file:ex1_s06-sol March 6, 2006

Physics 422 – Spring 2006 EXAM 1 – Solutions

(a) Use the integral form of Gauss’

Problem 1: (20 points) The inside of a grounded metal shell
(inner radius R1 , outer radius R2 ) is filled Law:
with a charge of uniform density, D.
Symmetry Y E depends only on r
( a) Find E( r) for i) r < R1 ii) r $ R2
( b) Find the potential at the center of the sphere
( c) Find the electrostatic energy of the system

i) r < R 1:

ii) r $ R 2: Sphere grounded Y inner surface ( r = R 1) gets an induced charge = – Q so that between R 1 and

R 2 we have q in = 0 and as a result E( r) = 0. For r $ R 2, q in = 0 and E( r) = 0

(b)

( c)

Problem 2: (30 points) An infinitely long conducting cylinder of radius R lies along the z–axis in the
presence of a uniform electric field .
( a) What is the general solution for the potential, V, in cylindrical coordinates?
( b) What are the boundary conditions for this problem?
( c) Solve for V(D,2) given in (a) using the boundary conditions in (b).
( d) What is the electric field just outside the cylinder?
( e) What is the induced charge density on the surface of the cylinder?

(a)

(b) i) V = 0 for ñ = R ii)

( c) Because we want V(ñ,è) to approach – E o ñ cos è, and because P 1(cos è) = cos è, we consider only the n=1 term in the
expansion for V, i.e.

(d) Because the cylinder is conducting, just outside the cylinder E is perpendicular to the cylinder axis, i.e. in the ñ direction:

(e)
 Problem 3: (20 points) ( a) What is the electric field due to an infinite line charge with linear charge density, 8?
( b) What is the potential due to a charged conducting wire of radius a, as a function of radial
distance from the center of the wire (because the wire goes to infinity, you can not assume that the
potential is zero at infinity)?
( c) An infinitely long, straight conducting wire of radius a and charge per unit length, 8, is placed a
distance b (b >> a) from the surface of an infinite, grounded, conducting plane. What is the
potential, V( r), a distance r from the center of the wire towards the plate?
( d) What is the capacitance per unit length of the system in part ( c)?

(a) (b) where V o is a constant

( c) Put an image wire, with charge density – ë, a distance b below the grounded plate to generate the boundary condition. Then
for a distance r below the center of the original wire, the potential (from the original wire and the image wire) is:

(d) To get the potential difference between the wire and the grounded plate, look at V(r=a) – V(r=b):

Problem 4: (30 points) A parallel–plate capacitor has plates of area, A, separated by a distance x (the
length and width of the plates are >> x).
( a) The capacitor is charged to potential Vo with a battery, so that the plates carry charges of +Q and –Q. The
battery is then disconnected. What is the change in energy of the capacitor )U = Ufinal – Uinitial if the separation
between the plates is increased a small distance from x to x + )x?
( b) How much work must be done by an external force in order to increase the separation?
( c) Suppose the battery had remained connected as the external force increased the separation from x to x + )x. What is
)U = Ufinal – Uinitial for this case?
( d) How much work is done in changing the charge on the plates?
( e) How much work is done by the external force in this process?

(a)

(b) W ork to separate the plates goes completely into increasing the electrostatic energy,

( c) Here, the charges on the plates change, but the potential across the plates remains constant at V o.

(d) The battery does work moving charge ÄQ onto the plates through a potential difference, V o, W = ÄQ V o

(e) From (d), the field does ½ of the work on the battery, and therefore the external force must do the other ½ of the work on the

battery,