Chapter 28

Magnetic Fields of Moving Charges

1. The Biot-Savart Law for magnetic fields is analogous to which law for electric fields?
A. Gauss's Law
B. Coulomb's Law
C. Newton's 2nd Law of Motion
D. None are correct.
Section: 28.1

2. A circular piece of wire connected to the terminals of a battery is lying on a table. The surface of the table is in
the horizontal plane. As viewed from above, electrons move through the wire in the counterclockwise direction.
In which direction is the magnetic field at the center of the circular wire?
A. up
B. down
C. clockwise
D. counterclockwise
Section: 28.2

3. Ampere's Law of magnetic fields is analogous to which law for electric fields?
A. Gauss's Law
B. Coulomb's Law
C. Newton's 2nd Law of Motion
D. None are correct.
Section: 28.3

4. When using Ampere's Law, which currents can and must be included in the calculation?
A. all currents
B. only those currents which form a closed loop
C. only those currents generated by positive charges
D. None are correct.
Section: 28.3

5. The current in a wire is uniformly distributed over the cross-sectional area of the wire. The radius of the wire
is r. Where is the magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the current flowing through the wire greatest?
A. at the center of the wire
B. on the surface of the wire
C. at a perpendicular distance r from the surface of the wire
D. None are correct.
Section: 28.3

6. Two long wires are parallel to each other. The wires carry currents of different magnitudes. If the amount of
current in each wire is halved, the magnitude of the force between the wires will be
A. twice the original force.
B. four times the original force.
C. the same as the original force.
D. half the original force.
E. one fourth the original force.
Section: 28.2

28-1

7. An electron is shot from an electron gun with a speed of 5.0 105 m/s parallel to and a distance of 2.0 cm
above a long straight wire carrying a current of 10 A. Determine the magnitude of the acceleration of the
electron the instant it leaves the electron gun.
A. 6.2 1012 m/s2
B. 7.9 1012 m/s2
C. 8.2 1012 m/s2
D. 8.8 1012 m/s2
E. 9.2 1012 m/s2
Section: 28.2

8. An electron is shot from an electron gun with a speed

parallel to and a distance of 2.0 cm above a long
straight wire carrying a current of 10 A. The magnitude of its acceleration at the instant it leaves the electron gun
is 6.1 1011 m/s
A. 1.3 104 m/s
B. 2.2 104 m/s
C. 3.5 104 m/s
D. 4.8 104 m/s
E. 5.9 104 m/s

. What is the speed of the electron.

Section: 28.2

9. An ideal solenoid has a field of magnitude 0.10 T when carrying a current of 200 A. The solenoid is 5.0 m
long. What is the number of turns for the coils of the solenoid?
A. 1.0 103
B. 2.0 103
C. 3.0 103
D. 4.0 103
Section: 28.4

10. Two long parallel wires are separated by 2.5 mm. The current in one of the wires is twice the other current. If
the magnitude of the force on a 2.0-m length of one of the wires is equal to 4.0 N, what is the larger of the two
currents?
A. 0.11 A
B. 0.22 A
C. 0.42 A
D. 0.84 A
E. 1.7 A
Section: 28.2

11. Two long parallel wires are separated by 4.0 mm. The current in one of the wires is twice the other current. If
the magnitude of the force on a 0.5-m length of one of the wires is equal to 9.0 N, what is the smaller of the two
currents?
A. 0.11 A
B. 0.22 A
C. 0.42 A
D. 0.84 A
E. 1.7 A
Section: 28.2

28-2

12. Each of two long straight parallel wires separated by a distance of 24.0 cm carries a current of 5.00 A in the
same direction. What is the magnitude of the resulting magnetic field at a point that is 14.0 cm from each wire?
A. 1.25 T
B. 4.27 T
C. 7.36 T
D. 12.8 T
E. 18.4 T
Section: 28.1

13. A long solenoid (diameter = 4.00 cm) is wound with 1500 turns per meter of thin wire through which a
current of 0.220 A is maintained. A wire carrying 5.00 A is inserted along the axis of the solenoid. What is the
magnitude of the magnetic field at a point 1.00 cm from the axis?
A. 0.0673 mT
B. 0.114 mT
C. 0.294 mT
D. 0.372 mT
E. 0.427 mT
Section: 28.4

