If a long straight conductor carries a current I, what is the magnetic field B at a distance r from the wire?
Correct Answer: B = μ₀I/(2πr)
- Step 1: Understand that a long straight conductor is a wire that carries an electric current.
- Step 2: Know that when current flows through the wire, it creates a magnetic field around it.
- Step 3: Identify the distance from the wire where you want to find the magnetic field (this is 'r').
- Step 4: Remember Ampere's Law, which helps us calculate the magnetic field around the wire.
- Step 5: Use the formula B = μ₀I/(2πr) to find the magnetic field B.
- Step 6: In the formula, μ₀ is a constant (the permeability of free space), I is the current in the wire, and r is the distance from the wire.
- Ampere's Law – Ampere's Law relates the magnetic field around a conductor to the current flowing through it.
- Magnetic Field Calculation – Understanding how to calculate the magnetic field at a distance from a current-carrying wire.
- Inverse Relationship – The magnetic field strength decreases with increasing distance from the wire.
