Four wires carry equal currents along the four parallel edges of a cube. A parallel current-carrying wire through the center of the cube is free to move. The vector that might represent the direction in which the center wire will move is

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to Ampere's Law, a current-carrying wire in the center of the cube will experience a force in the direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the loop and parallel to the current direction in the loop.

For this particular situation, the four wires form a square loop in the x-y plane, and the current direction is into the page (as indicated by the small circle x).

Therefore, the force on the center wire will be in the z-direction, perpendicular to the x-y plane.

Looking at the answer choices, option D has a vector pointing in the z-direction, which means it represents the direction in which the center wire will move.

Four Wires Carry Equal Currents Along the Four Parallel Edges