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JEE Advanced 2019 Paper 2 · Physics · Magnetic Effects of Current · easy

A long wire carrying a current I=5.0 A is bent into a hairpin: two straight parallel semi-infinite sections, separated by 2R with R=10 cm, are joined…

Numerical answer

A long wire carrying a current I=5.0 AI=5.0\ \mathrm{A} is bent into a hairpin: two straight parallel semi-infinite sections, separated by 2R2R with R=10 cmR=10\ \mathrm{cm}, are joined at their near ends by a semicircular arc of radius RR. Each straight section is tangent to the end of the arc and lies along a line at perpendicular distance RR from the centre OO of the arc. The magnitude of the magnetic field at OO, in microtesla, is ______. Use μ0=4π×10−7 T m A−1\mu_0=4\pi\times10^{-7}\ \mathrm{T\,m\,A^{-1}} and give the answer correct to two decimal places.
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Answer: 25.71

Take the current to enter along one straight section, traverse the semicircle and leave along the other. For the arc, the Biot-Savart law gives Barc=μ0I4RB_{\text{arc}}=\dfrac{\mu_0I}{4R} at the centre. Each semi-infinite straight wire ends at the foot of the perpendicular from OO, so Bwire=μ0I4πRB_{\text{wire}}=\dfrac{\mu_0I}{4\pi R}. By the right-hand rule all three contributions point in the same direction (perpendicular to the plane), so B=μ0I4R(1+2π)B=\dfrac{\mu_0I}{4R}\left(1+\dfrac2\pi\right). Numerically, μ0I4R=4π×10−7×50.4=15.71 μT\dfrac{\mu_0I}{4R}=\dfrac{4\pi\times10^{-7}\times5}{0.4}=15.71\ \mu\mathrm{T}, and multiplying by 1.63661.6366 gives 25.71 μT25.71\ \mu\mathrm{T}. The semi-infinite result follows from the finite-wire formula with angle limits 00 and 90∘90^\circ, which is why each straight arm gives half of the infinite-wire value.
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