Phys.

505

Electricity and Magnetism

Prof. G. Raithel
Problem Set 1

Fall 2003

Problem 1.3

5 Points

a): By symmetry, the solution must be of the form (x) = (r) = Q(r R)f , with a constant f to be
specified by the condition
Z

Z
2

Q=

Thus,

(r) =

Q(rR)
4R2

(r)4r dr =

Q(r R)f 4r2 dr = Qf 4R2 .

(1)

b): By symmetry, the solution must be of the form (x) = (r) = (r b)f , with a constant f to be
specified by the condition
Z
=

Thus,

(r) =

(rb)
2b

Z
(r)2rdr =

(r b)f 2rdr = 2f b .

(2)

c): By symmetry, the solution must be of the form (x) = (r, z) = (z)(R r)f (r). There, is the
step function, and f (r) a function specified by a normalization condition that describes how much charge is
supposed to be on a ring with radius r and radial thickness dr (for r < R):

Thus,

(r, z) =

2rdr
=
R2

Q(z)(Rr)
R2

Z
(r, z)2rdzdr =

(z)f (r)2rdzdr = f (r)2rdr .

(3)

d): By symmetry, the solution must be of the form (x) = (r, ) = (cos )(R r)f (r), where f (r) is a
function specified by a normalization condition that describes how much charge is supposed to be on a shell
with radius r and radial thickness dr (for r < R):
2rdr
=
Q
R2
Thus,

(r, cos ) =

Z
2

(cos )f (r)r2 d cos dr = 2f (r)r2 dr .

(r, )r dd cos dr = 2
cos ,

Q(cos )(Rr)
R2 r

cos

(4)

Problem 1.5

5 Points

Method 1: Consider first the case r > 0. Then, the expression

(r) = 0 (r) =

q exp(r)
r

(1 +
)
4
r
2

(5)

is well defined, and yields

(r) =
For r 0, it is (r)

q
40 r

q 1 2
r
q3
r exp(r)(1 +
)=
exp(r) .
4 r
2
8

(6)

(r)
q
and + (r) = 4
1r = q 3 (r) = q 4r
2.

Obviously, (r) accounts for the electron and + (r) for the proton, and the total charge density is the sum
= q( 3 (r)

3
8

exp(r)) =

q 2(r)
8 ( r 2

3 exp(r)) .

1
r
Method 2: Write exp(r)
(1 + r
r
2 ) as a product of functions f (r) = r and g(r) = exp(r)(1 + 2 ), and
use the product rule (f g) = f g + gf + 2 f g. All derivatives are found to be well behaved at r = 0,
except f , which equals 4 3 (r). Considering that, the calculation confirms the result of method 1.

You may verify that the total charge

(r)d3 r = 0, which must be the case.

Problem 1.5

5 Points

How to calculate the capacitance of a conductor pair:

Assume charges Q on conductors.
Find E(x) using a method of your choice (often Gausss law).
R2
Calculate V = 1 E(x) dl between the two conductors.
C = | VQ |.
a): The electric field is E =
Thus, the capacitance is
C=

0 A
d

Q
A0 .

The voltage V that results from the simple line integral is V =

Qd
A0 .

b): The electric field is E =

40 r 2 r,

and
Z

V =

r=b

E(x) dl =
1

r=a

Q 1 1
Q
r rdr =
( ),
2
40 r
40 b a

(7)

ab
Thus, C = 40 ba
.

c): The electric field is, in cylindrical coordinates, E =

Z
V =

r=b

E(x) dl =
1

r=a

20 Lr r,

and

Q
Q
b
r rdr =
ln( ) ,
20 Lr
20 L
a

(8)

Thus, C = 20 L ln(1b ) , and the capacitance per length is 20 ln(1b ) .

a

d): 6.39 mm and 113 km, respectively. That means, for practical purposes the capacitance per length of a
coax cable cannot be made much smaller than a few 1011 F/m.

Problem 1.11

5 Points

z
E-Field
y
dy
A

dz

dx
C

dy
A

dx

B
B

Rx

Ry

Problem 1.11, Method 1 (enlightning but a little cumbersome):

The point of interest is located at the origin of a cartesian coordinate system the xy-plane of which defines
the tangent plane to the curved surface (at the point of interest). Further, the directions of the x- and
y-axes are such that locally the curved surface can be described as the set of points with coordinates
S(x, y) = x
x + y
y ( 2R1 x x2 + 2R1 y y 2 )
z. It has been discussed in class that it is always possible to find
orthogonal coordinate axes on the tangent plane that allow such a parametrization of the curved surface.
and
For the situation depicted in the figure, it would be Rx > 0 and Ry > 0. Due to the orthogonality of x
, a surface element with side lengths dx and dy on the curved surface has the area da = dx dy.
y
y
S
x

At a location S(x, y) on the curved surface, a normal vector to the plane is S
x y = Rx x + Ry y + z. Using
0
0
0
this fact, it can be seen that an area element da = dx dy located at a height dz above da, constructed as
shown in the figure, will have the property that the sidewalls of a pillbox with da0 and da as upper and
lower surfaces are orthogonal to the curved surface. Since the electric field, depicted in red in the figure,
also is orthogonal to the surface, the electric flux through the sidewalls is zero. Due to Gausss law, the
fluxes through da and da0 must be equal and opposite. Considering that the field is (anti)parallel to both
vectors da and da0 , it follows that E 0 da0 = Eda, with E and E 0 being the field magnitudes on da and da0 ,
respectively.

