Question

A straight conductor is suspended horizontally with its axis perpendicular to the magnetic field of a strong horseshoe magnet. The conductor gets displaced towards the right when a steady current is passed through it. What will happen to the displacement of the conductor if:

1. Polarity of the horseshoe magnet is reversed?
2. Direction of current in the conductor is reversed?
3. Current through the conductor is increased?

Answer 1

Step 1: Situation explanation
In this scenario, a straight conductor is suspended horizontally with its axis perpendicular to the magnetic field of a strong horseshoe magnet. The conductor gets displaced towards the right when a steady current is passed through it due to the force acting on it in the magnetic field.

Step 2: What happens when the polarity of the horseshoe magnet is reversed?
If the polarity of the horseshoe magnet is reversed, the direction of the magnetic field also reverses. According to Fleming's Left-Hand Rule, the direction of the force on the conductor will also reverse, causing the conductor to be displaced towards the left instead of the right.

Step 3: What happens when the direction of current in the conductor is reversed?
If the direction of the current in the conductor is reversed, the direction of the force acting on the conductor will also reverse, as the current now flows in the opposite direction. This will cause the conductor to be displaced towards the left instead of the right.

Step 4: What happens when the current through the conductor is increased?
If the current through the conductor is increased, the force acting on the conductor will also increase, as the force is directly proportional to the current. According to the formula \( F = B I L \), where \( F \) is the force, \( B \) is the magnetic field strength, \( I \) is the current, and \( L \) is the length of the conductor in the magnetic field. The conductor will be displaced further towards the right (in the same direction as before), as the increased current increases the magnitude of the force.

Conclusion:
1. Reversing the polarity of the horseshoe magnet will reverse the direction of displacement, causing the conductor to move towards the left.
2. Reversing the direction of current in the conductor will also reverse the displacement, causing the conductor to move towards the left.
3. Increasing the current will increase the displacement, causing the conductor to move further towards the right.