(CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

CHAPTER - 01
MOVING CHARGES AND MAGNETISM

Orested’s Experiment
Orested discovered that a magnetic needle gets deflected by a current carrying wire. This experiment
confirmed the existence of magnetic field around a current carrying wire.
 Christian Oersted discovered magnetic field surrounding a current carrying wire.
 The direction of the magnetic field depends on the direction of current.
 The laws of electricity and magnetism were unified and formulated by James Maxwell who then
realized that light was electromagnetic waves.
Magnetic Force
Source and fields
A static charge q is the source of electric field (E). Moving charges or currents produces a magnetic
field (B), in addition to electric field (B).
 Magnetic field is a vector field.
 It obeys the principle of superposition: the magnetic field of several sources is the vector addition of
magnetic field of each individual source.
Lorentz Force
The total force acting on a charge q moving with a velocity v in presence of both the electric field E
and the magnetic field B is called Lorentz force.

F  Felectric  Fmagnetic
   

F  qE  q v  B 
   

F  q E  q v  B 
  
Electric Lorentz force
 
F = qE

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Magnetic Lorentz force

 

q v×B 

F = qvBsin where  is the angle between v and B
i) Magnetic Lorentz force depends on q, v and B (charge of the particle, the velocity and the magnetic
field). Force on a negative charge is opposite to that on a positive charge.

ii) The magnetic force F  qvB sin 

If velocity and magnetic field are parallel    0  or anti-parallel    180  , F= 0.

iii) The direction of magnetic force is perpendicular to both the velocity and the magnetic field. Its
direction is given by the screw rule or right hand rule.

iv) The magnetic force is zero if charge is not moving (v = 0). Only a moving charge feels the magnetic
force.
Unit of B

   F  qvBsin 

F
B
qv

newton second
Unit of B =  tesla  T 
coulomb metre
tesla is a large unit. A smaller unit (non-SI) called gauss is also often used.
1 gauss = 10–4 tesla
1 G = 10–4 T

The earth’s magnetic field is about 3.6  10 5 T

Magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor
Consider a rod of a uniform cross-sectional area A and length l .

The total number of mobile charge carries in it is nA l .

Let e be the charge on each charge carrier.

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

Then q=neA l
Let each mobile carrier has an average drift velocity vd.
  

F = q vB 
  

F  neAl vd  B 
  
F   neAvd  l  B  neAvd  1
  
 
F  I l  B  IBsin 

Case I when   0 F= 0 (min)

Case II when   90 F  IB  max 

Motion of a charged particle in a Magnetic field velocity perpendicular to B

 Charged particle entering perpendicular to a magnetic field undergoes circular motion.
 The perpendicular force qvB acts as a centripetal force.

Frequency of circular motion

 We have centripetal force mv2/r=qvB
 The radius of the circle described by the particle.

mv
r
qB
 The time period of rotation is

2r 2mv 2m

T  
v qBv qB
 Thus the frequency

1 qB
f 
T 2m
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 This frequency called cyclotron frequency.

 The angular frequency is given by

2qB qB
  2f  
2m m
When the initial velocity makes an arbitrary angle with the field direction
 Charged particle entering at an angle to a magnetic field undergoes helical path.

 The component of velocity along B remains unchanged.

 The motion in the plane perpendicular to B is circular.
 The charged particle continues to move along the field with a constant velocity.
 Therefore the resultant path of the particle is helix
 The linear distance travelled by the charged particle in the direction of the magnetic field during its
period of revolution is called pitch of the helical path.

2mv cos 
p  Tv cos  
qB
 The radius of the circular component of motion is called radius of the helix.
 A natural phenomenon due to the helical motion of charged particles is Aurora Boriolis.
Motion Fields in Combined Electric and Magnetic Fields Velocity Selector

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

A charge q moving with velocity v in presence of both electric and magnetic fields experiences a
force.
   

F  q E  v  B 
 
Let he charge is moving in x-direction, electric field along y-direction and magnetic field along z-
direction. Then electric and magnetic forces will be in opposite directions.

F  qE  qvB
Now adjust the value of E and B such that magnitude of the two forces are equal. Then, total force on
the charge is zero and the charge will move in the fields undeflected.

qE  qvB

E
V
B

E
The crossed E and B fields serve as a velocity selector. Only particles with speed pass
B
undeflected through the region of crossed fields.
Magnetic Field due to a Current Element - Biot-Savart Law

The magnetic field due to a small element of a current carrying conductor is directly proportional to
the current (I), the length of the element dl, since of the angle between dl and r and inversely proportional
to the square of the distance r.

