Problem 5.

18 An innitely long, thin conducting sheet of width w along the

x-direction lies in the xy plane and carries a current I in the y-direction. Determine
the following:
(a) The magnetic eld at a point P midway between the edges of the sheet and at
a height h above it (Fig. P5.18).
(b) The force per unit length exerted on an innitely long wire passing through
point P and parallel to the sheet if the current through the wire is equal in
magnitude but opposite in direction to that carried by the sheet.
I
I
P
h
w
Figure P5.18: A linear current source above a current
sheet (Problem 5.18).
Solution:
(a) The sheet can be considered to consist of a large number of innitely long but
narrow wires each dx wide lying next to each other, with each carrying a current
I
x
= I dx/w. If we choose the coordinate system shown in Fig. P5.18, the wire at a
distance x from the origin is at a distance vector R from point P, with
R = xx + zh.
Equation (5.30) provides an expression for the magnetic eld due to an innitely long
wire carrying a current I as
H =
B

0
=

I
2r
.
We now need to adapt this expression to the present situation by replacing I with
I
x
= I dx/w, replacing r with R = (x
2
+h
2
)
1/2
, and by assigning the proper direction
for the magnetic eld. From the BiotSavart law, the direction of H is governed by
l R, where l is the direction of current ow. In the present case, l is out of the page,
which is the y direction. Hence, the direction of the eld is
l R
|l R|
=
y( xx + zh)
| y( xx + zh)|
=
( xh+ zx)
(x
2
+h
2
)
1/2
.
Therefore, the eld dH due to current I
x
is
dH =
( xh+ zx)
(x
2
+h
2
)
1/2
I
x
2R
=
( xh+ zx)I dx
2w(x
2
+h
2
)
,
and the total eld is
H(0, 0, h) =
_
w/2
x=w/2
( xh+ zx)
I dx
2w(x
2
+h
2
)
=
I
2w
_
w/2
x=w/2
( xh+ zx)
dx
x
2
+h
2
=
I
2w
_
xh
_
w/2
x=w/2
dx
x
2
+h
2
+ z
_
w/2
x=w/2
x dx
x
2
+h
2
_
=
I
2w
_
xh
_
1
h
tan
1
_
x
h
_
_

w/2
x=w/2
+ z
_
1
2
ln(x
2
+h
2
)
_

w/2
x=w/2
_
= x
I
w
tan
1
_
w
2h
_
(A/m).
At P in Fig. P5.18, the eld is pointing to the left. The z-component could have
been assumed zero with a symmetry argument. An alternative solution is to employ
Eq. (5.24a) directly.
(b) From Eq. (5.9), a differential force is of the form dF
m
= I dl B or, assuming
dl = a

d, the force per unit length is given by

F

m
=
F
m

= I a

B = I y
_
x

0
I
w
tan
1
_
w
2h
_
_
= z

0
I
2
w
tan
1
_
w
2h
_
(N).
The force is repulsive; the wire is experiencing a force pushing it up.