(a) A circular coil having a radius of 8.0 cm, the number of turns as 30 and carrying a current of 6.0 A is suspended vertically in a uniform horizontal magnetic field of magnitude 1.0 T. The field lines make an angle of 600 with the normal of the coil. To prevent the coil from turning, determine the magnitude of the counter-torque that must be applied.
(b) Would your answer change, if the circular coil in (a) were replaced by a planar coil of some irregular shape that encloses the same area? (All other particulars are also unaltered.)
Answer 4.13:
(a) Number of turns on the circular coil (n) = 30
Radius of the coil (r) = 8.0 cm = 0.08 m
Area of the coil =
Current flowing in the coil (I) = 6.0 A
Magnetic field strength, B = 1 T
The angle between the field lines and normal with the coil surface,
The coil experiences a torque in the magnetic field. Hence, it turns. The counter torque applied to prevent the coil from turning is given by the relation,
=
= 3.133 N m
(b) It can be inferred from the relation
Q 4.14) Two concentric circular coils, X and Y, of radii 16 cm and 10 cm, respectively, lie in the same vertical plane containing the north-to-south direction. Coil X has 20 turns and carries a current of 16 A; coil Y has 25 turns and carries a current of 18 A. The sense of the current in X is anticlockwise and clockwise in Y for an observer looking at the coils facing west. Give the magnitude and direction of the net magnetic field due to the coils at their centre.
Show solutionHide solution
Radius of the coil X, r1 = 16 cm = 0.16 m
Number of turns in coil X, n1 = 20
Current in the coil X, I1 = 16 A
Radius of the coil Y, r2 = 10 cm = 0.1 m
Number of turns in coil Y, n2 = 25
Current in the coil Y, I2 = 18 A
The magnetic field due to the coil X at the centre is given as
Here, μ0 is the permeability of the free space = 4π x 10-7 Tm/A
= 4π x 10-4 T (Towards east)
The magnetic field due to the coil Y at the centre is given as
= 9π x 10-4 T (Towards west)
Therefore, the net magnetic field is given as
B = B2 – B1 = 9π x 10-4 T – 4π x 10-4 T
= 5π x 10-4 T
= 5 x 3.14 x 10-4
= 1.57 x 10-3 T (Towards west)

