Menu

Field of a Wire

Part of the Electricity and Magnetism section of Coddy's Physics journey. Lesson 39 of 51.

Around a long straight wire the field lines are circles, and

B = μ₀ I / (2π r)

μ₀ = 4π × 10⁻⁷ T·m/A.

The right-hand grip rule: thumb along the current, fingers curl along the field. Current out of the page: counterclockwise.

The field around a wire

challenge icon

Challenge

A long straight wire carries 10 A. How strong is its magnetic field B at a point 5 cm from it, in microteslas?

Try it yourself

quiz iconTest yourself

This lesson includes a short quiz. Start the lesson to answer it and track your progress.

All lessons in Electricity and Magnetism