Calculate the force per unit length between two parallel current-carrying wires.
Parameters
Results
Enter both currents and separation distance
About this calculator
Overview
Parallel current-carrying wires exert forces on each other due to the magnetic fields they create. This interaction is fundamental to electromagnetism and power systems engineering.
💡
Pro Tips
The force is attractive if the currents flow in the same direction (parallel).
The force is repulsive if the currents flow in opposite directions (anti-parallel).
The strength of the force depends on the product of both currents and is inversely proportional to the distance between them.
!
Fun Facts
"This principle was historically used to define the SI unit of electric current, the Ampere."
"In heavy industrial machinery, high startup currents can create forces large enough to physically bend metal busbars."
"The concept is basically the sum of the Lorentz forces acting on moving charges in each wire."
