Question

a student is doing experiments involving magnetic fields with the two long wires shown above, which are in the plane of the page. the student connects the ends of the left wire to a battery, creating a current in the wire toward the bottom of the page. what is the direction of the magnetic field at the location of the right wire?

Answer 1

The magnetic field at the location of the right wire, created by current in the left wire, will be directed out of the page as determined by the right-hand rule with the thumb pointing downward in the direction of the electric current.

Step-by-step explanation:

The direction of the magnetic field at the location of the right wire, created by the current in the left wire flowing toward the bottom of the page, can be determined using the right-hand rule. According to this rule, if you place your right thumb in the direction of the electric current (downward in this case), your fingers will curl around the wire in the direction of the magnetic field. Hence, at the location of the right wire, which is to the right of the left wire, the magnetic field created by the left wire will be directed out of the page. The right wire itself might also be carrying current and creating its own magnetic field, but since the question focuses on the magnetic field created by the left wire's current, the key aspect is how the left wire's magnetic field impacts the space at the right wire's location.