Q.Biot-Savart law indicates that the moving electrons (velocity v) 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.
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Concept understanding — Magnetic Force on Current
Magnetic Force on Current
Imagine a garden hose spraying pure water — bring a magnet near the stream and nothing happens, because water is electrically neutral. But if that stream carried electric charge (a current), the magnet would push the whole stream sideways. That is the essence of this concept: a current-carrying wire placed in a magnetic field experiences a sideways force, because every moving charge inside the wire feels the Lorentz force, and since the charges cannot leave the wire, they drag the wire along with them.
From a single charge to a wire
A single charge q moving with velocity v in a field B feels F=q(v×B). A current is just many such charges drifting together, so summing their individual forces over the whole wire gives a net force on it.
Note
The metal lattice itself is neutral and stationary — only the free electrons drift. The magnetic force acts on those drifting electrons, which then collide with the lattice and transfer the push to the entire wire.
The formula
For a straight wire of length L carrying current I in a uniform field B:
F=I(L×B),F=ILBsinθ
where L points along the current and θ is the angle between the wire and B.
Watch out
The force is zero when the wire runs parallel to the field (θ=0∘ or 180∘) and maximum when perpendicular (θ=90∘) — the magnetic force only responds to the component of current motion that is perpendicular to B.
Direction: the right-hand rule
Point your index finger along the current (L), your middle finger along the field (B); your thumb then gives the force direction — this is just the cross product L×B read off by hand. Because it is a cross product, swapping the two vectors reverses the force.
Worked example
A 0.5m wire carries 3A from east to west, in a uniform field of 0.2T pointing north.
θ=90∘ (the wire and the field are perpendicular), so F=ILBsinθ=(3)(0.5)(0.2)(1)=0.3N.
Direction: index finger west (current), middle finger north (field) — curling from west to north, the right-hand thumb points vertically downward. (Flip it: current flowing east with the same northward field gives a force straight up — reversing the current direction always reverses the force.)
Tip
For a wire that is not straight, in a uniform field the force still depends only on the net displacement vector from the start to the end of the wire, not on its actual curved path — a useful shortcut for irregular shapes.
Why it matters
This is the operating principle behind electric motors (opposite sides of a current loop feel opposite forces, producing rotation), galvanometers (a current-carrying coil deflects in a fixed field), and loudspeakers (a current-carrying voice coil is pushed back and forth by a magnet). It is not a new force — it is the same Lorentz force acting on the charges inside the wire, transmitted to the wire as a whole.
Queries like "force on current carrying conductor in magnetic field formula" and "moving charges and magnetism class 12 numericals" point to the Moving Charges and Magnetism chapter of the NCERT/CBSE Class 12 Physics curriculum. This same result underlies electric-motor and galvanometer questions commonly tested in JEE Main and NEET.
This is a Biot-Savart question about the FIELD a moving charge creates, not the force on it.
A charge q moving with velocity v produces, at a point whose position vector from the charge is r (unit vector r^), a magnetic field
B=4πμ0r2q(v×r^).
Because B comes from the cross product v×r^, it is perpendicular to both v and r. In particular B⊥v.
✓Final answer
The magnetic field is perpendicular to the velocity, B⊥v (option a). Its magnitude falls off as 1/r2, not as an inverse cube.
The Biot-Savart field of a moving charge is B∝q(v×r^), so B is always perpendicular to the velocity v -- option (a), B⊥v.
What the question asks
It asks about the magnetic field a moving electron creates (the Biot-Savart law), not the force a field exerts on a current.
The Biot-Savart field of a moving charge
For a charge q moving with velocity v, the field at a point with position vector r (unit vector r^) from the charge is
B=4πμ0r2q(v×r^).
1. Direction. A cross product v×r^ is perpendicular to both vectors that build it. Hence B is perpendicular to v and to r. So B⊥v.
2. Magnitude.B=4πμ0r2qvsinθ, where θ is the angle between v and r. This is an inverse-square law in r, not inverse-cube.
3. Rejecting the other choices.B is not parallel to v (a cross product is never parallel to its factors), and it does not lie along the line joining the charge to the point (that line is r^, to which B is also perpendicular).
✓Final answer
B⊥v -- the field is perpendicular to the electron's velocity (option a).
