- #1
Annette123
- 6
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Homework Statement
So I'm working through textbook problems in preparation for my physics final, and I just can't seem to get the answers to this question (I'm 99.9% certain I got it wrong as my friends got a different value, but I don't actually know the answer as it's not in the back of the textbook); any help (particularly if you can walk me through your thinking processes...physics isn't my forte) would be greatly appreciated!
"A segment of a high-voltage power line is 250 m long and carries 110 A current. At this particular location, Earth's magnetic field is directed toward the North, at an angle of 72 degrees below horizontal (i.e., downward into the ground at an angle). The field is uniform and has a magnitude of 0.59 Gauss. If current in the power line is flowing horizontally toward the east,
A) what is the magnitude of the magnetic force on the wire? What is the direction of the magnetic force on the wire?
B) If the current is flowing horizontally toward the south, what is the magnitude of the magnetic force on the wire? What is the direction of the magnetic force on the wire?"
Thank you so much in advance!
Homework Equations
Units: 1 Gauss is equal to 10-4 T.
I think this maybe calls for F=ILBsin(theta), in which I=current, L=length, B=magnetic field, F=magnetic force, and theta=the angle between the magnetic field lines and the current (I think? We kind of skipped over most of this in class)
The Attempt at a Solution
For the magnitude of the magnetic force in situation A: F=110X250X(5.9X10^-5)Xsin(72 degrees)=1.54...N