TOPIC-11-AMPERES-LAW-PROBLEMS.

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Física II

1º Grado en Ingeniería Aeroespacial

Escuela Politécnica Superior. Campus de Leganés

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

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 No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
AEROSPATIAL ENGINEER YEAR 13/14

WEEK No. 11 - Solutions to the Problems

Solutions for the teachers, not for the students. They should work these problems out
themselves in class, either with the teacher or by themselves.

1. Compute the magnetic field created by an infinite plane through which

a uniform surface current flows with current density given by K.
Help: Use either Biot-Savart’s or Ampere’s laws.

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Solution: This problem was solved using Biot-Savart’s law the previous week. We
will do it here using Ampere’s law. To do it, we first need to discuss its symmetry,
since only that will allow us to take advantage of Ampere’s law to find the magnetic
field. A plane has translational symmetry along any axis contained by it. We will
denote z as the direction perpendicular to the plane, y, the direction in which the
density current (assumed to be constant) flows, and x, the perpendicular direction
within the plane so that i × j = k. Since the system is symmetric along x and y, it
must happen that,
B(r) = B(z). (1)
Furthermore, we know from Biot-Savart’s law that B must be perpendicular to K
if the latter is constant in direction, and must also wrap around it. Thus, we can
conclude that:
B(r) = Bx (z)i. (2)
Furthermore, we can also see from the symmetry that,

Bx (z) = −Bx (−z). (3)

We will use this later on. Next, Ampere’s law states,

I
B · dl = µ0 IC , (4)
C

where IC is the current enclosed by C. In order to estimate this integral without

knowing Bx (z) we will choose C to be composed of straight lines, either directed
along the x direction (so that the field is constant on them, since it depends on z,
and parallel to dl) or along z, so that the circulation vanishes. We will choose three
such circuits, as shown in Fig. 1.
For the one to the left, the circulation simply becomes,

Bx (z1 ) · l − BX (z2 ) · l = 0, → Bx (z) = B, ∀z < 0. (5)

The one to the right gives,

Bx (z3 ) · l − BX (z4 ) · l = 0, → Bx (z) = B+, ∀z > 0. (6)

For the central one, we will have,

µ0 K z
Bx (z5 ) · l − BX (−z5 ) · l = 2Bx (z5 ) · l = µ0 K · l, → Bx (z) = , ∀z. (7)
2 |z|

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z2 z1 z5 z5 z4 z3

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Figure 1: Circuits chosen to obtain the magnetic fields created by an infinite plane carrying
current using Ampere’s law.

where we have use the aforementioned symmetry under the transformation z → −z

to obtain the value of the field at any point. In other words, it turns out that:
B+ = µ0 K/2, B− = −µ0 K/2. Thus, the final result is:

µ0 K z
B(r) = i. (8)
2 |z|

2. Consider the two circuits shown in the figure. All the currents are on
the same plane. If the cable C 0 has an infinite length, which is the total
force on C? Is it attractive or repulsive?
Help: Use Ampere’s law.

Solution: The easiest way to solve this problem is to be aware of Newton’s third
law, that states that the force a body A does on a second body B must equal in
magnitude and be opposite of sign to the one that body B does on A. Thus, we will
choose the current for which the calculation of the magnetic field is the simplest (the
straight, infinite conductor) and then compute that the body B experiences in this
field.
To calculate the field produced by the straight conductor, we simply acknowledge
its cylindrical symmetry and choose cylindrical coordinates centered at the cable.
Because of symmetry, the field created must be of the form,

B(r) = Bθ (r)uθ . (9)

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Thus, we choose Amperian circuits as circles of arbitrary radius r lying on planes
perpendicular to the cable. In this way, the field is always constant in magnitude
and tangent to the circuit, so that:
I
µ0 I 0
B · dl = Bθ (r)2πr = µ0 I 0 → Bθ (r) = . (10)
2πr
Next, we compute the force on the rectangular circuit. First, we note that the forces
on the upper and lower legs cancel out, since the everything is the same except for
the current direction, which is opposite in each leg. Thus, we only need to consider
the forces on the two vertical legs. These are, starting for the one closer to the
infinite conductor,
Z Z b
µ0 II 0 b
F1 = Idl × B = Idzuz × Bθ (δ)uθ = − ur (11)
0 2πδ
where we have used that dl = dzuz , since z is the coordinate that varies as we move
along the leg, and then we have used the value of the field created by the infinite
conductor on any of the points of that vertical leg at x = δ. We have also arbitrarily
set the origin of the z access at the bottom of the leg.
Doing the same for the second leg yields the force,
Z Z b
µ0 II 0 b
F2 = Idl × B = − Idzuz × Bθ (δ + a)uθ = ur , (12)
0 2π(δ + a)
where dl = −dzuz , since the current moves downwards in this leg.
The net force on the rectangular conductor is, then:
µ0 II 0 b 1 1 µ0 II 0 ab
 
F = F1 + F2 = − ur = − ur , (13)
2π δ+a δ 2πδ(δ + a)
so that the force between the two objects is attractive!

