4.14) Two concentric circular coils X and Y of radii 16 cm and 10 cm, respectively, lie in the same vertical plane containing the north to south direction. Coil X has 20 turns and carries a current of 16 A; coil Y has 25 turns and carries a current of 18 A. The sense of the current in X is anticlockwise, and clockwise in Y, for an observer looking at the coils facing west. Give the magnitude and direction of the net magnetic field due to the coils at their centre.
Using the right-hand thumb rule we can see that the direction of the magnetic field due to coil X will be towards the east direction and that due to coil Y will be in the West direction.
We know the magnetic field at the centre of a circular loop of radius r carrying current I is given by
(towards East)
(towards west)
The net magnetic field at the centre of the coils,
Bnet=By - Bx
=1.5710-3 T
The direction of the magnetic field at the centre of the coils is towards the west direction.