Two parallel wires carry currents of 20 A and 40 A in opposite directions. A third wire, which carries a current antiparallel to the 20 A current, is positioned exactly midway between the first two wires. The magnetic force acting on this third wire will be directed

Step-by-step solution

Let the first wire carry a current I₁ = 20 A in the upward direction and the second wire carry I₂ = 40 A in the downward direction. The third wire is placed midway between them and carries a current I₃ antiparallel to I₁ , which means I₃ is in the downward direction. The magnetic force between two parallel current-carrying wires is attractive if the currents are in the same direction, and repulsive if they are in opposite directions. The current in the third wire ( I₃ ) and the first wire ( I₁ ) are in opposite dir