Question

In a physics lab a student discovers that the magnitude of the magnetic field in a specific location near a long wire is 16.708 microTesla. If the wire carries a current of 50.795 A, what is the distance from the wire to that location ?

Answer 1

The magnetic field on a specific distance from a very long wire can be written as:

`B=(\mu_0i)/(2\pi d)`

Where d is the distance between the point and the wire, and i is the current. If we replace the values the exercise gives us, we're left with:

`16.708*10^(-6)=(4\pi *10^(-7)*50.795)/(2\pi *d)`

Isolating our d, we get:

`d=(4\pi *10^(-7)*50.795)/(2\pi *16.708*10^(-6))=0.608m=60.8cm`

Thus, d=0.608m