Method: Reading Off Field Direction/Magnitude Directly from the Biot-Savart Cross Product
For any "what does the Biot-Savart law say about the field of a moving/current-carrying source" question, the entire answer comes from the geometric properties of a cross product -- you rarely need to compute an actual number.
Steps
Step 1: Write the Biot-Savart field in cross-product form
For a moving point charge q (or a current element Idl), the field at a point displaced by r^ is:
B=4πμ0r2q(v×r^)(or dB=4πμ0r2Idl×r^)
Step 2: Use the cross-product rule to fix the direction
A cross product a×b is always perpendicular to botha and b -- never parallel to either, and never lying along a third, unrelated direction. So here B must be perpendicular to v (the source's velocity/current direction) and perpendicular to r^ (the line to the field point) simultaneously. This single fact eliminates "parallel to v" and "along the line joining source and point" options immediately.
Step 3: Use the 1/r2 prefactor to fix the distance dependence
The explicit r2 in the denominator makes this an inverse-square law, exactly like Coulomb's law for E -- never inverse-cube, inverse-linear, etc. Any option proposing a different power of r can be rejected on sight from the formula's structure.
Applying to this problem: with v as the electron's velocity, B⊥v follows immediately from Step 2 -- no vector algebra with actual numbers is needed to answer a qualitative direction/magnitude-dependence question like this one.
Same / Similar Concept — real previous-year questions on the same or a closely similar concept, not this exact question.
KEAM 2026Set pha-2026-0420F4 marksMCQ
Q.A wire of length 0.5 m carrying current 4 A is placed perpendicular to a magnetic field of 0.2 T. The force exerted on the wire is
(A) 0.1 N
(B) 0.2 N
(C) 0.4 N
(D) 0.6 N
(E) 1.0 N
›Reveal solutionSolution
F=BILsin90∘=0.2(4)(0.5)=0.4 N.
The force on a current-carrying wire perpendicular to a magnetic field is
F=BILsinθ,θ=90∘.
Substituting B=0.2T, I=4A, L=0.5m:
F=0.2×4×0.5=0.4N.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (C).
KEAM 2025Set pha-2025-0424F4 marksMCQ
Q.A wire of length 1.2 m carrying a current of 4A, when placed in a uniform magnetic field of 5T experiences a force of 12N. Then the angle between the direction of current and the magnetic field is
(A) 30∘
(B) 45∘
(C) 60∘
(D) 0∘
(E) 90∘
›Reveal solutionSolution
From F=BILsinθ: sinθ=5×4×1.212=0.5⇒θ=30∘.
The force on a current-carrying wire in a magnetic field is
F=BILsinθ.
Substituting F=12N, B=5T, I=4A, L=1.2m:
12=5×4×1.2×sinθ=24sinθ.
Hence
sinθ=2412=0.5⇒θ=30∘.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (A).
KEAM 2024Set eng-2024-06084 marksMCQ
Q.A current carrying square loop is suspended in a uniform magnetic field acting in the plane of the loop. If F is the force acting on one arm of the loop, then the net force acting on the remaining three arms of the loop is
(A) −3F
(B) 3F
(C) F
(D) −F
(E) −21F
›Reveal solutionSolution
Net force on a current loop in a uniform field is zero, so the remaining three arms carry −F.
The net magnetic force on a closed current loop placed in a uniform magnetic field is zero (only a torque can act). Therefore the vector sum of forces on all four arms is zero:
F1+F2+F3+F4=0.
If the force on one arm is F, then the sum of the forces on the remaining three arms is
F2+F3+F4=−F.
✓Final answer
The correct option is (D).
KEAM 2021Set eng-2021-P1-A14 marksMCQ
Q.A conductor of length 20 cm carrying a current of 5A is placed at an angle of 30∘ to the external magnetic field of 0.5 T. The force acting on it is
(A) 0.5 N
(B) 5 N
(C) 0.25 N
(D) 2.5 N
(E) 0.125 N
›Reveal solutionSolution
The force on the conductor is 0.25 N.
Concept and Intuition
The force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field is F=BILsinθ, where θ is the angle between the conductor and the field.
Step-by-Step Solution
Convert length: L=20cm=0.20m.
Substitute: F=0.5×5×0.20×sin30∘.
sin30∘=0.5, so F=0.5×5×0.20×0.5=0.25N.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting the sinθ factor or leaving length in cm.