magnetic field/high potential and low potential

[thebillsfan]

Imagine a metal block with current flowing upwards in the plane of the page. The magnetic field is pointing into the page. Is the higher potential to the right (b) or the left (a) of the block?

I would say the higher potential is to the left: right hand rule indicates that the positive charges would be pushed to the left. But the explanation says that since the charge carriers are negative
the force will point from a to b. Because electrons are drawn to point b, and by definition electrons go from a low potential to a high potential then the electrons must be at the high potential and thus the higher potential is to the right?

What?? The electrons go from low to high potential when they are allowed to do so. If there was no magnetic field, then they could go wherever they want. But the magnetic field is pushing them towards lower potential and keeping them there...any help would be appreciated

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[sv3]

Imagine a metal block with current flowing upwards in the plane of the page. The magnetic field is pointing into the page. Is the higher potential to the right (b) or the left (a) of the block?

I would say the higher potential is to the left: right hand rule indicates that the positive charges would be pushed to the left. But the explanation says that since the charge carriers are negative
the force will point from a to b. Because electrons are drawn to point b, and by definition electrons go from a low potential to a high potential then the electrons must be at the high potential and thus the higher potential is to the right?

What?? The electrons go from low to high potential when they are allowed to do so. If there was no magnetic field, then they could go wherever they want. But the magnetic field is pushing them towards lower potential and keeping them there...any help would be appreciated

Damn. I got this right for the wrong reason. I guess i was incorrect in assuming it was a magnet. Cause then you'd have current outside flowing in the opposite direction of the current inside the metal block and it all works out. A reminder for me to remember it's only iron i think that can be a magnet? Anyway, sorry i can't help but i do agree with your train of thought. Can't see why the explanation is the way it is - they are obviously using an opposite version of current.

 

[raab32]

Imagine a metal block with current flowing upwards in the plane of the page. The magnetic field is pointing into the page. Is the higher potential to the right (b) or the left (a) of the block?

I would say the higher potential is to the left: right hand rule indicates that the positive charges would be pushed to the left. But the explanation says that since the charge carriers are negative
the force will point from a to b. Because electrons are drawn to point b, and by definition electrons go from a low potential to a high potential then the electrons must be at the high potential and thus the higher potential is to the right?

What?? The electrons go from low to high potential when they are allowed to do so. If there was no magnetic field, then they could go wherever they want. But the magnetic field is pushing them towards lower potential and keeping them there...any help would be appreciated

Seems like you could also look at this from the perspective of the current/positive charge and bypass the whole idea of switching direction of the force for electrons. So here we go...if the magnetic force is pointing to the left, this means that the direction of high potential to low potential for a positive charge would be from right to left. This would mean that higher potential is to the right, because a positive charge would naturally want to move to the left.

 

[thebillsfan]

that's their line of reasoning...but the POTENTIAL is what's gonna happen when the mag field is shut off...and when that happens, all the positive charges are going to be going left to right.


just imagine if you hada bunch of positive charges in your hand and put them on the table and fixed them there. the table would have a high POTENTIAL because if they were released, theyd go flying. to say that they have a low potential because positive charges go to a LOW POTENTIAL is riduclous. just b/c a positive charge is on the table (what a bad analogy) doesnt mean thats an area of low potential.