Question

When a current-carrying loop is placed in a uniform magnetic field, what does it experience?

Options

• Both a net force and a torque that translate and rotate it

• No net force, but a torque that tends to rotate it

• Neither a net force nor a torque

• A net force that translates the loop

Answer 1

In a uniform magnetic field, the forces on a current-carrying loop cancel out, so the net force is zero. However, the loop does experience a torque that tends to rotate it. This principle forms the basis of devices like the electric motor and the moving-coil galvanometer.