A 0.50m long wire is carrying a current of 8.0A toward the east. The wire passes through a magnetic field of 0.40T toward the north. What is the force which acts on the wire? What is the direction of the force.

Answer 1

The force magnitude is B*I*L and the direction is perpendicular to both the I and current directions. In this case, that would be UP. (the direction of the cross product I x B -- use the right hand rule. )