Fundamentals of Physics Extended (10th Edition)

Published by Wiley
ISBN 10: 1-11823-072-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-11823-072-5

Chapter 29 - Magnetic Fields Due to Currents - Problems - Page 857: 6a

Answer

The distance to the element making the greatest contribution to field $B$ is $~~s = 0$

Work Step by Step

We can write the expression for the magnetic field produced by a current in a straight wire: $B = \frac{\mu_0~i}{2~\pi~R}$ We can see that the magnitude of $B$ is greater when the distance $R$ is decreases. Thus the current that is the closest to the point $P$ will contribute the most. Therefore, the distance to the element making the greatest contribution to field $B$ is $~~s = 0$
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