When a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, the
interaction between the two magnetic fields will produce a force on the
conductor, which called a catapult force.
The direction of the force can be determined by Fleming's left hand rule as shown in Figure below.
The
fore finger, middle finger and the thumb are perpendicularly to each
other. The forefinger points along the direction of the magnetic field,
middle finger points in the current direction and the thumb points along
the direction of the force.
The strength of the force can be increased by:
- Increase the current
- Using a stronger magnet
The interaction of the two magnetic fields produces a resultant field known as catapult field as shown in the figure below.
