If a wire without any current is kept in a magnetic field, then it experiences no force as shown in figure (a). But when the wire is carrying a current into the plane of the paper in the magnetic field, a force will be exerted on the wire towards the left as shown in the figure (b). The field will be strengthened on the right side of the wire where the lines of force are in the same direction as that of the magnetic field and weakened on the left side where the field lines are in opposite direction to that of the applied magnetic field. For a wire carrying a current out of the plane of the paper, the force will act to the right as shown in figure (c).