What is Wire: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A wire is a single usually cylindrical, flexible strand or rod of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical loads or electricity and telecommunications signals. Wire is commonly formed by drawing the metal through a hole in a die or draw plate. Wire gauges come in various standard sizes, as expressed in terms of a gauge number. The term 'wire' is also used more loosely to refer to a bundle of such strands, as in "multistranded wire", which is more correctly termed a wire rope in mechanics, or a cable in electricity.
Wire comes in solid core, stranded, or braided forms. Although usually circular in cross-section, wire can be made in square, hexagonal, flattened rectangular, or other cross-sections, either for decorative purposes, or for technical purposes such as high-efficiency voice coils in loudspeakers. Edge-wound coil springs, such as the Slinky toy, are made of special flattened wire.

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  1. C

    Direction of magnetic field experienced by wire

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I know that, according to the right hand rule, the direction of the field lines for X and Z are anti-clockwise and Y is clockwise. What do I do next? Thank you!
  2. U

    Calculation of Change in Magnetic Flux Linkage Across a Wire

    Homework Statement A straight wire of length 0.20m moves at a steady speed of 3.0m/s at right angles to a magnetic filed of flux density 0.10T. Use Faraday's law to determine the e.m.f. induced across the ends of a wire. Homework Equations E= Nd Φ/dt but N=1 so E= dΦ/dt The Attempt at a...
  3. T

    An electric current in a wire occurs when....

    An electric current in a wire occurs when... A. electrons move in the wire as a result of getting pushed along from a neighboring electron. B. electrons move in the wire as a result of the repelling force from the negative battery terminal and the attractive force from the positive battery...
  4. R

    Battery connected to a pure inductor with a Zero-resistance wire

    I know the mechanism of a circuit containing just a capacitor connected to battery in resistance less wire. The particles are just tending towards making same emf on capacitor. But, I am not able to think clearly for the case of inductor. As, we connect battery and as resistance is 0.So,current...
  5. M

    A copper wire and an iron wire - Potential difference

    Homework Statement A copper wire and an iron wire of equal length l and diameter d are joined, and a potential difference V is applied between the ends of the composite wire. Calculate the potential difference (in volts) across the iron wire. Assume that l = 2.00 m., d = 0.30 mm., and V = 156...
  6. E

    Direction of Magnetic Force on a Wire Moving Down a Slope with Current I?

    Homework Statement A wire with a current of I (flowing into the screen) moves down on a slope. What is the direction of the magnetic force acting on it? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I have no Idea why the answer isn't horizontal, but rather opposing its velocity direction.
  7. D

    Single phase AC 3 wire neutral conductor shock potential?

    I have a question with regard to split single phase (in United States) electricity. I understand that there are 2 hot legs each 180 degrees out of phase at +120v and -120v (240v between hot legs) going from transformer to breaker box and a center tapped neutral Earth bonded wire at 0v with...
  8. I

    Magnetic field created by a current carrying wire

    Hi, I studied the Maxwell laws and the Biot Savart law and I found something I cannot answer. If you have a finite wire carrying current (let say 5m long) and you want to determine the magnetic induction vector due to it at some point that has distance r from the wire, you have 2 options I...
  9. Cassius1n

    Heat loss in a conductor based on Fourier's law

    Homework Statement Find the admissible current density Jadm for a wire that has no insulation and also for a wire that has two layers of insulation and compare it to Jadm for the case when the wire has only one layer of insulation.2. The attempt at a solution and equations In the image I've...
  10. S

    Electronics How to wire a knob switch for an old machine?

    Hello, I was wondering if I could get some help understanding the wiring of a knob switch (Link 1 and 2). It's on an old machine that we got and I can't find any schematic for switch. The purpose of the switch on the machine is to raise or lower a steel arm. There are actually two boxes...
  11. J

    Bar magnet and a current carrying wire

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution The magnetic field lines due to the infinite wire will be clockwise .When P is the midpoint of the magnet , Magnetic field at the South Pole will have a component upwards and a component towards right .This means S will...
  12. Conductivity

    How Does Charge Distribute Between Two Concentric Shells Connected by a Wire?