14. A long solenoid (diameter = 5.00 cm) is wound with 2000 turns per meter of thin wire through which a
constant current is maintained. A wire carrying 8.50 A is inserted along the axis of the solenoid. The magnitude
of the magnetic field at a point 5.00 mm from the axis is 0.650 mT. What is the current through the solenoid?
A. 0.292 A
B. 517 A
C. 0.220 A
D. 7.80 mA
E. 22.7 A
Section: 28.4

15. A current of 18 A runs vertically up through a wire that passes through a table. A compass is placed 13 cm
due north of where the wire passes through the table. The magnetic field of the earth at this location is 2.6 10-5
T due north. Determine the angle between the compass needle and due north. (Hint: The compass needle will
align its axis along the direction of the net magnetic field.)
A. 14.9 west of due north
B. 14.9 east of due north
C. 0
D. 64.0 west of due north
E. 64.0 east of due north
F. 46.8 west of due north
G. 46.8 east of due north
Section: 28.2

16. A current of 2.45 A flows along the length of a long solid cylindrical conductor. The radius of the cylinder is
8.5 cm. The current is uniformly distributed through the conductor. Calculate the magnitude of the magnetic
field 2.4 cm from the center of the cylinder.
A. 5.65 10-8 T
B. 6.64 10-7 T
C. 2.95 10-6 T
D. 1.76 10-6 T
E. 2.95 10-5 T
Section: 28.3

28-3

17. A large 1 m by 1 m sheet conductor in the x-y plane carries a uniform current flowing in the x-direction. The
current density is 2.4 A/cm. Use Ampere's law to calculate the magnitude of the magnetic field just above the
center of the sheet at z = 1 mm (not close to any edges).
A. 0 T
B. 6.0 10-4 T
C. 3.0 10-6 T
D. 6.0 10-3 T
E. 3.0 10-4 T
F. 1.5 10-4 T
G. 1.5 10-6 T
Section: 28.3

18. A large 1 m by 1 m sheet conductor in the x-y plane carries a uniform current flowing in the x-direction. The
current density is 1.7 A/cm. What is the direction of the magnetic field just above the center of the sheet at z = 2
mm (not close to any edges).
A. positive x-direction
B. negative x-direction
C. positive y-direction
D. negative y-direction
E. positive z-direction
Section: 28.2

19. Proton A travels northward with a constant velocity. Due north of proton A is proton B, traveling to the east
at a different constant velocity. In what direction is the magnetic force on A?
A. to the south
B. to the west
C. upward, out of the ground
D. down into the ground
E. There is no force on A.
Section: 28.1

20. Proton A travels northward with a constant velocity. Due north of proton A is proton B, traveling to the east
at a different constant velocity. In what direction is the magnetic force on B?
A. to the south
B. to the west
C. upward, out of the ground
D. down into the ground
E. There is no force on B.
Section: 28.1

21. Assume there is a current of 3.0 A traveling clockwise in a loop around this piece of paper (which is
approximately 22 cm wide and 28 cm long). There is an infinitely long wire that runs parallel to the top edge of
the paper that carries a current of 5.0 A. If the distance between the top edge and the wire is 50 cm find the
magnitude of the force between the wire and the loop.
A. zero
B. 1.3 10-7 N
C. 4.7 10-7 N
D. 2.2 10-6 N
E. 6.0 10-6 N
Section: 28.2

28-4

22. Assume there is a current of 3.0 A traveling clockwise in a loop around this piece of paper (which is
approximately 22 cm wide and 28 cm long). There is an infinitely long wire that runs parallel to the top edge of
the paper that carries a current of 5.0 A. If the distance between the top edge and the wire is 50 cm find the
magnitude of the torque on the current loop.
A. zero
B. 2.4 10-7 N . m
C. 2.9 10-7 N . m
D. 3.0 10-7 N . m
E. 3.7 10-7 N . m
Section: 28.2

