Magnetic Fields : Fields from Current

Learning Goals

• Compute the magnetic field at a point in space given knowledge of magnetic fields from various geome-
tries including wires, arcs, and circular loops.
• Predict the motion of wires using force equations involving currents of wire and magnetic fields.
• Use the right-hand rule to determine the direction of the magnetic field from any set of current-carrying
wires.

Warm-Up
The arrangements below consist of four long parallel wires carrying equal currents into or out of the page at the corners
of identical squares. Rank the arrangements according to the magnitude of the net magnetic field at the center of the
square, greatest first.

⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊙

⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙
(a) (b) (c) (d)

Test Your Understanding!

• How do you determine the direction of the magnetic field, B?

• What happens if you remove the wire in the top right corner of each arrangement?
• Are there different loop shapes that could increase the magnetic field strength?

Solution
The drawings of the vectors in each case are shown below.
⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊙

⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙
For (a) and (b), the total magnetic field is 0 since every vector cancels out. In (c), we have a vector with
orthogonal components 2𝐵 and 2𝐵. The magnitude is √(2𝐵)2 + (2𝐵)2 = √8𝐵 2 = 2√2𝐵. In (d) we have a

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 single component with strength 2𝐵. So, (c) is the strongest, (d) is the second strongest, and (a) and (b) are tied
for the weakest.

Problem 1: Addition of Wire Fields

Consider the set-ups in the warm-up, re-produced below:

⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊗ ⊗ ⊗ ⊙

⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊗ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙ ⊙
(a) (b) (c) (d)

Every wire carries a current of magnitude 𝐼 and the side of each square is 𝑎. Please answer the following questions:
(a) In each set-up, what is the magnetic field in unit-vector notation at the center of the configuration?
(b) In each set-up, what is the force on the top-right wire due to all the other wires?

Guiding Questions

• How do you add four vectors together?

• Since it is a square, can you guess what the polar decomposition (decomposition into cos 𝜃 and sin 𝜃) is?
Does it look symmetric to you like the square is?
• If I placed a wire with current 𝐼 ′ pointed out of the page at the center of each configuration, what is the
force per unit length it experiences?

Solution
Big Picture: These are two vector additional and manipulation problems! For the first one, we need to use the
fact that the magnetic field from each wire is
𝜇0 𝐼
B= 𝜑.̂ (1)
2𝜋𝑟
We already figured out the directions of each magnetic field in the warm-up, so we just need to add the fields in
those directions. Then, the second question asks for the force per unit length, l, on one wire due to the others.
That is given by
f = I × B, (2)
where I is the magnitude of the current times the unit vector the current is pointing in. The magnetic field then
comes from all other wires.
Step 1: Add the magnetic field in each configuration. In set-ups (a) and (b), the magnetic field is 0 since
everything cancels as shown in the warm-up:
B = 0. (3)
In set-up (b), we have two magnetic fields that point up and to the left and another two the point down and to
the left. So, the y-component
̂ cancels out and we get 4 times the contribution in the −x̂ direction:

B = 4|𝐵|from one cos 𝜃 (−x)̂ . (4)

Here, cos 𝜃 is cos (45∘ ) due to the symmetry of the square (i.e. the fields point in the direction that exactly
bisects a right angle). So,
B = 2√2|𝐵|from one (−x)̂ . (5)

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 We said the same thing during the warm-up! The magnetic field from one wire is 𝜇0 𝐼/(2𝜋𝑟), where 𝑟 = √2𝑎/2
is the distance from one corner of the circle to the center, so

⎛ 𝜇0 𝐼 ⎞ 2𝜇 𝐼
B = (2√2) ⎜ ⎟ (−x)̂ = − 0 x.̂ (6)
⎜ 2𝜋 √2𝑎/2 ⎟ 𝜋𝑎
⎝ ( )⎠

Lastly, there’s the configuration in part (d). Here, two of the vectors cancel and we just have two vectors
pointing in the same direction - 45 degrees down and to the left. In other words,

