Page:A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism - Volume 2.djvu/186

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154
AMPÈRE'S THEORY.
[514.

The sign of this expression is reversed if we reverse the direction in which we measure . It must therefore represent either a force in the direction of , or a couple in the plane of and . As we are not investigating couples, we shall take it as a force acting on in the direction of .

There is of course an equal force acting on in the opposite direction.

We have for the same reason a force

acting on in the direction of , and a force

acting on in the opposite direction.

514.] Collecting our results, we find that the action on is compounded of the following forces,

and
in the direction of ,
in the direction of ,
in the direction of .
(9)

Let us suppose that this action on is the resultant of three forces, acting in the direction of , acting in the direction of , and acting in the direction of , then in terms of , , and ,

,
, .
(10)

In terms of the differential coefficients of

,
, ,
(11)

In terms of , , , and , , ,

,
, ,
(12)

where , , are written for , , and respectively.

515.] We have next to calculate the force with which the finite current acts on the finite current . The current extends from where , to , where it has the value . The current extends from , where , to , where it has the value .