Assignment:
Magnetic balance
The circuit shown below is used to make a magnetic balance to weigh objects. The mass m to be measured is hung from the centre of the bar that is in a uniform magnetic field of 1.50 T, directed towards the plane of the figure. The horizontal bar is 60 cm long. It is connected to the battery by thin vertical wires that can support no appreciable tension; all the weight of the suspended mass m is supported by the magnetic force on the bar. A resistor with R = 5.00 ohms is in series with the bar; the resistance of the rest of the circuit is much less than this.
a) Which point, a or b, should be the positive terminal of the battery?
b) If the maximum terminal voltage of the battery is 175 V, What is the greatest mass m that this instrument can measure?
