Hard Mag. Field question need assistance

[Elbhi]

Two long, parallel wires hang by 4.00-cm-long cords from a common axis. The wires have a mass per unit length of 1.50×10-2 kg/m and carry the same current in opposite directions.

What is the current in each wire if the cords hang at an angle of 6-degrees with the vertical?

Basically,,,,,I have no idea how to approach or solve this proble. All I know is the curremt should be positive becuase the currents in the wires are opposite each other.

aghhh help me please

 

[dextercioby]

QUOTE=Elbhi:" All I know is the curremt should be positive becuase the currents in the wires are opposite each other."

Wat do you mean...?It's not an magnetism problem,its a STATICS problem.What forces act on the wires...?

Daniel.

 

[mewmew]

Ya, draw free body diagrams and solve it like you would a normal statics problem. Once you know the forces on the wire then you can calculate everything you need to.

 

[Antiphon]

Elbih,

You must clear your mind on a few concepts. Current is not positive or
negative, it flows in a particular direction like water in a pipe.
Voltage is either positive or negative and is like the pressure in the pipe.

You need to know a few things:

1) How much force does one wire exert on the other as a function of their
distance apart
2) How much do the wires weigh
3) How do the wires deflect when you apply a force to them

If you combine all these into a suitable set of equations, the answer will
fall out.