Ampere's Circuital Law And The Solenoid
A long solenoid is wound with 500 turns per metre and carries a current of 3 A along its length; what is the magnitude of the magnetic field deep inside this solenoid?
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Solution
1.88×10−3 T
NCERT Class 12, Chapter 4 (Moving Charges and Magnetism) derives, by applying Ampere's circuital law to a rectangular loop straddling the solenoid wall, that the field inside a long solenoid is uniform and given by B=μ0nI, where n is the number of turns per unit length. Only the segment of the Amperian loop lying inside the solenoid contributes, since the field outside an ideal long solenoid is essentially zero, and inside it is directed uniformly along the axis. Substituting μ0=4π×10−7 T·m/A, n=500 turns/m, and I=3 A: B=(4π×10−7)(500)(3)=6π×10−4≈1.88×10−3 T. The value 1.88×10−4 T is ten times too small from a unit slip in n. The value 6.0×10−3 T drops the factor π from μ0. The value 9.4×10−4 T is half the answer from mistakenly using n=250. Plausibility check: the field is independent of the solenoid radius, and multiplying the scales 10−7×102×100 gives order 10−3 T, a typical solenoid interior field, so the magnitude is sensible.
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About This Question
- Subject
- physics
- Chapter
- magnetic effects of current and magnetism
- Topic
- ampere's circuital law and the solenoid
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Year
- 2025
Solution
Correct Answer:
1.88×10−3 T
NCERT Class 12, Chapter 4 (Moving Charges and Magnetism) derives, by applying Ampere's circuital law to a rectangular loop straddling the solenoid wall, that the field inside a long solenoid is uniform and given by B=μ0nI, where n is the number of turns per unit length. Only the segment of the Amperian loop lying inside the solenoid contributes, since the field outside an ideal long solenoid is essentially zero, and inside it is directed uniformly along the axis. Substituting μ0=4π×10−7 T·m/A, n=500 turns/m, and I=3 A: B=(4π×10−7)(500)(3)=6π×10−4≈1.88×10−3 T. The value 1.88×10−4 T is ten times too small from a unit slip in n. The value 6.0×10−3 T drops the factor π from μ0. The value 9.4×10−4 T is half the answer from mistakenly using n=250. Plausibility check: the field is independent of the solenoid radius, and multiplying the scales 10−7×102×100 gives order 10−3 T, a typical solenoid interior field, so the magnitude is sensible.
This medium difficulty physics question is from the chapter magnetic effects of current and magnetism, covering the topic of ampere's circuital law and the solenoid. It appeared in the 2025 exam.
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