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3. Consider a cylinder with infinite length and radius a that transports a
current I in the Z direction uniformly distributed across the cylinder
cross-section. Coaxial with it, consider also a hollow cylinder, with inner
radius b and outer radius c through which a total current I is transported
in the −Z direction, also uniformly. Calculate the magnetic field in every
region of space.
Help: Use Ampere’s law

Solution: To calculate the field produced by the system, we simply acknowledge its
cylindrical symmetry and choose cylindrical coordinates centered at the central axis
of the coaxial cylinders. Because of symmetry, the field created must be of the form,

Reservados todos los derechos.

B(r) = Bθ (r)uθ . (14)

Thus, we should choose Amperian circuits as circles of arbitrary radius r lying on

the r − θ plane. In this way, the field is always constant in magnitude and tangent
to the circuits, so that:
I
B · dl = Bθ (r)2πr = µ0 I(r). (15)

Care must be taken when computing the total current through the circuit, I(r), since
it will change depending on the value of r. The easiest way to compute this currents
is to obtain first the current densities flowing in the inner cylinder,
I
J(r) = uz , r ≤ a, (16)
πa2
and through the hollow cylinder,
−I
J(r) = uz , b ≤ r ≤ c. (17)
π(c2 − b2 )

We also note that to compute the currents, we will use,

Z Z
I(r) = J · dS, (18)
r−circle

with dS = rdθdruz , since θ and r are the two coordinates that change when we
move throughout the circle.
Then, the current through the circuit, I(r), as a function of its radius, becomes
#r
2I r2 r2
Z 2π Z r "
I
I(r) = dθ rdr 2
= 2 =I , r < a. (19)
0 0 πa a 2 0
a2
Z 2π Z a
I
I(r) = dθ rdr = I, a < r < b. (20)
0 0 πa2
Z 2π Z r
I (c2 − r2 )
I(r) = I − dθ rdr = I , b < r < c. (21)
0 b π(c2 − b2 ) (c2 − b2 )
Z 2π Z c
I
I(r) = I − dθ rdr = 0, r > c. (22)
0 b π(c2 − b2 )

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 Substituting this expressions into Eq. 23, yields the following magnetic fields for all
regions:

µ0 Ir
, r < a.



2πa2









 µ0 I

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, a<r<b



2πr


I 

B · dl = Bθ (r)2πr = µ0 I(r) −→ Bθ (r) = (23)

 µ0 I (c2 − r2 )

 , b<r<c
2πr (c2 − b2 )













 0, r > c.



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 4. Problem proposed in class: Two coaxial cylindrical surfaces support
azimuthal currents respectively given by K1 = K1 uθ and K2 = K2 uθ . If
the radius of each cylinder are respectively a and b, and K1 and K2 are
constants, compute the magnetic field B in every point.
Help: Use Ampere’s law

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Solution: To calculate the field produced by the system, we simply acknowledge its
cylindrical symmetry and choose cylindrical coordinates centered at the central axis
of the coaxial cylinders. Because of symmetry, the field created must be of the form,

B(r) = Bz (r)uz , (24)

since the field must be perpendicular to the current and must wrap around the current
that creates them. Since the cylinders are infinite, the wrapping never closes, and
the field lines keep on going straight to infinity along the z axis.

The easiest way to this problem is to apply the superposition principle. The two
cylinders are geometrically identical, and the current flows in the same direction
(although with different magnitude). Thus, we will calculate the field created by one

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of them at any point, and then use the superposition principle to find the total field
created by both of them.

K✓

r5
r6

r3 r4
r1
r2

Figure 2: Amperian circuits to compute the magnetic field of a solenoid using Ampere’s
law.

To compute the field created by a single cylinder of radius R we will consider the
Ampere circuits shown in Fig. 4. The reason is that, for each leg of the circuit,
the field predicted by the symmetry is either constant and parallel to the leg, or

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perpendicular to it and thus yields zero circulation. Thus, computing Ampere’s law
is trivial. For instance, for the one outside of the cylinder, we have that Ampere
law states:

Bz (r1 ) · l − Bz (r2 ) · l = 0 → Bz (r1 ) = Bz (r2 ) = Bout , ∀r1 , r2 > R. (25)

since there is no current flowing there. This tells us that the field outside of the
cylinder is constant. We can then apply Ampere’s law to the circuit fully inside the
cylinder, that tells us that the field is also constant inside, since:

Bz (r3 ) · l − Bz (r4 ) · l = 0, → Bz (r3 ) = Bz (r4 ) = Bin , ∀r3 , r4 > R. (26)

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Turns out that Bout = 0. The reason is that, if instead of considering and infinite
cylinder we consider a finite cylinder, the magnetic field lines inside of the cylinder
must wrap around the cylinder and close outside. As we make the cylinder longer,
these lines get more and more separated outside, and the field thus becomes weaker.
As the cylinder goes to infinity, the field outside tends to vanish.

To find Bin , we simply apply Ampere’s law to the central circuit in Fig. 4. It states
that,
Bin · l − Bout l = µ0 Kl, → Bin = µ0 K, (27)
since Bout = 0.

Therefore, the field inside of an infinite cylinder with a constant superficial current
K running in the azimuthal direction is the same as that of a solenoid: zero outside,
and along the axis and equal to µ0 K inside. Using this knowledge, we can now
compute the field created by the system of two coaxial cylinders by combining the
fields created by each of them, taking into account whether the point of interest is
inside one, both or none of the cylinders. The result is simply,




µ0 (K1 + K2 ), r<a




Bz (r) =  µ0 K2 , a<r<b (28)




0, r>b



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