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. G

    B Grain direction for maximum tear resistance for a wire bound book

    Paper has a grain direction – the direction of the long fibres. For several reasons, publishers always print hardcover books with the grain of the paper in the same direction as the fold. I'm working on a book that will be 2:1 wire bound (two holes to the inch). I was wondering what the grain...
  2. doggy

    How to wire a house using 3 phase

    We are getting 3 phase power delivered to our property via our own dedicated transformer. We want to rewire the house and other buildings so that we can use different appliances on different phases. We have 4 air conditioners, 3 hot water units and the usual assortment of things you would find...
  3. Y

    Does wire length difference create phase shift?

    When wiring a 240 volt AC circuit, I've always assumed that it's important for L1 and L2 wires to be the exact same length, in order to avoid introducing a phase shift that would reduce peak voltage. Length differences can accumulate when the wires enter a panel and need to go slightly...
  4. A

    Trajectory of an electron traveling near a current-carrying wire

    B equals 50*10^-7 T (at first instance) Fm equals 8*10^-20 N (at first instance) I know Fm is perpendicular to the velocity, and I know the estimation of the trajectory (somewhat similar to the curve y=lnx). Since I think vertical velocity will be constant, only changing the x component, I...
  5. godiswatching_

    Engineering Resistance of a wire around the Earth

    Hey! I had a question about this problem. I did (1) Using $$R_{0}=\rho\frac{l}{A}$$ For (2) I assume the question means that the radius increases by a meter. So I used $$\bigtriangleup L = 2\pi (r_{E}+1) - l$$ and then I used that L to find the new R. Then I said $$\bigtriangleup R = R-R_{0}$$...
  6. S

    Straight wire inductance vs wire radius

    I know that the whole topic of inductance in a straight wire is complicated (and has led to some heated discussions in this forum :smile:). I followed Rosa's derivation and can see that it leads to an inverse relation of the inductance to the wire radius, and from what could understand, the...
  7. Ugnius

    Calculating wire resistance

    I don't really have any equations or idea how to solve this. I searched for relevant equations and only R=Rref(1+α(T-Tref)) pops up. I wasn't given any temperatures so I guess there must be some other way to solve this. Maybe anyone has idea how to approach this?
  8. Ugnius

    Current density in a wire that is being used to charge a capacitor

    Somehow this answer is incorrect , but i realize that even numbers are hipothetical , 45 coulumbs is too much charge , what is wrong in my calculations?
  9. Seanskahn

    I Behavior of a curved 2D sheet and a curved 1D wire under acoustic wave

    Good day. We know how simple objects, such as 1D wires behave when a simple harmonic wave travels along a wire, or two wires knotted togethe.We also know what happens if you excite a circular thin disc with a single frequency. Are there some material I can read on, that considers the effect...
  10. L

    What factors determine wattage of electrons flowing through a wire?

    Preface: I am new to physics and am trying to learn on my own, though I hope to take a class soon. I looked for a forum for beginners but didn't see one, but this seemed to be the closest forum. So I hope I can get some help with my question here. If it is the wrong forum, feel free to...
  11. Goinger

    I Wire Tension Formula: Shape Expression w/ 3 Pivots

    If the wire is bent by three pivots, I want to find an expression that represents its shape. There will be tension of wire and other physical factors. How can it be expressed?
  12. E

    How Do You Calculate the Radius of a Wire Using Electrical Resistance Formulas?

    i really have tried all the formulas out there and can't seem to get a solid answer
  13. jjson775

    Induced current in a wire loop embedded in a changing B-field

  14. V

    Current due to magnetic monopole passing through a wire loop

    I am stumped and would like a hint. Answer choices:
  15. karush

    MHB :Calculating $k$ to Find Wire Length

    $\tiny{2.5.1}$ Electrical Resistance of a Wire The electrical resistance of a wire varies directly with the length of the wire and inversely with the square of the diameter of the wire. If a wire 432 feet long and 4 mm in diameter has a resistance of 1.24 $\Omega$ find the length of a wire of...
  16. F

    Magnetic field generated by a current in a wire - special relativity

    First I wrote in ##S'##, by using Gauss theorem $$ \int_{\Sigma} \underline E' \cdot \hat n d\Sigma = \frac Q {\varepsilon_0} \rightarrow E'(r)2\pi rH=\frac{\lambda'H}{\varepsilon_0} $$ $$ \underline E'(\underline r)=\frac{\lambda'}{2\pi\varepsilon_0r}\hat r $$ Its components are...
  17. uni98

    Electric field of wire and cylinder at one point in space

    I can calculate the fields generated by the cylinder and the wire but I don't know how to calculate their vector sum to evaluate it at point A. Cylinder field inside: ρR^2/2rε Cylinder field outside: ρr/2ε Field generated by the wire: λ/2πr I should break the fields into components but I don't...
  18. E

    Resistance Differences: Nichrome vs. Copper Wire

    i don't understand the answer: Nichrome has a higher resistance than copper wire. There is a greater potential difference across the nichrome than the copper wire. From ,the resistance of nichrome is low enough such that there is significant power output. ^ i feel like the bold parts contradict...
  19. E

    Why Did My Wire Burn When I Turned On the Switch?