23. A 7.5-m long extension cord carries a current of 12 amps. The cord is made of two wires, carrying currents in
opposite directions, separated by a distance of 4.9 mm. Find the force between those two wires.
A. 0.0059 N
B. 0.044 N
C. 0.33 N
D. 1.2 N
E. 9.0 N
Section: 28.2

24. A coaxial wire consists of a copper wire of radius 1 mm surrounded by a copper sheath of inside radius 1.5
mm and an outside radius 2 mm. A 3-A current flows in one direction down the core and in the opposite
direction down the sheath. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field at a radius of 3 mm from the center of the
wire?
A. 0 T
B. 1.25 T
C. 3.15 T
D. 4.20 T
E. 5.15 T
Section: 28.3

25. In a solenoid magnet in which the wires are wound such that each winding touches the previous, which of the
following will increase the magnetic field inside the magnet?
A. making the winding radius smaller
B. increasing the wire radius
C. increasing the radius of the solenoid
D. decreasing the wire radius
E. immersion of the solenoid in gasoline
Section: 28.4

26. A circular loop of wire with a radius of 10 cm carries a current of 0.3 A. What is the magnetic field in the
center of the square loop?
A. 0.5 T
B. 1.2 T
C. 1.9 T
D. 2.3 T
E. None are correct.
Section: 28.2

28-5

27. Two wires, A and B, are parallel to each other and separated by a distance of 30 cm. Wire A carries a current
of 1.2 A in one direction while wire B carries a current of 3.1 A in the opposite direction. Where is the magnetic
field equal to zero?
A. between the wires and 8 cm from A
B. between the wires and 10 cm from A
C. exactly halfway between the wires
D. outside the wires and 4 cm from A
E. outside the wires and 19 cm from A
F. nowhere
Section: 28.2

28. Two wires, A and B, are parallel to each other and separated by a distance of 25 cm. Both wires carry a
current of 1.5 A in the same direction. Where is the magnetic field equal to zero?
A. exactly halfway between the wires
B. outside the wires and 5 cm from A
C. outside the wires and 5 cm from B
D. B and C only are correct.
E. nowhere
Section: 28.1

29. A wire of radius R carries a current I. The current density is given by the function J = J0 (1 - r/R) where r is
measured from the center of the wire and J0 is a constant. What is the value of J0 if I = 1A, R = 1.5 mm (in
A/m2)?
A. 1.06 105
B. 2.12 10-5
C. 4.76 103
D. 3.18 10-1
E. 4.24 105
Section: 28.3

30. A wire of radius R carries a current I. The current density is given by the function J = J0 (1 - r/R) where r is
measured from the center of the wire and J0 is a constant. Use Ampre's law to find the magnetic field inside the
wire at a distance r < R from the axis. What is the magnitude of B if I = 1A, R = 1.5 mm, and r = 1 mm?
A. 12 mT
B. 37 T
C. 1.5 T
D. 45 mT
E. 148 T
Section: 28.3

31. In a coaxial cable, the solid inner conductor carries a current of I. The shield, which also carries a current of I
but in the opposite direction, has an inner radius of a and an outer radius of b. The current density is equally
distributed over each conductor. Find an expression for the magnetic field a distance a< r <b from the center of
the inner conductor. What is the magnitude of B if a = 1 mm, b = 1.1 mm, r = 1.05 mm, and I = 10 mA?
A. 1.5 mT
B. 10 mT
C. 10 T
D. 0 T
Section: 28.3

28-6

32. Find the magnitude of the magnetic force on a wire, which has semicircular section of radius R followed by a
straight section of length R as shown in the figure, carrying a current I1= 10 A, due to the magnetic field created
by a second wire, which is perpendicular to the page, carrying a current I2 = 10 A. I2 flows out of the page and R
= 10 cm.
A. 55 mN
B. 0 N
C. 12 mN
D. 8.1 N
E. 13.9 N
Section: 28.2

33. Wire 1 has a semicircular section of radius R followed by a straight section of length R as shown in the
figure, and carries a current I1. Wire 2, which is perpendicular to the page, carries a current I2, where I2 flows out
of the page. If R is doubled, by what factor will the magnitude of the magnetic force on wire 1 due to the
magnetic field created by wire 2 change?
A. 2
B. 1
C. 0.5
D. 4
Section: 28.2