    Homework Statement The problem states: 2 concentric shells made out of conductive materials as in the diagram. R2/ R1 = 6. If the shells were charged with a total charge of 100 nc the connected with a wire, Then the final charge on both shells would be? 1) 33.3, 66.7 2) 30, 70 3) 20, 80 4)...
  13. cosmik debris

    Why does a resistive wire heat up from current flow?

    The kinetic energy of electrons in a conductor is roughly 9 orders of magnitude greater than the kinetic energy from the drift velocity of the electrons. It seems that the kinetic energy from the drift velocity is not enough to account for the heating, where does the heat energy come from? Cheers
  14. maxelcat

    Force on a current currying wire in a magnetic field

    Homework Statement This is a multi choice question from last years aqa a level. We know a positive reading is produced on the scales indicating something is pushing down on the scales. Please see the picture. Homework Equations We know current direction, not B field. The Attempt at a...
  15. N

    I Poynting Vector in a Wire: Understanding the Flow of Energy

    If we have a some wire (length L) with a PD of V from one end to the next and a current I moving along it we can work out the Poynting vector. It's pointing radially inwards and so tells you the energy per unit time per unit area flowing into the the surface of the wire. What I don't understand...
  16. F

    Find the resistivity of the resistive wire

    Homework Statement Homework Equations ##ρ=\frac{RA}{L}## ##I=\frac{ΔQ}{Δt}## ##I=\frac{ΔV}{R}## The Attempt at a Solution (a) ##ρ=\frac{RA}{L}## ##L=\frac{2*π*r}{2} = πr## ρ = (5*2.5*10-7)/(π*0.1) ρ = 4*10-6 Ωm. (b) Req = 7+5 = 12Ω ##I=\frac{ΔV}{R}## I = 36/12 = 3 A ##I=\frac{ΔQ}{Δt}## 3 =...
  17. P

    Current Carrying Wires: How Ampere's Law Affects Safety

    Why don't wires in any circuit touch each other and get short circuited? If two current carrying wires carry charges in same direction then from ampere's law,can't they touch each other due to attractive forces?
  18. G

    I Wire loop in a static homogeneous field question

    I already did a similar question here but got very little response so I will try to reformulate my question into a better one.So, the basic idea of the original question was whether a Faraday disc aka homopolar generator be made such as to have no sliding contacts and the load being attached to...
  19. P

    Stretching of a wire due to it's weight

    Homework Statement 1) calculate the longest length of steel wire that can hang vertically without breaking .breaking stress for steel=7.982*10^8N/m^2 and density of steel(d)=8.1*10^3kg/m^3.2)A bar of mass m and length l is hanging from a point A as shown in the figure.Find the increase...
  20. J

    Finding torsion constant of the wire?

    Homework Statement A torsional pendulum consists of a disk of mass 450 g and radius 3.5 cm, hanging from a wire. If the disk is rotated through an angle of 45o and released from rest and oscillates with a frequency of 2.5 Hz, what is the torsion constant of the wire? A : 1.7 x 10-3...
  21. Jamie_Pi

    Displacement Current in a wire

    Homework Statement A wire with conductivity σ carries current I. The current is increasing at the rate dI/dt. Show that there is a displacement current in the wire equal to e0/σ⋅dI/dt Homework Equations Id = e0⋅dφ/dt dφ/dt = dE/dt ⋅ A (This is usually true, I'm not sure if it's useful in...
  22. L

    Finding the torque on a wire between two poles

    Homework Statement [/B] A rectangular wire of length 3 cm and width 2 cm is suspended vertically between two poles producing a uniform field of 2 T. Calculate the maximum torque acting on the wire.Homework Equations Torque = AIB sin(Θ) Maximum torque is when sin(Θ) = 1, so Maximum Torque = AIB...
  23. S

    Force from a Current in an Infinite Wire on a Square Wire Loop Nearby

    Homework Statement Figure 6.47 shows a horizontal infinite straight wire with current I1 pointing into the page, passing a height z above a square horizontal loop with side length l and current I2. Two of the sides of the square are parallel to the wire. As with a circular ring, this square...
  24. J

    Wire size and type for gain clone type amp?