    Hello, I am wondering why a wire that was connected from a MAIN BUS BAR to the top side of a switch and when turned ON burnt immediately and the wire connected from the bottom side of the switch to the BUS BAR needing power slowly burnt. I'm thinking the wiring was reversed- Correct me...
  20. T

    Skin depth of multilayered (2-layer) wire

    Homework Statement:: Not a specific question, more just a conceptual clarification for a project. But generally: What is an equation for the effective skin depth of a multilayered (in this case only 2 layers) wire, as a function of the resistivities and relative permeabilities of both of the...
  21. D

    Bead sliding on a uniformly rotating wire

    Hi I am working through some notes and came across this example. The wire rotates at angular frequency ω so the polar angle is given by θ = ωt. The generalised coordinate is r. Using the Euler-Lagrange equation leads to d2r/dt2 = rω2 The notes then state that this leads to the solution r = Aeωt...
  22. B

    Induced EMF in a small square loop of wire at center of an AC Circuit

    I used the voltage of the power supply and resistance to solve for the current in the larger circuit (20V/5ohms=4 amps). I am not sure if the equation listed above is the correct one I should be using, but I tried it using the following numbers. For omega, I used 2*pi*frequency. N should...
  23. P

    What Gauge Wire Should Be Used for the Neutral in a 240VAC Circuit?

    A transformer supplies 240VAC to a 20A circuit breaker as shown in the attached image. I believe I can use 12AWG wire for wires X1, X4, 2 & 3. However, I'm not sure what gauge wire the neutral should be. Maybe 12AWG or something larger?
  24. amizy9990

    2 * 10 ^ 20 charges move in a wire when we connect a 3.7 V battery. Ho

    W=Q*V 2*10^20 Q * 3,7 V= 7,4*10^20 ??
  25. amizy9990

    A copper wire contains 3.0 *10 ^ 22 number of charges on 1 meter wire

    A copper wire contains 3.0 *10 ^ 22 number of charges on 1 meter wire. What speed do the electrons move when there is 2 A current in the wire. t=q/t=3,20*10^3 C/ 2.0 A = 1,5*10^22 s v= 1m/1,5*10^3s= 6,6*10^-4 m/s
  26. B

    Find the tension in the wire from this mass hanging at an angle

    I do not understand how this type of exercise is solved because I have not had a solution to such an example. I would ask you to show me the solution of this exercise step by step, so that I understand how to solve it. I appreciate your help. Thank you.
  27. Y

    Conservation of Energy on Current-Carrying Wire in Magnetic Field

    So force on a current carrying wire = ILxB. If I have a bunch of bar magnets making a uniform magnetic field of strength B, then a 1 meter long wire of 0 ohms carrying 1 Amp, the force on that wire is (1)(1)xB = 1B. If I let that force move the wire for a time T, let's assume the wire moved a...
  28. C

    Current Capacity of short AWG 4 wire

    An AWG 4 wire has rating of 85A for 75C temp. If there was only 1 foot of AWG 4 connecting the bus bar and the electric meter. How much current can the 1 foot take? How is the 85A for 75C temp measured or computed?
  29. F

    2 charged conductors connected by a wire

    2 separate big conductors initially charged Q1 and Q2. Then connect them with an ideal wire (no resistence). The charges Q1 and Q2 will go to the 4 surfaces (marked red). All the 4 surfaces have an area A. Suppose the 2 conductors form an ideal parallel plate capacitor. How to determine the...
  30. greg_rack

    Induced current in a square coil by a current-carrying wire

    I'll try to explain to you my thinking behind this problem... tell me if it's correct or not. In short, I have assumed the area enclosed between the wire and the left side of the coil to be ##A## in which is present a ##-\hat{z}## field, and noticed that the flux it generates must be canceled by...
  31. R

    Rotation of a rod fastened to a wire

    Hi, I started with calculating the moment of inetria of the rod: I = ⅓ML^2 + M(3/2 * L)^2 = 31/12 ML^2 and I thought that the reaction force in the first case will be equal to centrifugal force: F1 = Mω^2*(3/2)L Angular velocity is calculated from the conservation of energy: Mg3/2*L=1/2 * Iω^2...
  32. patric44

    Temperature Distribution of Current Carrying Wire in Matlab

    hi guys i was trying to solve this non linear ode using the shooting algorithm in Matlab : i am not sure how to solve it using the normal shooting algorithm i have , since no other boundary at x = L/2 was given to check the shooting ?! function dTdx = bar_temp(x,y) k = 72; h = 2000; epsilon =...
  33. shk

    Force extension graph for copper wire

    I have attached the homework with some of the solution. I have ciuple of questions about it. For part b, what else I can say? I think the copper wite is ductile . Elastic and plastic behaviour have already been mentioned. I need to add another word to describe it. Can say it's hard ? Or...
  34. A

    B field around a wire, single wire electromagnet

    A quick description. A single straight wire and a second straight wire, both wires are electrically as well as physically separated, the physical separation distance assume is very small in order for the B field experienced by the second wire to be sufficiently strong. In all cases one of the...
  35. B