0 Idl sin 
dB 
4 r 2

 0 = Permeability of free space

 0  4 107 Tm / A

0
 107 Tm / A
4

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In vector form Biot - Savart law can be written as

  Id l  r
dB  0
4 r 3
Comparison between Coulomb’s law and Biot-Savart’s law

1 q1q 2  0 I dl sin 
(i) Coulombs law F  2 . Biot-Savart law dB 
40 r 4 r2

(ii) Both are long range. The principle of superposition applies to both fields.
(iii) The electrostatic field is produced by a scalar source, i.e., the electric charge. The magnetic
field is produced by a vector source i.e., current element I dl .

(iv) The electrostatic field is along the displacement vector joining the source and the field point.
The magnetic field is perpendicular to the plane containing the displacement vector r and the
current element I dl .

(v) There is an angle dependence in the Biot-Savart law which is not present in the electrostatic
case.
Biot-Savart Law

 The magnetic field at a point due to the small element of a current carrying conductor is
 Directly proportional to the current flowing through the conductor (I)
 The length of the element dl
 Since of the angle between r and dl

 And inversely proportional to the square of the distance of the point from dl.

 Thus the magnetic field due to a current element is

0 I dl sin 
dB 
4 r2

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

  0 -permeability of free space, I- current r-distance

 
 0 I dl  r
 or dB 
4 r 3

0
 Where,  107 Tm / A
4
 The direction of magnetic field is given by right hand rule
Comparison between Coulomb’s law and Biot-Savart’s law

Columb's law Biot - Savart's law

1 q1q 2  0 Idlsin 
F dB 
4 0  r r 2 4 r 2
Electric fieldisdue to Magnetic fielddue to
scalar source vector source
Electric fieldispresent Along the direction of
everywhere currentmagnetic fieldiszero

Application of Biot-Savart Law

Magnetic Field on the Axis of a Circular Current Loop

 The magnetic field at P due to the current element dl, at A is

0 Idl sin 90 0 Idl
dB  
4 r2 4 r 2
 The component dBcos  is cancelled by the diametrically opposite component.

 Thus magnetic field at P, due to the current element is the x-component of dB.

 Therefore dBx  dBcos 

0 Idl
dBx  cos 
4 r 2

1 R
2
 But we have r  x  R
2
  2
and cos   1
x 2
 R2  2

0 Idl R
 Therefore dBx 
4  x  R  x 2  R 2 1 2
2 2
 
0 IRdl
dBx 
4 x 2  R 2 3 2
 

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 The summation of the current elements dl over the loop gives, the circumference 2 R .
 Thus the total magnetic field at P due to the circular coil is

 0 IR  2R   0 IR 2
B 
4 x 2  R 2 3 2 2 x 2  R 2 3 2
   
 Therefore

 0 IR 2
B 2
2  x3  R 2 

0 I
 At the centre of the loop x=0, thus, B0 
2R
 The direction of the magnetic field due to a circular coil is given by right-hand thumb rule.
Ampere’s Circuital Law

The line integral of magnetic field over a closed loop is equal to  0 times the total current passing
through the surface.
The closed loop is called Amperian Loop.
 
 B.dl  0 I
Application of Ampere’s Circuital Law
1. Magnetic field due to a straight wire

 Over the Amperian loop B and dl are along the same direction.

 Thus  B.dl   Bdl cos 0  B dl

l l l

 That is  B.dl  B  2r 

l

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

 From ampere’s circuital law, B  2r   0 I

0 I
 Thus B 
2r
2. Magnetic field due to a solenoid
Solenoid

 A solenoid is an insulated copper wire closely wound in the form of a helix

 When current flows through the solenoid, it behaves as a bar magnet,
 For a long solenoid, the field outside is nearly zero.
 A solenoid is usually used to obtain a uniform magnetic field.
 If the current at one end of the solenoids in the anticlockwise direction it will be the North Pole and
if the current is in the clockwise direction it will be the South Pole.
Expression for magnetic field a solenoid

 Consider an amperian loop abcda

 The magnetic field is zero along cd, bc and da
 The total number of turns of the solenoid is N=nh, where n – number of turns per unit length, h-
length of the amperian loop.