    I have constructed a gain clone type amp based on the LM3886 chip from Texas Instruments. I have wired it using some available 16 gauge stranded wire. It is powered by a centertapped 34 volt (68 volt total) transformer that is fused by a 2 amp fuse. It is working with no issues however I would...
  25. harambe

    Tension in the wire connecting two blocks

    Homework Statement Two blocks each having masses of 3.3 kg are connected by a wire CD and the system is suspended from the ceiling by another wire AB.The linear mass density of the wire AB is 10X10^-3kgm^-1 and that of CD is 8X10^-3.The speeds of the transverse waves produced in AB and CD are...
  26. Gopalkrishna

    A single wire electrical energy transmission....

    Single wire electrical energy transmission without a (ground ) return path... A new way of transmitting electrical energy from a floating totem pole node to almost 500 miles away end point of propagation... My totem pole electric charge supply is made of a high voltage battery and two switches...
  27. V

    Lagrangian for a bead on a wire

    Homework Statement A bead of mass ##m## slides (without friction) on a wire in the shape, ##y=b\cosh{\frac{x}{b}}.## Write the Lagrangian for the bead. Use the Lagrangian method to generate an equation of motion. For small oscillations, approximate the differential equation neglecting terms...
  28. J

    How to wire two female USB connectors togather

    I want to take two female USB from a computer one will be on top of the other just as they are installed in a computer I want to make a generic type a female to female connector would one connect pin 1 to pin 1 and so on or do the cross over?
  29. J

    Find the elongation in the wire

    Homework Statement Homework Equations ∆l = Fl/YA The Attempt at a Solution [/B] The net acceleration of the system is F/2M . Force at the right end of the wire will be F towards right . Force at the left end of the wire will be F/2 towards left . Now how should I take the two forces...
  30. rocky4920

    Finding the magnitude of the current flowing through a wire

    Homework Statement Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution [/B] My question: in order to find the answer for part d, I have the L, the B, and the mass. However, the F equations have I, which I do not have. Would I have to solve for I in order to find F? If so, I would like some...
  31. E

    How Does Current Direction and Charge Flow in a Solenoid-Wire System?

    Homework Statement [/B] A solenoid is not connected to an ideal voltage source. Its radius is 0.05m, it has 800 loops per meter and its resistance is 0.2Ω. ε=120V. Around the solenoid we bind two loops of a wire. The loops are attached to a resistor with the resistance of 0.8Ω. Suddenly, we...
  32. M

    Force between Parallel Current Carrying Wires

    Homework Statement Two parallel wires have currents that have the same direction, but differing magnitude. The current in wire A is I, and the current in wire B is 2I. Which one of the following statements concerning the situation is true? A) Both wires attract each other with the same force...
  33. O

    How to determine the wire gauge of thermocouple wires?

    Homework Statement A resistance thermometer bridge circuit shown below has a designed maximum temperature of 150°C, ignoring the effects of connecting wire resistance. If the connecting loop is 200 m determine the smallest gauge (swg) of copper wire which must be used if the indicated maximum...
  34. H

    Find the current induced in a wire loop by a nearby current

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution When the circuit moves creates magnetic force that moves the some charges in the wire and that is a current. That is what i thought. F = Q.v B sin theta B = ( permeability Of vacuum* I)/(2pi.r) But how to find the I? Thank you...
  35. N

    A Solving Maxwell's Equations for Electric Field of AC Wire

    I'm having trouble figuring out how to solve Maxwell's equations for the electric field of an AC wire. I assume the Voltage waveform in the wire is 120sin(60t). This circuit only has a 14ohm heater in it, according to Ohm's law I=V/R. The current is equation to I(t)=120sin(60t)/14 It is...
  36. Physics345

    How Does a Magnetic Field Affect a Wire Carrying Current?

