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What is the Motor Effect (also called the Catapult Effect)?
The motor effect shows the force on a
wire in a
magnetic field when current flows through the wire.
If you put two magnets near to each
other,
their magnetic fields will
interact.
Interact means that the magnets will feel forces on them
as like poles will repel and unlike
poles attract.
It follows then that a
wire in a field from a permanent magnet
will feel a force when current flows through it.
The magnetic
field generated around the wire by the
current
will interact with the field around the magnet
and the two fields will push or pull on each
other.
The magnetic
field around a straight wire is
circular.
The magnetic field between two
attracting poles is straight.
When the two interact,
the wire is pushed away
from the field between the attracting poles
at right angles (90°) both
to the straight field lines
and to the direction of current flow.
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