Classical Electrodynamics PHY5347

HOMEWORK 11
(December 26, 2012)
Due on Thursday, January 17, 2013
PROBLEM 31 (H.C. Ohanian 9.17)
A pair of Helmholtz coils are often used in laboratories to produce fairly uniform
magnetic elds. The coils consist of two rings of radius R on a common axis separated
by a distance R. The rings carry equal currents I in the same direction. Suppose
that the coils are parallel to the x-y plane and that their centers are at z =R/2.
(a) Find the magnetic eld B
z
on the z-axis.
(b) Show that at z =0, the rst, second, and third derivatives vanish (i.e., d
n
B
z
/dz
n
=
0 for n=1, 2, 3). Show, however, that the fourth derivative d
4
B
z
/dz
4
does not
vanish and provide its value.
PROBLEM 32
Consider (as we did in class) a sphere of radius a with a constant uniform magneti-
zation M(r)=M
0
z.
(a) Show that there exists a scalar potential
M
(r) such that
H(r) =
M
(r) .
(b) Show that
M
satises Laplaces equation inside and outside the sphere.
(c) Determine the two boundary conditions satised by
M
.
(d) Using the results obtained above, solve for
M
inside and outside the sphere and
show that your results are identical to those obtained in class.
PROBLEM 33
Consider an elementary magnetic dipole m= m z that is located at the center of a
sphere of radius a that is lled with a uniform and isotropic material of permeability .
(a) Show that the magnetic eld H may be written as the gradient of a magnetic
scalar potential
M
(r).
(b) Find the magnetic elds B and H inside and outside the sphere.
(c) Compute the magnetization current induced at the surface of the sphere.