34. The figure shows the cross section through 3 long wires with linear mass density 100 g/m. They carry
currents I1, I2, and I3 in the directions shown. Wires 2 and 3 are 10 cm apart and are attached to a vertical surface,
and each carry a current of 600 A. What current I1 will allow wire 1 on the right to "float" such that its distance
from the vertical surface is 10 cm?
A. 1021 A
B. 512 A
C. 700 A
D. 256 A
Section: 28.2

28-7

35. A particle with a mass of 1 mg and a charge q is seen to travel with a speed of 1000 m/s parallel to a straight
current carrying wire along a horizontal path 10 cm below the wire as shown in the figure. Determine q if the
magnitude of current in the wire is 10 A.
A. 1.0 C
B. 0.49 C
C. 0.24 C
D. 2.0 C
Section: 28.2

36. A wire of radius R = 4 mm carries a current of 2 A. The magnetic field inside the wire at a radial distance
R/2 from the axis of the wire is
A. 5 10-4 T.
B. 2 10-4 T.
C. 1 10-4 T.
D. 1 10-5 T.
Section: 28.3

37. A coil of wire 20 cm length and 200 turns carries a current of 10 A. A bar of titanium (magnetic
susceptibility 1.81 x 10-4) is positioned within the coil. The magnetic field inside the titanium bar is
A. 7.590 x 10-4 T.
B. 4.145 x 10-4 T.
C. 12.6 x 10-4 T.
D. 1.257 x 10-2 T.
Section: 28.6

38. Two long wires are suspended by 16-cm long threads attached from the ceiling so that they are parallel to
each other and to the ceiling above. They each carry an electric current of 15A, in opposite directions. When
they carry no current, the wires hang such that they are touching all along their length, and the threads are
vertical and immediately adjacent to one another. If the angle between the threads is 10.0, what is the mass per
unit length of the wires?
A. 0.47 g/m
B. 1.9 g/m
C. 3.8 g/m
D. 24 g/m
E. 48 g/m
Section: 28.2

39. Two long wires (mass per unit length 1.9 g/m) are suspended by threads attached from the ceiling so that
they are parallel to each other and to the ceiling above. They each carry an electric current of 15A, in opposite
directions. When they carry no current, the wires hang such that they are touching all along their length, and the
threads are vertical and immediately adjacent to one another. If the angle between the threads is 10.0, what is
the length of the threads from which the wires hang?
A. 0.039 m
B. 0.16 m
C. 0.50 m
D. 2.0 m
Section: 28.2

28-8

40. Two long wires lie parallel to the x-axis; one at y = 0.0 m, the other at y = 0.12 m. The first carries current of
1.0 A in the positive x direction, while the other carries current of 1.5 A in the negative x direction. Which of the
below is a y-coordinate value at which there is no magnetic field?
A. 4.8 cm
B. -4.8 cm
C. 24 cm
D. -24 cm
E. Two or more of the choices are possible answers.
F. None are correct.
Section: 28.2

41. A solenoid is made up of 100 turns of a wire carrying 0.25 A of current, and is 5.0 cm long. The radius of the
solenoid is 1.5cm. You are looking at the solenoid end-on, such that the current circulates counter-clockwise
from your point of view. A complete circuit is made by having the wire from one end of the solenoid connect to
the wire at the other end, and running down the middle of the solenoid, therefore carrying current in the +z
direction along the z-axis. What is the magnetic field at a point (x,y) = (-0.75 cm, 0.0 cm)?
A. 6,7 0,63
B. 6,7 + 0,63
C. 6,7 0,67
D. 6,7 0,67
E. None are correct.
F. Information is insufficient to determine the magnetic field.
Section: 28.5

42. Two 100 turn coils of wire with a diameter of 1.0 m are placed a distance of 0.25 m apart as shown in the
figure. A current of 3.0 A is in the wires of both coils and the direction of the current is clockwise (CW) for both
coils when viewed from one end. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field in the center between the two
coils?
A. 0 T
B. 1.9 10-4 T
C. 3.4 10-4 T
D. 6.9 10-4 T
E. 7.5 10-4 T
Section: 28.2