    Ampere's law to find free current in a wire

    ∫ H.dl = ∫ j_f .dS = I_f ∇ x H = j_f I'm not sure how to actually solve this?
  36. B

    Motional EMF for loops of wire vs conducting plates

    I'm in an intro E&M class, and I'm trying to distinguish between Motional EMF for loops of wire and conducting plates. This question might be kind of silly, but are Eddy currents pretty much the same thing as induced currents in a loop of wire? More specifically, what I am trying to ask is if...
  37. N

    Number of free conduction electrons in a segment of wire

    I've written a calculator that computes the number of conduction electrons in a segment of wire with a specific gauge. For a 1 ft segment of 24awg copper wire, this is what it prints out. AWG [0 - 36]? 24 Wire length (mm) (0 - inf)? 304.8 AWG 24 radius: 0.255 mm dia: 0.511 mm area...
  38. J

    Electron moles present in wire cross-section

    So I know current is just coulombs/second. Electrons are also in the unit of coulombs, so I can get coulombs to cancel. 7.9C/s/1.602E-29C = 4.93133E29 1/s Now I just need to get mol on top. There are 6.022E23 electron in a mol so 4.93133E29 1/s / 6.022E23 atoms/mol = 8.1889E5 mol/s. Now my...
  39. wcjy

    Magnetic field due to infinite current carrying wire in the X and Y axes

    $$B = \frac {\mu_0 I}{2 \pi r} $$ By Right-hand Grip Rule, the direction of the magnetic field by wire in y-axis is into the paper (z) while the direction of the magnetic field by wire in X-axis is upwards (+i) The answer state the Magnetic field is in the (i - y) direction though. Next...
  40. cestlavie

    Length of sides of a wire loop in a uniform magnetic field

    If ##\tau= 0.0727, N=60, i=1.3, B=1.0,## and ##\theta=15##, I tried the following calculation: ##\tau=NIABsin\theta## ##\tau=NIs^2Bsin\theta## ##s^2=\frac {\tau} {NIBsin\theta}=\frac {.0727} {60*1.3*1*sin(15)}=0.0632 m=6.32 cm## The answer is probably right in front of me, but I don't know what...
  41. SamRoss

    Magnetic field lines around electron and wire seem to contradict

    In the picture below, the direction of the magnetic field lines can be determined by using the right-hand rule with the thumb pointing in the direction of the current. If we use the right hand rule in the picture below, thinking of the yellow arrow as the current, we would not get the correct...
  42. Q

    A Conductance of an interacting quasi one dimensional wire

    Assuming the electrons are non interacting and spin degenerate, the conductance of a quasi one dimensional quantum wire is quantised in units of 2e^2/h. For small voltages, we simply count how many bands have their bottoms below the chemical potential and multiply this by 2e^2/h. This is due to...
  43. S

    Why is the Force on the Wire Directed from Stronger to Weaker Field?

    I understand how the weaker and stronger field occurs but I don't understand why the force on the wire is directed from stronger to weaker field. I mean why not from weaker to stronger? I also want to ask about Newton's 3rd law in this case. Newton's 3rd law states that for every action there...
  44. R

    Electrical How to wire an LED switch based on rated voltage and current

    Could someone please help. i need to connect a 12vdc motor which can draw 16 amps to a switch that has an led on it. the led is rated at 3v 20mA. The power supply i am using is rated to put out 12vdc at 30A I thought of the possibility of adding a resistor to the positive pole of the led. In...
  45. chriscarson

    Question involving Young's modulus (mass hanging from a wire)

    so what I did wrong?
  46. Mayan Fung

    Why don't high-voltage electrons in a metal wire escape?

    The work function of a metal is typically several eV. When we transmit electricity through cables of some 10-100kV, how come the electrons not having enough energy to escape from the metal?
  47. Jy158654

    Calculation of Change in Magnetic Flux Linkage of a moving wire

    Can anyone explain the above answer to me? What does the "change in area" mean?
  48. Kaushik

    Does potential drop when a charge flows through a wire w/ 0 resistance?

    Let us connect a battery of potential difference V to a wire. There is no resistance. Nothing! Now the battery creates some potential difference and the charges in the conducting wire move due to the Electric field created in the conductor by the battery. So, as the charge moves, its potential...
  49. Nomadyb

    Find EMF of ℰ on Wire: Speed v, Force, C, B, m, g, l & a

    a) the EMF of ℰ induced on The Wire, as a function of the speed 𝑣of the wire you can find it. b) flow induced in the wire𝑖, 𝐶, 𝐵, and are denominated in 𝑙 𝑎 (𝑎= the acceleration of the wire). c) find the magnetic force acting on the wire in𝐶,𝐵, 𝑙 and𝑎. d) 𝑎 acceleration, 𝑚, 𝑔, 𝑙, and are...
  50. harsh22902

    Mutual Inductance between a coil and a long straight wire

    In the given question they have not provided the dimensions of the coil so I assumed it to be very close to the wire and having negligible dimensions compared to the wire . Then EMF induced in the coil due to the current in the wire comes out as M*a . Which when divided by resistance gives...
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