 Therefore the total current enclosed by the loop is Ie  nhI

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 Where, I-current in the solenoid

 Using Ampere’s circuital law

 B.dl  Bh   I
l
0 e

Bh   0 nhI

 Therefore, the magnetic field inside the solenoid is

B   0 nI
The magnetic field due to a solenoid can be increased by
i) Increasing the no. of turns per unit length (n)
ii) Increasing the current (I)
iii) Inserting a soft iron core into the solenoid
Magnetic Field lines of a Solenoid

3. Magnetic field due to a Toroid

A Toroid is a long solenoid bend in the form of a circle. Or A Toroid is a hollow circular ring on which a
large number of turns of a wire are closely wound. The magnetic field is present only within the toroid.

By Ampere’s Circuital Law for N turns,

 
 l  0 NI
B.d

 Bdl cos 0   NI
0

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

B
 dl  0 NI
B  2r   0 NI

0 NI
B
2r

N
B   0 nI where n 
2r
Force between Two Parallel Current Carrying Conductors

Two long parallel conductors a and b separated by a distance d and carrying (parallel) currents Ia and
Ib, respectively.
Magnetic field produced by conductor a along the conductor ‘b’
0 Ia
Ba 
2d
Force acting on conductor b due to this field Ba,
  

F I l B 
Fba  I b LBa

 0 Ia
Fba  I b L
2d
 0 Ia I b L
Fba 
2d
The force Fba per unit length,
 0 Ia I b
Fba 
2d
Similarly the force on ‘a’ due to ‘b’
Fab   Fba

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 Biot-Savart law and the Lorentz force yield results in accordance with Newton’s third Law..
 Parallel currents attract, and antiparallel currents repel.
Definition of ampere

 0 Ia I b
f ba 
2d
If Ia  I b  1A
and, d  1m

0 4  107
f ba    2  107 N / m
2 2
The ampere is that current which, when flaws through two very long, straight, parallel conductors
placed one metre apart in vacuum, would produce a force equal to 2  107 N/m on each other..
Torque on Current Loop, Magnetic Dipole
Torque on a rectangular current loop in a uniform magnetic field

A rectangular loop carrying a steady current I is placed in a uniform magnetic field B, which is applied
in the plane of the loop.
Force on AD and BC is zero

Force on BC, F  IaBsin 0  0

Force on AD,F  IaBsin180  0
Force on AB = Force on CD = IbB sin 90 = IbB
Forces on AB and CD are equal and opposite. So the coil does not experience a net force, but it
experiences a torque.
Torque,  = Force × perpendicualr distance
  IbB  a  IabB
  IAB
Where A= ab is the area of the rectangle.

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

When the plane of the loop, makes an angle with the magnetic field. We take the angle between the
field and the normal to the coil to be angle  .

For N turns of the coil

  IbB  a sin 
  IABsin 
For N turns of the coil
  NIABsin 
We define the magnetic moment of the current loop as, m  IA
For N turns, m  NIA
Unit of magnetic moment is Am and dimensions are AL2
2


  mBsin 
  
  mB
The magnetic dipole moment of a revolving electron

 19

The electron of charge  e  e  1.6 10 C performs uniform circular motion around a stationary
heavy nucleus of charge +Ze. This constitutes a current I, where,
q e
I 
t T
2r
T
v
r = radius of orbit, v = orbital velocity
ev
I
2r
For circulating current magnetic moment is represented as l

l  IA
ev 2 evr
l  r 
2r 2
e
l   mvr 
2m

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e
l  l
2m
l = orbital angular momentum of the electron about the central nucleus.
l e

l 2m
This ratio is called the gyromagnetic ratio and is a constant.

Its value is 8.8  1010 C / kg for an electron.

Bohr Magneton
By Bohr’s postulates, the angular momentum,

nh
l where n = 1, 2, 3 ..............
2
For first orbit, n = 1

e h
l 
2m 2
eh
l 
4m

1.60 10 19  6.63  1034


4  3.14  9.11 1031
 9.27  1024 Am 2
This value is called the Bohr magneton.
Moving Coil Galvanometer

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

Principle: A current carrying rectangular coil placed in a magnetic field experiences a torque which is
proportional to the strength of the current passing through it.

Working: Let a current I be passed through the coil. Then the coil experiences a torque which deflects
it through an angle  . This develops a restoring torque in the coil due to the elasticity of the spring
such that :

restoring  k ; k= torsion constant.

At equilibrium position :

Restoring torque = Deflecting toque

k   NIAB   0 
0

 NAB 
 I    I
 k 

Therefore deflection produced in galvanometer coil is proportional to the current flowing through it.

