Total magnetic moment of simple system.

Homework Statement

If there's a current I flowing through the rectangular conductor and it's located in the magnetic field in such way that normal vector of the surface that this rectangle forms closes the angle of 60 degrees with magnetic induction vector find total magnetic moment of this system

m[/B]=SI

The Attempt at a Solution

Formula for magnetic moment is m=SI where m is magnetic moment, S is the area of surface and I is the current. It is obvious that magnetic moment has the same direction as vector that is normal to the surface. This seems done to me now, but obviously it isn't since i am supposed to use the fact that i know direction of magnetic induction vector, but i just don't know how i am supposed to do that.

Homework Helper
Gold Member
The problem seems rather incomplete and/or misworded. With a magnetic moment in a magnetic field, there is a torque ## \tau =m \times B ##. (Formula is a vector cross product.). The vector cross product is the reason the angle of 60 degrees would be important. It seems a more proper question to ask would be "what is the torque on the magnetic moment?" ...editing...perhaps in very loose wording, a torque can also be called a "moment" because they call it a "moment arm" etc., but the "torque" should really be called the "torque".

Last edited:
cdummie
The problem seems rather incomplete and/or misworded. With a magnetic moment in a magnetic field, there is a torque ## \tau =m \times B ##. (Formula is a vector cross product.). The vector cross product is the reason the angle of 60 degrees would be important. It seems a more proper question to ask would be "what is the torque on the magnetic moment?" ...editing...perhaps in very loose wording, a torque can also be called a "moment" because they call it a "moment arm" etc., but the "torque" should really be called the "torque".

That's exactly what i thought, it might be that they meant a torque on the magnetic moment, but i wasn't completely sure. Anyway, i needed approval that i can't determine m by using the fact that i know B, i mean, that there's no formula that is used to determine m by knowing B.