Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have conducted an experiment that explores the force on a particle in a magnetic field at different currents.

I tested the force at 4V and 6V and i adjusted the resistance in the circuit to ensure that the same current was used.

Now by Ohm's Law and the formula F=ILsin(theta) the force on any particle should be same for the same current, however it was not. There was a marked difference between the 4V force and the 6V force.

I was wondering what reason there could be for this.

HELPPPP!!!!

Thanks all.

Hi Question man,
If you haven't already, I would suggest double checking (and triple checking if necessary) all of your calculations and instrumentation. Did you measure the current to make sure that it was actually the same? Perhaps there was some slight variation. If you can give a more detailed description of your procedure and results (the type of power source, type of resistors, exact voltage, exact resistance, the method for measuring force, etc) the experts here might be able to give some additional help.
Chris

ChrisG wrote:Hi Question man,
If you haven't already, I would suggest double checking (and triple checking if necessary) all of your calculations and instrumentation. Did you measure the current to make sure that it was actually the same? Perhaps there was some slight variation. If you can give a more detailed description of your procedure and results (the type of power source, type of resistors, exact voltage, exact resistance, the method for measuring force, etc) the experts here might be able to give some additional help.
Chris

Check this topic out for more details about Question Man's procedure:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... php?t=1703

Ah, thank you.