in the current?
  8. A uniform electric field acts into the page. A current in a wire flows to the right. What is the direction of the force on the charge carriers?
  9. A positively charged particle moves to the right. The charge enters a uniform electric field directed into the page. Describe the force on the charge.
  10. In a Physics experiment a constant current flows in a long straight wire. Does the magnetic field produced by the current exert a force on the wire? Give a reason.