Simple geometry apparent in the figure yields dx0 = dx(1+ Rdzx ) and dy 0 = dy(1+ Rdzy ). Thus, for infinitesimally
small dx, dy and dz it is da0 = (1 + Rdzx + Rdzy )da, and
E0 = E

da
dz
dz 1
dz
dz
= E(1 +
+
) = E(1

)
da0
Rx
Ry
Rx
Ry

(9)

Thus,
1 E
1 E0 E
=
=
E dz
E n

1
1
+
Rx
Ry

q.e.d.

Note: for the case depicted in the figure, both principal radii are > 0, and consequently

(10)
E
n

< 0, as expected.

Problem 1.11, Method 2: (cleanest proof):

The electric field is (anti)parallel to both vectors da and da0 of the lower and upper planes in the figure,
respectively. It follows from Gausss law that E 0 da0 = Eda, with E and E 0 being the field magnitudes on da
and da0 .
,
To find da, refer to the points defined in the figure and set A = S(0, 0) = 0, B = S(dx, 0) = dx
x 2R1 x dx2 z
1
2
and C = S(0, dy) = dy
y 2Ry dy z. Then, in lowest order of dx and dy it is da = |(BA)(CA)| = dx dy.
To find da0 , we need to determine the points A0 , B0 , C0 that lie at a distance dz above the points A,
B, C. Thereby, above means that the lines A0 A etc. are parallel to the position-dependent normal
y
S
x

of the curved surface. The normal vectors are n
(x, y) = S
vectors n
x y = Rx x + Ry y + z. Note that
(0, 0) = dz
|
n(x, y)| = 1, up to second- and higher-order corrections. It is thus found A0 = A0 + dz n
z,
dy dz
dy 2
dx dz
dx2
0
0
B = (dx + Rx )
x + (dz 2Rx )
z, and C = (dy + Ry )
y + (dz 2Ry )
z. Then, in first order of dx and dy

dz
dz
it is found that da0 = |(B0 A0 ) (C0 A0 )| = dx dy 1 + Rx + Ry . It follows
E0 = E

da
dz
dz 1
dz
dz
= E(1 +
+
) = E(1

)
0
da
Rx
Ry
Rx
Ry

(11)

and
1 E0 E
1 E
=
=
E dz
E n

1
1
+
Rx
Ry

q.e.d.

(12)

Problem 1.11, Method 3: (fast, less enlightning):

Using the coordinate system in the figure, at location S(x, y) on the curved surface the normal vector to the
y
S
x

plane is S
x y = Rx x + Ry y + z. Since we are only interested in the local behavior in the vicinity of the
2
origin, x Rx and y Ry , and the length of the normal vector is 1, with corrections
of order (x/R

x)
y
x
2
+ Ry y
+z
with
and (y/Ry ) . Thus, the electric field on the surface has, locally, a form E(x, y) = E Rx x
locally constant magnitude E. At the origin, we therefore have
Ex
E
=
x
Rx

and

Ey
E
=
y
Ry

(13)

Noting that the field is normal to the curved surface, it also is

E
E
Ez
=
=
z
z
n

(14)

From E = 0 it then follows

Ez
E
=
=
z
n

Ex
Ey
+
x
y

= E

1
1
+
Rx
Ry

(15)

and
1 E
=
E n

1
1
+
Rx
Ry

q.e.d.

(16)

Problem 1.12

5 Points

We consider a volume V limited by a conducting surface V . For volume and surface charge densities (x)
and (x) the potential is (x), while for 0 (x) and 0 (x) it is 0 (x).

pointing from the volume into the conductor). Corresponding

= 0 (with n
equations for the primed quantities apply. The reciprocation theorem follows from these facts and Greens
2nd identity:
It is (x) = 0 (x), and

Z
0 d3 x

0 3

0 da =

() d x

+ 0

0
da =
n

(by Green0 s 2nd identity)

Z
Z
0
0
(0 )d3 x + 0

da =
n
V
V
Z
Z
0 d3 x +
0 da q.e.d.
V

Electric quadrupole

5 Points

An electric quadrupole consists of two dipoles, a dipole p located at r = b/2 and a dipole -p located at
r = b/2. The orientation of p relative to b can be arbitrary. Find the potential at a location x in the limit
that b 0 with p b remaining constant and both p and b maintaining their direction. Write the potential
in the form
X
V =
Qij xi xj /x5 ,
(17)
ij

and express the elements of the quadrupole tensor, Qij , in terms of p and b.
You may use the fact that the potential of an idealized dipole at location x0 is given by

dip (x) =

1 p (x x0 )
40 |x x0 |3

(18)

Solution:
The potential is
p
(x) =

40

(x b/2)
(x + b/2)

|x b/2|3
|x + b/2|3

(19)

Using the expansion

x+a
|x+a|3

=
=

xi +ai
i
i |x+a|3 x

x
|x|3

i,j

aj

xi
xj |x|3

i
x

P
i
x
|x|3

xi
|x|3

xi
+ a |x|
3

i
x

x2 ij 3xi xj
i,j aj
x5

i
x

(20)

with a = b/2 we can expand (x) as

(x)
=
=

x2 ij 3xi xj
p

x
=
4
5
j
i
i,j
x
0
n
o
o
P
3xi xj
1
x2
x5 p b
=
i,j pi bj x5
40
P
xi xj
i,j Qij x5

with quadrupole coefficients Qij =

1
40

1
40
1
40

P
P

i,j

pi bj

3xi xj x2 ij
x5

i,j

xi xj
x5

{3pi bj p bij }

(21)

(3pi bj p bij ) .

Total 30 Points