Worksheet
Magnetic Forces on Current-Carrying Wires
Refer to the following information for the next two questions.
The current-carrying wire shown below has a current pointing out of the plane of the page (+z).
In which direction is the magnetic field created by the current flowing in the wire pointing at position C?
towards the right side of the page (+x)
towards the left side of the page (-x)
towards the top of the page (+y)
towards the bottom of the page (-y)
none of the above
If position B is three times as far from the wire as position A, how will the magnetic field at B compare to that at
A?
Refer to the following information for the next two questions.
A current-carrying wire is oriented horizontally in a magnetic field that points into the plane of the page (z).
In which direction will the magnetic force act on the wire?
towards the top of the page (+y)
towards the bottom of the page (-y)
into the plane of the page (-z)
out of the plane of the page (+z)
none of the above
If the magnetic field is 2 T and the wire has a mass per unit length of 20 grams/meter, what current would be
required to enable the magnetic force to equal the weight of the wire so that the wire could be levitated in the
field?
Refer to the following information for the next question.
The current-carrying wire shown below has a current pointing towards the top of the plane of the page
(+y).
In which direction will the magnetic force act on it?
out of the plane of the page (+z)
into the plane of the page (-z)
towards the right side of the page (+x)
towards the left side of the page (-x)
there is no magnetic force on the wire since the magnetic field is not perpendicular to the wire
Refer to the following information for the next two questions.
All four wires shown below carry the same magnitude current.
Which set of wires will be attracted towards each other?
the left set in which the currents are traveling in opposite directions
the right set in which the currents are traveling in the same direction
neither set, the wires must be crossed in order to attract each other
In which set of wires would the net magnetic field in-between the wires at C and D be greater than the net
magnetic fields outside of the wires at either A/B or E/F?
the left set in which the currents are traveling in opposite directions
the right set in which the currents are traveling in the same direction
neither set, the wires must be crossed in order to attract each other
These two wires are 50 cm apart. The left wire has a current of 2 amps while the right wire has a current of 3
amps.
What force will one meter of each wire experience because of its presence in the magnetic field of the
neighboring wire?
1.6 x 10 -6 N
2.4 x 10 -6 N
3.2 x 10 -6 N
3.6 x 10 -6 N
4.8 x 10 -6 N
True or False. The direction of the force exerted by the magnetic field of the right hand wire on the current
traveling through the left hand wire will be towards A.
True
False
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