The magnetic field strength of a current-carrying wire at a particular distance from the axis of the wire
- A.depends upon the current in the wire
- B.depends upon the radius of the wire
- C.depends upon the temperature of the surroundings
- D.None of the above
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Outside a long straight wire the field is B = μ₀I/(2πr), so at a fixed distance r it is directly proportional to the current I. Hans Christian Oersted found in 1820 that a current deflects a compass needle, showing that a current produces a magnetic field.
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