A circular coil with 50 turns and a radius of 2.0 cm carries a 5.0 A current while rotating in a magnetic field of strength 0.20 T . At a specific orientation, the torque exerted on the coil is half of its maximum possible value. Determine the angle between the plane of the coil and the magnetic field.

Step-by-step solution

The torque acting on a current-carrying coil in a magnetic field is given by = N I A B where is the angle between the area vector (normal to the plane of the coil) and the magnetic field. The maximum torque is _ max = N I A B Given that the torque is half of its maximum possible value: = 1 2 _ max N I A B = 1 2 N I A B = 1 2 = 30^ The angle between the plane of the coil and the magnetic field is = 90^ - = 90^ - 30^ = 60^