Creating Magnetic Fields Practice Problems

AP Physics

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1. A long, straight wire runs parallel to the ground, carrying a steady current to the east. What direction does the magnetic field point at the following points? a) Directly beneath the wire. b) Directly north of the wire c) Directly above the wire d) Directly south of the wire 2. You are looking down the end of a long solenoid. The solenoids magnetic field points directly at you. Which way is the current running through the solenoid to create that magnetic field? 3. A long, straight is oriented vertically. On its east side, the wires magnetic field points south. Which way is the current running through the wire? 4. A circular loop of current-carrying wire is lying flat on a table-top. The magnetic field at the center of the loop points vertically upward. How would you describe the direction of the current if you look down from above the loop? 5. A long, straight wire carries a current of 2.5 A horizontally to the north. What is the magnetic field at the following points? a) 3.0 m above the wire b) 1.0 m east of the wire c) 0.5 m south of the wire 6. A student playing with a magnetic field sensor discovers that there is 4.0 T magnetic field pointing north at one point in the lab. A little investigation uncovers that the field is being produced by a wire 2 m overhead. What is the current through the wire? (Magnitude and direction) 7. The magnetic field at the center of a vertically oriented, 50-turn coil of radius 15 cm is 0.80 mT to the east. a) What is the current running through the coil? b) How would you describe the direction of the current, if you were standing to the east of the coil, looking at it? 8. Inside a 0.20 m long solenoid made from 100 turns of wire there is a 1.5 mT magnetic field that points north. a) How much current flows through the solenoid b) If you were looking down the length of the solenoid from the south, how would you describe the direction of the current through the loops of the solenoid?

9. Two long, parallel wires each carry currents of 1.5 A directly upward through a wall. The wires are arranged so that one wire is 20 cm to the east of the other. a) What is the magnetic field (vector) directly between the two wires? b) What is the magnetic field 5 cm to the west of the eastern wire? c) What is the magnetic field 10 cm west of the western wire? 10. A horizontal circular loop of wire with a diameter of 12 cm carries a current of 1.8 A counterclockwise as seen from above. What is the magnetic field at the center of the loop? 11. You are looking north, directly through the opening of a four-coil, 5 cm diameter, circular loop of wire. The wire carries a current of 2.0 A in the clockwise direction from your point of view. What is the magnetic field at the center of the coil? 12. A 10 cm long solenoid is wound with 1000 turns of wire. How much current must run through the wires to produce a 400 T magnetic field inside the solenoid? 13. Sometimes it is useful to have multiple layers of wire in a solenoid. In one example, a solenoid is wrapped with 200 turns per centimeter. Another layer is wrapped around the first, this one containing 180 turns per centimeter. [Hint: if the problem doesnt tell you the length, what does that mean?] You are looking directly west down the center of the solenoid as it is being used. From your point of view, the inner coil carries 10 A of current in the clockwise direction and the outer coil carries 15 A of current in the counterclockwise direction. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field inside this doubly wound solenoid? 14. What is the magnetic field at the center of the circular orbit of an electron going around the nucleus of a hydrogen atom at a distance of 0.0529 nm? [Hints: The electron going in a circular path is a lot like a current running through a loop of wire. To figure out how big the current is, you need to know how long it takes the electron to complete one orbit you can find it from a calculation of the centripetal force that makes the electron orbit the nucleus.]