B = 2|𝐵|from one (− cos 𝜃x̂ − sin 𝜃y)̂

⎛ 𝜇0 𝐼 ⎞
= −√2 ⎜ ⎟ (x̂ + y)̂ ,
⎜ 2𝜋 √2𝑎/2 ⎟ (7)
⎝ ( )⎠
𝜇 𝐼
= − 0 (x̂ + y)̂ .
𝜋𝑎
Step 2: Cross the current and the field to find the force. As previously mentioned, the cross product of the
current (which is given to be 𝐼 ′ z,̂ i.e. pointing out of the page with magnitude 𝐼 ′ ) and the total magnetic field
which we just found. So, for parts (a) and (b) the field is 0 so the force per unit length is 0:

f = 0. (8)

For part (c),

2𝜇0 𝐼𝐼 ′
I′ × B = − (ẑ × x)̂ ,
𝜋𝑎 (9)
2𝜇0 𝐼𝐼 ′
=− y.̂
𝜋𝑎
In other words it moves down! Use the first right-hand rule to see why ẑ × x̂ = ŷ or the wheel we introduced
in the previous worksheet!
For the last case, we have
𝜇 𝐼𝐼 ′
I′ × B = − 0 (ẑ × x̂ + ẑ × y)̂ ,
𝜋𝑎
𝜇 𝐼𝐼 ′
=− 0 (ŷ − x)̂ , (10)
𝜋𝑎
𝜇 𝐼𝐼 ′
= 0 (x̂ − y)̂ .
𝜋𝑎
In other words, the wire moves down and to the right.

Problem 2: Two Arcs

Two long wires are bent into arcs as shown below:

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 𝑅1

𝑅2

The wire on the left had a current 𝐼1 = 1 mA running clockwise while the current on the right wise is running
counterclockwise through the arc with current 𝐼2 = 2 mA. The radii are 𝑅1 = 5 cm and 𝑅2 = 10 cm. The angles
they subtend are 𝜃1 = 60 and 𝜃2 = 70 degrees respectively. What is the magnetic field at the center? What about the
straight portions of the wire: do they contribute and why?

Guiding Questions

• How do you find the magnetic field from an arc?

• How do you find the total magnetic field from two constituent magnetic fields?
• What does the cross product physically imply in the Biot-Savart law?

Solution
Big Picture: This is the principle of super position at play! Since the current in the straight bends point in
the same direction as the radius they don’t contribute since l and r are parallel, but they only appear as a cross
product in the Biot-Savart formula. So, we only need the arc formula:
𝜇0 𝐼𝜃
𝐵= . (11)
4𝜋𝑅
Step 1: Find the magnetic fields from each portion. This is the arc, so
𝜇0 𝐼1 𝜃1
B1 = (−z)̂ . (12)
4𝜋𝑅1

Since it runs clockwise, the field points into the page. The right arc has:
𝜇0 𝐼2 𝜃2
B2 = (z)̂ . (13)
4𝜋𝑅2

Step 2: Add them together using the principle of superposition. Adding them together amounts to subtrac-
tion the first field from the second:
𝜇 𝐼2 𝜃2 𝐼1 𝜃1
B= 0 − z.̂ (14)
4𝜋 ( 𝑅2 𝑅1 )
From here, we can just plug the numbers in - noting that the angles should be plugged in in terms of radians!

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Now that we reviewed magnetic field problems, please write down a detailed method for how you should approach
similar problems on exams or homework.

The steps I follow are:

1. Write down the magnetic field from the type of geometry given (usually a wire, an arc, or a circular loop).
2. Sum up all the magnetic fields as a vector sum. Remember to account for cancelling out of components
or isolating vector components when needed!
3. If you need the force on another wire, write down the cross product between that current and the field -
it’ll give you the force per unit length on the wire.

Was anything surprising or new for you today? What questions do you still have? Reflect on your learning by
answering these questions and saving them for when you study.