Current sensitivity of galvanometer,

 NBA
Is  
I k
Voltage sensitivity of galvanometer,

 NBA
Vs  
V kR
Conversion of Galvanometer into Voltmeter

A galvanometer of coil resistance G, showing full scale deflection for a current I g can be converted
into voltmeter for measuring potential differences having values greater than I g G by putting high
resistance R in series with the galvanometer where,

V
R G
Ig

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Conversion of Galvanometer into Ammeter

A galvanometer of coil resistance G, showing full scale deflection for a current I g can be converted
into ammeter for measuring potential differences having values greater than I g by putting low resistance
S in parallel with the galvanometer where,

Ig
S .G , where S is called shunt resistance.
I  Ig

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 (CLASS XII) TUITION - PHYSICS

Objective Type Questions

1. A charged particle moves with velocity  in a uniform magnetic field B . The magnetic force
experienced by the particle is
A) Always zero B) Never zero
C) Zero, if B and  are perpendicular D) Zero, if B and  are parallel
2. A proton, a deuteron and an  -particle having the same kinetic energy are moving in circular trajectories
in a constant magnetic field. If rP, rd and r denote respectively the radii of the trajectories of these
particles, then

A) r  rP  rd B) r  rd  rP C) r  rd  rP D) rP  rd  r
3. A charged particle of mass m and charge q travels on a circular path of radius r that is perpendicular
to a magnetic field B. The time taken by particle to complete one revolution is ,

2m 2 qB 2 q 2 B 2 mq
A) B) C) D)
qB m m B

4.  
A wire of length ‘  ’ carries a current I along X- axis. A magnetic field exists given by B  B0 ˆi  ˆj  kˆ T .
The magnitude of the magnetic force acting on the wire is

A) IB0 B) 3 IB0 C) 2 IB0 D) 2 IB0

5. A positively charged particle moving due east enters a region of uniform magnetic field directed
vertically upward. The particle will,
A) get deflected in vertically upward direction
B) move in circular path with an increased speed
C) move in circular path with decreased speed
D) move in a circular path with a uniform speed
6. A small coil of N turns has area A and a current I flows through it. The magnetic dipole moment of this
coil will be

NI
A) B) NAI 2 C) N 2 AI D) NAI
A
7. A long solenoid has a radius ‘a’ and number of turns per unit length is n. If it carries a current I, then the
magnetic field on its axis is directly proportional to

nI
A) a nI B) nI C) D) n 2 I
2
8. A moving charged particle is subjected to an external magnetic field. The change in the kinetic energy
of the particle
A) increases with the increase in the field strength
B) decreases with the increase in the field strength
C) is always zero
D) depends upon whether the field is uniform or non uniform

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9. Biot-savart law indicates that the moving electrons produce a magnetic field B such that
A) B  v

B) B || v
C) it obeys inverse cube law
D) it is along the line joining the electron and point of observation
10. The deflection in a moving coil galvanometer is
A) Directly proportional to torsional constant
B) Directly proportional to the number of turns in the coil
C) Inversely proportional to the area of the coil
D) Inversely proportional to the current flowing
Descriptive Type Questions
1. What can be the causes of helical motion of a charged particle?
2. What is the magnitude of magnetic force per unit length on a wire carrying a current of 8 A and making
an angle of 30° with the direction of a uniform magnetic field of 0.15 T?
3. A proton and an electron travelling along parallel paths enter a region of uniform magnetic field, acting
perpendicular to their paths. Which of them will move in a circular path with higher frequency?
4. Two long and parallel straight wires A and B carrying currents of 8.0 A and 5.0 A in the same direction
are separated by a distance of 4.0 cm. Estimate the force on a 10 cm section of wire A.
5. State Ampere’s circuital law. Use this law to find magnetic field due to straight infinite current carrying
wire. How are the magnetic field lines different from the electrostatic field lines?
6. A point charge q moving with speed v enters a uniform magnetic field B that is acting into the plane of
the paper as shown. What is the path followed by the charge q and in which plane does it move?

7. A toroid has a core (non-ferromagnetic) of inner radius 25 cm and outer radius 26 cm, around which
3500 turns of a wire are wound. If the current in the wire is 11 A, what is the magnetic field (a) outside
the toroid, (b) inside the core of the toroid, and (c) in the empty space surrounded by the toroid.
8. A galvanometer coil has a resistance of 12  and the metre shows full scale deflection for a current
of 3 mA. How will you convert the metre into a voltmeter of range 0 to 18 V?
9. A galvanometer coil has a resistance of 15  and the metre shows full scale deflection for a current
of 4 mA. How will you convert the metre into an ammeter of range 0 to 6 A?

10. An element     xiˆ is placed at the origin and carries a large current I = 10A. What is the magnetic
field on the Y axis at a distance of 0.5 m,  x = 1 cm.

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