Magnetic Force on Current-Carrying Wire Video Lessons

Concept

# Problem: A current carrying wire of length .5 m is at the equator. Assuming that the magnetic field of the earth has a magnitude of 5x10-5 T at the equator and is parallel to the surface of the earth and that the current in the wire flows toward east, what current is required to allow the wire to be suspended? Assume the mass of the wire is 0.05 grams.

###### FREE Expert Solution

Magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor:

$\overline{){{\mathbf{F}}}_{{\mathbf{B}}}{\mathbf{=}}{\mathbf{B}}{\mathbf{i}}{\mathbf{Lsin\theta }}}$

The magnetic field is directed in a North-south direction. The current is oriented in a west-east direction. Thus, the current and magnetic field are perpendicular to each other (θ = 90°)

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###### Problem Details

A current carrying wire of length .5 m is at the equator. Assuming that the magnetic field of the earth has a magnitude of 5x10-5 T at the equator and is parallel to the surface of the earth and that the current in the wire flows toward east, what current is required to allow the wire to be suspended? Assume the mass of the wire is 0.05 grams.