The force on a 0.80 m wire that is perpendicular to Earth's magnetic field is 0.12 N. What is the current in the wire?
To find the current in the wire, we need to use the formula for the magnetic force on a current-carrying wire:
F = BIL
Where:
F is the force on the wire,
B is the magnetic field strength,
I is the current in the wire, and
L is the length of the wire.
In this case, we are given the force (F = 0.12 N), the length (L = 0.80 m), and we know that the wire is perpendicular to Earth's magnetic field.
The magnetic field strength of the Earth is approximately 25 to 65 microteslas (µT) depending on the location. Let's assume a value of 50 µT for this calculation.
Now, we can rearrange the formula to solve for the current (I):
I = F / (B * L)
Plugging in the given values:
I = 0.12 N / (50 * 10^-6 T * 0.80 m)
Simplifying:
I = 0.12 N / 0.04 T*m
I = 3 Amps
Therefore, the current in the wire is 3 Amps.