A straight wire carries a 12-A current eastward and a second straight wire carries a 14-A current westward. The wires are separated by a distance of 42 cm. The force on a 6.4 m length of one of the wires is

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The force between two parallel currents is given by F = (μ₀ * I₁ * I₂ * L) / (2π * d), where μ₀ is the permeability of free space (4π × 10⁻⁷ T·m/A), I₁ and I₂ are the currents, L is the length of the wire, and d is the distance between the wires. Plugging in the values, F = (4π × 10⁻⁷ T·m/A * 12 A * 14 A * 6.4 m) / (2π * 0.42 m) = 5.1 × 10⁻⁴ N.

A Straight Wire Carries a 12-A Current Eastward and a Second