    Homework Statement A magnetic field of 1.4 T [N] is 4.0 m wide. A very long wire crosses the field. a) If the current in the wire is 2.0 A [W], find the magnetic force on the wire. b) What will happen to the force on the wire if i) The wire is rotated slightly in the horizontal plane? ii) The...
  37. A

    Polarity of magnetic field in a conducting wire

    When current flows through a copper wire, for example, a magnetic field is produced. What is the polarity of that field? I've seen an example with special relativity and how a positive charge would be deflected. Does that mean the field is negative to a stationary object? Every video I watch...
  38. Biker

    Magnetic force on a current carrying wire

    I was wondering what would happen if you have a current carrying wire that makes an angle with the magnetic field and how to describe its motion. Prepare yourself for the bad drawing. I will first show how the method I used works for a simpler case where Magnetic field and current are...
  39. H

    Infinite wire -- Magnetic field from a current in a long L-shaped wire

    Homework Statement A long wire with a current changes direction by 90 degrees. Calculate the magnetic field at the point at a perpendicular distance of S from the wire before it changed direction and a distance of T from the segment of the wire after it changed direction. Homework Equations I...
  40. L

    How to find the length of the wire?

    Homework Statement For a 150 MHz (1 MHz=1 million cycles per second) radio signal, the wavelength is 2 m long. If each wire is about 0.5 m long, a half wavelength of radiation will span the two wires taken as one. The result is that electromagnetic waves are generated in the direction of the...
  41. srinaath

    Why the insulation rating of a wire depends on voltage?

    I read online that insulation rating of the conductor depends on the voltage rating and not on the current. Can some one explain me how current doesn't contribute to insulation rating? Am i missing something? Kindly explain me
  42. J

    Center of mass of a uniform wire

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I am having trouble understanding the setup as well as how to approach this problem . I am not understanding the orientation of the two pieces of the wire . They make angle 60° with each other , but then what does it mean when...
  43. Kaneki123

    A Question about potential difference in Wire

    Okay...I got a question. Charges move in a wire due to an electric field across its ends. Now, positive test charge in an electric field would have higher electric potential nearer to the positive plate than anywhere else. Now in case of a circuit, like the one I have drawn, the electric...
  44. E

    Magnetic field created by a wire

    Homework Statement x represents the distance between the wire and P. The wire has infinite length. What is the magnetic field created by the wire at P? Homework Equations B=μ0I/2πr The Attempt at a Solution I thought the the first part of the wire creates a field equals to μ0I/2πx (directed...
  45. Richie Smash

    What is the density of the constantan wire?

    Homework Statement The following data concerning a constantan resistance wire is taken from a catalogue: ''Diameter/m = 5.6 x 10^-4, Resistance per meter = 1.947 ohms, Resistance per Kg = 913 ohms''. Use the data to determine the density of the constantan wire in kg m^-3. Homework Equations V=...
  46. P

    Poynting vector of current carrying wire

    Homework Statement A long straight wire of radius a and resistance per unit length R carries a constant current I. Find the Poynting vector N = E × H at the surface of the wire and give a sketch showing the directions of the current, the electric field E, the magnetic field H, and N. Integrate...
  47. H

    Electromagnet and a current carrying wire

    Hi, My understanding of an electromagnet is that it is a material with low susceptibility and high permeability, i.e. the magnetic field is not permanent but in the application of a current then the material gets a large magnetic field. In the application of a current the spins of the electrons...
  48. P

    Heat equation and stainless-steel wire

    Homework Statement A stainless-steel wire is 0.1 mm in diameter and 1 m long. If the outside of the wire is held fixed at 20◦C, estimate the steady-state current passing through the wire when the stainless steel at the centre of the wire begins to melt.Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a...
  49. S

    How to wire an emergency flashlight?

    Homework Statement I plan on wiring an emergency flashlight to power an led. It must be able to store charge without batteries, generate charge and create a light. Homework Equations None, at least for now The Attempt at a Solution I was planning on following this diagram and modifying it to...
  50. CDreyer23

    Rate of Change of Magnetic Field in Square wire loop

    Homework Statement The circuit shown is in a uniform magnetic field that is into the page. The total current in the circuit is 0.20 A, flowing counterclockwise. At what rate is the magnitude of the magnetic field changing? Is it increasing or decreasing? Square wire loop with base and height...
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