Question

Suppose a patient’s pacemaker implant requires =2.8 mA of current to function. The leads of the device travel close together until they reach the heart and then split off to touch the top and bottom of the heart, such that size of the current loop is approximately half the cross-sectional area of the heart. Suppose the MRI machine uses a magnetic field of =1.4 T.

Treating the heart as a box that is =12.0 cm long and =10.0 cm wide, calculate the magnitude of the maximum torque on the current loop.

Answer 1

The magnitude of the maximum torque on the current loop is 0.2352 Nm.

Step-by-step explanation:

The magnitude of the maximum torque on the current loop can be calculated using the formula

Torque = Current x Magnetic Field x Area

First, we need to determine the area of the current loop. Since the size of the current loop is approximately half the cross-sectional area of the heart, the area of the current loop is:

Area = (1/2) x (length x width) = (1/2) x (12.0 cm x 10.0 cm)

Next, we can substitute the given values into the formula:

Torque = 2.8 mA x 1.4 T x [(1/2) x (12.0 cm x 10.0 cm)]

Calculating the expression, we get:

Torque = 2.8 mA x 1.4 T x 60 cm² = 0.2352 Nm

Therefore, the magnitude of the maximum torque on the current loop is 0.2352 Nm.