Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A wire runs from A to B, m east, then from B to C, m north, then from C to D, m west. It carries A. A uniform field of T points out of the page, with east to the right and north up the page. (a) Find the force on the wire from A to D. (b) Check it by finding the force on each of the three straight parts. (c) A wire in the shape of a half circle of radius m carries A in the same field. The field is at right angles to its plane. Find the force on it.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. The whole wire. A is at the start, D is at the end. D is m east and m north of A. So the effective length is m. . The effective length is north, the field is out of the page, and . The force points east.
Step 2. The three parts. AB: N, with , to the south. BC: N, to the east. CD: N, with , to the north. The south and north forces cancel. The east force is N. It agrees.
Step 3. The half circle. .
Answer: N, and N.
Watch out. The arc has a length of m, but the force is not . Only the straight line between the ends counts.
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, or , with along the current. In a uniform field a bent wire feels the force of the straight wire between its ends, and a closed loop feels none. A wire floats when .