Physics

231, Spring 2016

HW #8, due Friday April 1

1)Problem 23.19 from your textbook: (5 points)

Some things to keep in mind for this one: For the insulator, you know where the
charge is; its uniformly distributed through the volume. For the conductor, you
know the total charge is q, but you dont know at the start where that q is located.
Use what you know has to be true about conductors to deduce where the charge
must be located (this is part e, but you might want to think about it first). Note that
there is just empty space between the yellow sphere and the conducting sphere.


2). ( 4 points)

In the picture above, the blue line is a side view of an infinite sheet of charge (it
extends infinitely up-and-down and infinitely in-and-out of the page) with charge
density .001 C/m2. The tan sphere has a total charge of .02C spread equally through
its volume. Find the x- and y- components of the electric field at the location marked
by the red dot. You can assume that the objects are insulators.

b) Why does it matter that the objects are insulators rather than conductors?

3) (2 points)
We did not discuss in class the E-field from an infinite line of charge, though this is
the 3rd and final situation where Gauss Law is very useful.
Read the corresponding section of your text (its page 26 and 27 of chapter 23
posted on Blackboard) and briefly answer:
From figure 23-17:
a) Which faces of the Gaussian surface have flux through them and which do
not?
b) How do we know the total flux through this Gaussian surface is E(2rh)?
c) Explain why if the charge per unit length of the wire is called , then the
charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface is h.
d) Set the total flux equal to the charge enclosed (divided by 0 ) and solve for E
(i.e. follow the steps in the textbook, but make sure you understand as you
go)


4) (2 points) Near the end of the chapter, your book discusses a Faraday cage.
Read about it there or look it up online and give a brief definition of what it is and
why it is useful.