Question

A very long straight current-carrying wire produces a magnetic field of 25 µT at a distance d from the wire. How far will the magnetic field due to this wire be 2.8 µT.

Answer 1

The magnetic field strength of a very long current-carrying wire is proportional to the inverse of the distance from the wire. The farther you go from the wire, the weaker the magnetic field becomes.

B ∝ 1/d

B = magnetic field strength, d = distance from wire

Calculate the scaling factor for d required to change B from 25μT to 2.8μT:

2.8μT/25μT = 1/k

k = 8.9

You must go to a distance of 8.9d to observe a magnetic field strength of 2.8μT