43. A square, clamping ammeter has four sides each with a length of 3.0 cm. The four sides of the ammeter are
capable of measuring the magnetic field at the position of the sides. When the ammeter is clamped around a
cylindrical wire carrying a DC current as shown in the figure, the average magnetic field measured in the sides
of the clamp is 2.0 G. What is the current in the wire?
A. 0.14 A
B. 0.30 A
C. 0.57 A
D. 5.0 A
E. 19 A
Section: 28.3

28-9

44. A very long wire carrying a current I = 5.0 A is bent into a semi-circle with a diameter of 10 cm as shown in
the figure. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field at the point P, halfway between the ends of the straight
sections of wire and at the center of curvature of the semi-circle?
A. 2.0 10-5 T
B. 3.1 10-5 T
C. 5.1 10-5 T
D. 6.3 10-5 T
E. 8.3 10-5 T
Section: 28.2

45. A long, straight wire is located along the x-axis (y = 0 and z = 0). The wire carries a current of 5.0 A in the
+x direction. What is the magnitude of the force on a 2.0 C charged particle located at (+2.0 m, +1.0 m, 0), when
it has a velocity of 300 m/s in the +x-direction?
A. 0.0 N
B. 1.5 10-4 N
C. 2.7 10-4 N
D. 3.0 10-4 N
E. 6.0 10-4 N
Section: 28.2

46. A long, straight wire is located along the x-axis (y = 0 and z = 0). The wire carries a current of 5.0 A in the
+x direction. What is the magnitude of the force on a 2.0 C charged particle located at (+2.0 m, +1.0 m, 0), when
it has a velocity of 300 m/s in the +z-direction?
A. 0.0 N
B. 1.5 10-4 N
C. 2.7 10-4 N
D. 3.0 10-4 N
E. 6.0 10-4 N
Section: 28.2

47. A long wire located at Z = 0 carries current i 1 = 3.00 A to the right as shown. A second long wire located a
distance d = 0.240 m above the first wire carries a current i 2 = 1.10 A to the left as shown. Where in the Z
direction (in m) does the magnetic field from the two wires sum to zero?
A. 0.285
B. 0.379
C. 0.504
D. 0.670
E. 0.892
F. 1.186
G. 1.577
H. 2.097
Section: 28.2

28-10

48. A current i = 4.00 A goes around a wire bent as shown above where r 1 = 0.100 m and r2 = 0.240 m. Calculate
the magnitude of the magnetic field (in T) at point A.
A. 3.98 10-6
B. 4.50 10-6
C. 5.08 10-6
D. 5.74 10-6
E. 6.49 10-6
F. 7.33 10-6
G. 8.28 10-6
H. 9.36 10-6
Section: 28.2

49. Two wires carry different currents in the opposite directions as shown. Where is it possible for the magnetic
field produced by the wires to be zero?
A. A only
B. B only
C. C only
D. A or C
E. nowhere
Section: 28.2

50. Two solenoids have the same length, but solenoid A has twice the numbers of turns and three times the
radius of solenoid B. If the same current flows in both solenoids,
A. they will have the same field inside.
B. A will have 2/9 of the field of B.
C. A will have 18 times the field of B.
D. A will have 4.5 times the field of B.
E. A will have twice the field of B.
Section: 28.4

51. The overhead cable for a street trolley is strung horizontally 5 m above the ground. A long straight section of
it carries a 100 A current due west. What is the magnetic field at street level directly under the cable?
A. 410-6 T, pointing west
B. 500 T, pointing south
C. 500 T, pointing west
D. 410-6 T, pointing south
E. 210-8 T, pointing east
Section: 28.2

52. Two parallel wires, separated by the distance of 2 cm, carry the currents I1 = 1 A and I2 = 2 A in the same
direction. How far from the wire carrying the current I1 is the magnetic field zero?
A. never 0
B. 1.00 cm
C. 0.667 cm
D. 3.00 cm
E. 2.00 cm
Section: 28.2

28-11