Physics 213 Problem Set 8 Solutions

Spring 1998

1. Reading Assignment
Serway Sections 30.130.5. Next week Chapter 31.

2. Serway 30.12
Consider the current-carrying loop shown in Figure P30.12 of your text, formed of radial lines and
segments of circles whose centers are at point P . Find the magnitude and direction of B at P.
SOLUTION: We use the Biot-Savart law
0 I
B=
4

d`
r
r2

to compute the magnetic field at the origin. For the radial segments, d` is parallel to
r making the integrand
zero, so we only need to worry about the contribution from the circular arcs. Along the arc at radius a we
where is the angular (azimuthal) variable and
is a unit vector in the
have that r = a and d` = a d ,

where
azimuthal direction. Thus d`
r = a d
z, where we have used
r=z
z is the unit vector pointing

up out of the page (in Figure P30.12). Similarly, along the arc at radius b we have r = b, d` = b d
(since the current is flowing in the opposite direction), so d`
r = b
z. Putting this all together in the
Biot-Savart law gives

 Z /3


0 I
0 I 1
z 1
1
1

B=
z.
d =

4
a
b
12 a
b
0

3. Serway 30.16A
Two long, parallel wires, each having a mass per unit length , are supported in a horizontal plane by
strings of length L, as show in Figure P30.16 of your text. Each wire carries the same current I, causing
the wires to repel each other so that the angle between the supporting strings is . (a) Are the currents
in the same or opposite directions? (b) Find the magnitude of each current.
SOLUTION:
a)Suppose the current in wire 1 is directed out of the page. The B field from wire 1 is then directed
counterclockwise, i.e., up at wire 2. To have a repulsive force on wire 2, I2 ` B tells us that the current
must be into the page.
b)At the equilibrium point the separation between the wires is d = 2L sin 2 . With equal currents, the
magnetic force per unit length is therefore a repulsive force in the horizontal plane of the two wires of
magnitude FB = 0 I 2 /(4L sin 2 ). In equilibrium, the horizontal component of the tension force per unit
length of the strings must cancel this magnetic force, so Tx = T sin 2 = FB . Similarly, in the vertical
direction the component of the tension per unit length must balance that of gravity per unit length, giving
Ty = T cos 2 = g. Combining, we see that
g sin(/2)
0 I 2
=
,
4L sin(/2)
cos(/2)

so
I = sin(/2)

4Lg
.
0 cos(/2)

4. Serway 30.22
A closely wound, long solenoid of overall length 30 cm has a magnetic field of 5 104 T at its center
produced by a current of 1 A through its windings. How many turns of wire are on the solenoid?
SOLUTION: The magnetic field inside a long solenoid is given by B = o NI/L where N is the number of
turns, I is the current, and L is the overall length. Thus
N=

(5 104 T)(.3m)
BL
=
= 120 turns.
0 I
(4 107 Tm/A)(1A)

5. Serway 30.26
Imagine a long cylindrical wire of radius R that has a current density J(r) = J0 (1 r2 /R2 ) for r R
and J(r) = 0 for r > R, where r is the distance from a point of interest to the central axis running along
the length of the wire. (a) Find the resulting magnetic field inside (r R) and outside (r > R) the wire.
(b) Plot the magnitude of the magnetic field as a function of r. (c) Find the location where the magnetic
field strength is a maximum, and the value of the maximum field.
SOLUTION: We solve this problem using Amperes law and choosing amperian loops as in Figure 30.9 of
the text.
a)From the symmetry of the problem, the magnetic field points in the azimuthal direction and its magnitude
depends only on r:

B = B(r).
Amperes law states that

0 Iencl =

I
d` = B(r)

B d` = B(r)

rd = 2rB(r),

Thus
where we have used d` = r d .
0 Iencl
.
2r
So all that remains is to calculate the current enclosed by the amperian loop, Iencl , as a function of the
radius r of the loop:
B=

Iencl (r)


=

J dA =
J0 r2

J(r0 )2r0 dr0 = 2J0

r2
2R2

r0

(r0 )2
R2

dr0

Thus, for r < R we have

B=

0 J0
r
2


1

r2
2R2

For r > R, the enclosed current is just the total current in the wire Iencl (R) = J0 R2 /2, and thus
B=

0 J0 R2
.
4r

b)See Figure 1.

Figure 1: The vertical axis increments are 2B/10 (0 J0 R) and the horizontal axis measures r/R in increments
of 0.5.
c)To find where the magnetic field is a maximum, look for where its derivative vanishes:
0 J0
dB(r)
=
0=
dr
2

3 r2
1
2 R2


r=

At this value of r, the magnitude of the magnetic field is

p
20 J0 R

.
B( 2/3R) =
3 3

2
R.
3

6. Serway 30.66
A large nonconducting belt with a uniform surface charge density moves with a speed v on a set of
rollers as shown in Figure P30.66 of your text. Consider a point just above the surface of the moving
belt. (a) Find an expression for the magnitude of the magnetic field B at this point. (b) If the belt is
positively charged what is the direction of B? (Note the belt may be considered as an infinite sheet.)
SOLUTION:
a)The moving charge density gives rise to a uniform current density J in a plane, which was solved using
Amperes law in example 30.6 in the text. There it was found that the magnitude of the magnetic field
is constant above the sheet and has the value B = 0 J/2. Therefore we just have to express the current
density J in terms of the charge density and the speed of the belt v:
J=

current
charge
charge length
=
=

= v.
length
time length
area
time

Thus
B = 0 v/2.
b)The direction of the magnetic field can be read off from Figure 30.12 in the text. Translating to the
geometry shown in Figure P30.66, since the current is to the right, B is parallel to the sheet and pointing
out of the page (perpendicular to the velocity of the sheet).

7. Serway 30.70
Consider a thin disk of radius R mounted to rotate about the x axis in the yz plane. The disk has a
positive uniform surface charge density and angular velocity . Show that the magnetic field at the
center of the disk is B = 0 R/2.
SOLUTION: The basic expression for the magnetic field due to moving charges is B = (0 /4)qv
r/r2 .
Applying this to little area elements of the rotating disk and summing up gives
0
B=
4

Z
disk

v
r
0
=
r2
4

v
r
2rdr,
r2

where, since we are evaluating the magnetic field at the center of the disk,
r is just the radial unit vector in
the plane of the disk. Also we have used the fact that is constant and so can be taken out of the integral.
To evaluate this integral we must find v as a function of r. Recall that the angular velocity is given by
so
= v/r, so v = r; furthermore, the velocity is in the azimuthal direction, ,

v = r.

is the unit vector

Plugging this into our expression for B and using
r =
x (see note below) where x
normal to the plane of the disk, gives
B=

0
2

=
dr x
0

0 R
,
x
2

and thus the magnitude of B is indeed

0 R
.
2
Note on directions: We have taken the disk to be rotating in the counter-clockwise direction when viewed
points in the counter-clockwise direction. If the disk were taken to be rotating in
from above, so that
the opposite direction, all that would change would be the sign of B, which, of course, does not change its
magnitude.
B=