How Does the Biot-Savart Law Apply to an Electron Orbiting a Proton?

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SUMMARY

The Biot-Savart Law can be applied to determine the magnetic field at the location of a proton due to an electron orbiting it. The formula used is dB = μ₀/(4π) * (I ds × r)/r², where the integration is performed around the circumference of the electron's orbit. Since the vectors ds and r are always perpendicular, the vector operation can be simplified to focus on the magnitude. The current can be defined as I = qv/C, where C represents the circumference of the orbit.

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dekoi
Suppose an electron orbits a proton at a distance of 'r' with speed 'v'.
How could i determine the magnitude of the magnetic field at the location of the proton?

I thought it would make sense to use The Biot-Savart Law, but i don't know where to begin:
[tex]dB = \frac{\mu_o}{4\pi} \frac{I ds x r}{r^2}[/tex]
(where [tex]ds x r[/tex] is a cross product of ds and r (unit vector) )
 
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You'll be doing an integration around the circumference of the orbit. The vectors ds and r will always be perpendicular so you can ignore the vector operation and focus on magnitude.

A helping relationship would be that of current and electron flow. By definition:

J = nqv

where J is the current density, n is the electron density, q is the charge, and v is the average drift velocity. Since you have only one electron, you could probably assume I = qv/C, where C is the orbit's circumference.
 

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