A long, straight, vertical segment of wire traverses a magnetic field of magnitude 2.0 T in the direction shown in the diagram. The length of the wire that lies in the magnetic field is 0.060 m. When the switch is closed, a current of 4.0 A flows through the wire from point P to point Q.
-What is the magnitude of the magnetic force acting on the wire?

Question

A long, straight, vertical segment of wire traverses a magnetic field of magnitude 2.0 T in the direction shown in the diagram.  The length of the wire that lies in the magnetic field is 0.060 m.  When the switch is closed, a current of 4.0 A flows through the wire from point P to point Q. 
-What is the magnitude of the magnetic force acting on the wire?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The magnetic force acting on a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field can be calculated using the formula:

F = ILBsinθ

where I is the current, L is the length of the wire in the magnetic field, B is the magnetic field strength, and θ is the angle between the direction of the current and the magnetic field.

In this case, the current is 4.0 A, the length of wire in the field is 0.060 m, and the magnetic field strength is 2.0 T. The angle between the direction of the current and the magnetic field is 90 degrees (“sinθ” becomes 1).

Plugging in the values, we get:

F = (4.0 A)(0.060 m)(2.0 T)(1) = 0.48 N

Therefore, the magnitude of the magnetic force acting on the wire is 0.48 N, which corresponds to answer choice C.

A Long, Straight, Vertical Segment of Wire Traverses a Magnetic