Physics 21 Fall, 2011

Solution to HW-14

Cancelling Magnetic Field Four very long, currentcarrying wires in the same plane intersect to form a square with side lengths of 39.0 cm, as shown in the gure. The currents running through the wires are 8.0 A, 20.0 A, 10.0 A, and I. Find the magnitude and direction of the current I that will make the magnetic eld at the center of the square equal to zero.

vector sum of the elds can only be zero on the line between the wires. The magnitude of the eld B a distance R from a long wire with current I is B = 0 I/(2R). The vector eld will be zero at a point on the line between the wires a distance x from the left wire and L x from the right wire, where the magnitudes of the elds are equal. Then 0 I2 I1 I2 0 I1 = = = 2x 2(L x) x Lx Solving this equation and substituting values leads to x= I1 I1 + I2 L= 23 23 + 78 38 cm = 8.7 cm

MasteringPhysics asks for the distance from the 78 A wire in the direction of the 23 A wire, which is L x = 29.3 cm in our notation. (b) Panel (b) of the diagram is similar to panel (a); it shows the two wires and the elds when the currents are in opposite directions. In this case the vector sum of the elds can only be zero on the line connecting the wires, but outside the wires. We consider rst a distance x to the left of I1 ; in this case the condition is 0 I2 I1 I2 0 I1 = = = 2x 2(L + x) x L+x The eld point at the center of the square is equidistant from 1 all four wires. Let this distance be d = 2 0.39 m. We just have to keep track of the direction of each eld using the right hand rule. Let out of the page be plus, and let I > 0 correspond to up: B out of page = 0 (10 + I 8 + 20) 2d Solving this equation and substituting values leads to x= I1 I2 I1 L= 23 78 23 38 cm = 15.9 cm

Solving, we get I = 2 A, and the minus sign means I is directed downward. 28-22 Two long, parallel transmission lines, L = 38.0 cm apart, carry currents I1 = 23.0-A and I2 = 78.0-A. Find all locations where the net magnetic eld of the two wires is zero if these currents are (a) in the same direction or (b) in opposite directions.
(a) L x I1 I2 (b) x I1 L

MasteringPhysics asks for the distance from the 78 A wire in the direction of the 23 A wire, which is L + x = 53.9 cm in our notation. What about a point to the right of I2 in panel (b)? We can set up the equation; a point a distance x to the right of I2 would be x + L from I1 . Then I1 I2 = = x = x L+x I2 I1 I2 L

This solution wont work in our case. I2 > I1 , so x < 0, which contradicts our initial assumption that x is a positive distance. Therefore there are no other solutions. Comparing the two solutions we have obtained for part (b), one can see that a general way of writing the solution is x= I< I> I< L,

I2

(a) Panel (a) of the diagram shows the two wires end on when the currents are in the same direction. L is the distance between the wires. The magnetic eld lines due to each wire separately are shown by the concentric circles (dashed for I1 , solid for I2 ). The direction of the eld follows from the right hand rule and is shown at selected points by an arrow next to each circle. By looking at the directions of the two elds in various locations, its easy to see that for case (a), the

where I< (I> ) is the lesser (greater) of I1 and I2 . The point where the eld is zero is outside the two currents, a distance x from the wire with the smaller current.

October 14, 2011

Wire and Square Loop A square loop of wire with side length a carries a current I1 . The center of the loop is located a distance d from an innite wire carrying a current I2 . The innite wire and loop are in the same plane; two sides of the square loop are parallel to the wire and two are perpendicular as shown. (a) What is the magnitude F of the net force on the loop? (b) The magnetic moment of a current loop is dened as the vector whose magnitude equals the area of the loop times the magnitude of the current owing in it ( = IA), and whose direction is perpendicular to the plane in which the current ows. Find the magnitude F of the force on the loop from Part (a) in terms of the magnitude of its magnetic moment.

28-26 Two long, parallel wires are separated by a distance of d = 2.70 cm. The force per unit length that each wire exerts on the other is 4.10 105 N/m, and the wires repel each other. The current in one wire is I1 = 0.700 A. (a) What is the current in the second wire? (b) Are the two currents in the same direction or in opposite directions?
I1

B1 I2

(a) The B eld is into the page everywhere on the right of the wire in the plane of the square loop. Its magnitude is given by B = 0 I2 /2R, where R is the distance to the wire. The diagram shows the forces on the left and right hand side of the loop from this eld. These forces are obtained from F = Il B, and the magnitudes are 0 I2 Fleft = I1 aB = I1 a 2(d a/2) 0 I2 Fright = I1 aB = I1 a 2(d + a/2) There is also an upward force (Ftop ) and (Ftop ), but they are equal in magnitude and oppositely directed. Hence the net force is the vector sum of the forces to the left and to the right. The net force is to the left and has magnitude Fleft Fright = 1 1 0 I1 I2 a 2 d a/2 d + a/2 0 I1 I2 a2 = 2 a2 /4 2 d

Lets assume that the currents ow in the directions shown, and well show that the force between the wires is repulsive. The magnitude of the magnetic eld B1 of wire 1 at wire 2 is 0 I1 , B1 = 2d and from the rh rule, B1 points into the page. The magnitude of the force F that B1 exerts on a length L of wire 2 is 0 I1 F = I2 LB1 = I2 L , 2d and by the rh rule one can see that the direction is downward. One can go through a similar argument to nd that the force on the upper wire has the same magnitude and is upward, so the forces make the wires repel each other. The force per unit length is F 0 I1 I2 = L 2 d The question asks for I2 , so I2 = 2 0 F L d 0.027 = 0.5107 4.10 105 = 7.91 A I1 0.7

In general, the currents must ow in the opposite direction. 28-27 The wires in a household lamp cord are typically d = 2.5 mm apart center to center and carry equal currents in opposite directions. (a) If the cord carries current to a 100 watt light bulb connected across a 120 V potential dierence, what force per meter does each wire of the cord exert on the other? (Model the lamp cord as a very long straight wire.) (b) Is the force attractive or repulsive? (c) Is this force large enough so it should be considered in the design of lamp cord? Since P = IV , the current in each wire is I = P/V = 100 W/120 V = 0.833 A. (a) The force per unit length is given by the formula derived in problem 28-26, with both currents equal: F 0 I 2 (0.833)2 = = 2 107 = 5.56 105 N/m L 2 d 0.0025 (b) The force will be repulsive. (c) No. The force is small compared to the gravitational force. If we guess that a meter of wire weighs a few ounces, say 0.1 kg, then mg = (0.1 kg)9.81 m/s 1 N, much larger than the magnetic force.
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(b) The magnitude of the magnetic moment of the loop is the current times the area, or = I1 a . We can write the net force in terms of as Fleft Fright = I2 0 2 d2 a2 /4
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