http://www.lab-initio.com (nz183.

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Todays lecture is

unofficially

brought to you by

The Museum of Electricity

Announcements
Exam 1 is Tuesday, September 17, 5:00-6:15 pm.
Exam rooms (on next slide) will be posted on the
Physics 24 web site under Course Information.
Wednesday of this week is deadline to submit the
appropriate memo or e-mail regarding an exam
conflict. Follow this web link for instructions on what to
do.
One of the homework problems for tomorrow is
Special Homework #2. You can find it on the web here.

 Physics 24 Test Room Assignments, Fall 2013:Exam is from

5:00-6:15 pm!
Instructor
Dr. Hagen
Dr. Hale
Dr. Hor
Mr. Upshaw
Dr. Vojta
Dr. Waddill

Sections
J, M
E, G
B, D
H, K, L
C, F
A

4:30 & 5:30 Exams

Special Needs

Room
125 Butler-Carlton
104 Physics
120 Butler-Carlton
G-3 Schrenk
204 McNutt
G-3 Schrenk
202 Physics
Testing Center

Know the exam time!

Find your room ahead of time!
If at 5:00 on test day you are lost, go to 104 Physics and check the
exam room schedule, then go to the appropriate room and take the

More Announcements
Exam 1 special arrangements:
9 Test Center students. You need to also make an
appointment with Test Center. By before now.
I sent these 9 students an e-mail Friday. If you did
not receive the e-mail, you are NOT on the Test
Center list!
Four 4:30 exam students (so far).
No 5:30 exam students (so far).
If any of tomorrows homework problems involve a
ring of charge: there is no starting equation for V on
the axis or at the center of ring of charge. You must
derive any equation you use.

Todays agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric
potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss law,
and electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about
conductors in electrostatic equilibrium.

Electric Potential of a Charge Distribution

Example 1: potential and electric field between two
parallel conducting plates.
Assume V0<V1 (so I have a direction to draw the electric
field). Also assume the plates are large compared to
their separation, so the electric field is constant and
perpendicular to the plates.
Also, let the plates be
separated by a distance d.

E
V0

V1

V V1 V0

plate 1

plate 0

r r
E d l

y
x

V E dx E dx Ed

V0
|V|
=Ed

d
d

V1

The famous
Mr. Ed
equation!*

V
E
, or V Ed
d
Ill discuss in lecture why the
absolute value signs are
needed.
* 2004, Prof. R. E. Olson.

Important note: the derivation of

V Ed
did not require rectangular plates, or any plates at all. It
works as long as E is uniform and parallel or
antiparallel to d.
r

E
r
r r
V E dby the component of
d l replaced
In general, E should be
along the displacement vector

Example 2: A rod of length L located along the x-axis

has a total charge Q uniformly distributed along the rod.
Find the electric potential at a point P along the y-axis a
distance d from the origin.
y

dq
dx
dV k
k
r
x 2 d2

P
d

r
dq
dx

x
L

dq=dx
x

=Q/L
L

V dV
0

What are we assuming when we use this equation?

Thanks to Dr. Waddill for this fine example.

y
r
dq
dx

x
L

Q L dx
k
k
2
2
L 0 x2 d2
x d

A good set of math tables

will have the integral:

P
d

dx

dx
x d
2

ln x x 2 d 2

kQ L L2 d 2
V
ln

L
d

Include the sign of Q to get the correct sign for V.

What is the direction of V?

Example 3: Find the electric potential due to a uniformly

charged ring of radius R and total charge Q at a point P
on the axis of the ring.
dQ
r

Every dQ of charge on
the ring is the same
distance from the point
P.

dq
dq
dV k
k
r
x2 R 2
V

ring

dV k

ring

dq
x2 R2

dQ
r

Homework hint: derive

this equation in
tomorrows
homework!

k
x R
2

kQ
x2 R 2

ring

dq

You must derive an equation for

the potential at the center of a
ring if you need it for homework!
In lecture I will show you how
easy the derivation is.

Include the sign of Q to get the correct sign for V.

Could you use this expression for V to calculate E?

Would you get the same result as I got in Lecture 3?

Quiz time

(maybe for points, maybe just for

practice!)

Example 4: A disc of radius R has a uniform charge per

unit area and total charge Q. Calculate V at a point P
along the central axis of the disc at a distance x from its
center.
dQ
The disc is made of
concentric rings. The
r
area of a ring at a
P
x
radius r is 2rdr, and
x
R
the charge on each
ring is (2rdr).
We *can use the equation for the potential due to a
ring, replace R by r, and integrate from r=0 to r=R.

dVring
*I just derived it, so I get to use
it.

k2rdr
x2 r2

dQ
r
P
R

1
V dV
ring
40

V
x2 r2
20

2 0

2rdr

ring

x 2 r 2 2 0

Q
x R x
20 R 2
2

R 2

rdr
x2 r2

x2 R2 x

dQ
r
P
R

Q
V
20 R 2

x2 R 2 x

Could you use this expression for V to calculate E?

Would you get the same result as I got in Lecture 3?

Example 5: calculate the potential at a point outside a

very long insulating cylinder of radius R and positive
uniform linear charge density .
To be worked at the blackboard.

dq
I would prefer to not start with
dV k
r
Why?

and integrate.

r
R
ln . Why the sign?
V
ln
Result: V
2 0 R
20 r
dq
k
I see from this calculation that I CAN NOT startdV
with
r
and integrate. Why?
What would be different for an infinite line of charge?
Conducting cylinder? What is V everywhere inside a
conducting cylinder of linear charge density ?

See your text for other examples of potentials

calculated from charge distributions, as well as an
alternate discussion of the electric field between
charged parallel plates.
Remember: worked examples in the text are
testable.
Make sure you know what Vab means, and how it
relates to V.
Vif = Vf Vi so Vif = -Vif

Special Dispensation
For tomorrows homework only: you may use the equation
for the electric field of a long straight wire without first
proving it:

E line

.
20 r

Of course, this is relevant only if a homework problem

requires you to know the electric field of a long straight
wire.
You can also use this equation for the electric field outside a
long cylinder that carries charge.

Homework Hint!
Problems like 3.32 and 3.33: you must derive an
expression for the potential outside a long conducting
cylinder. *See example 3.10. V is not zero at infinity in
this case. Use
r
f r

V E d l .
i

If 3.32 and 3.33 are not assigned, dont be

disappointed. We can still get you on this in problems
in chapter 4!

Homework Hints!
In energy problems involving potentials, you may
know the potential but not details of the charge
distribution that produced it (or the charge distribution
may be complex). In that case, you dont want to
q1q 2
U q V .
attempt to calculate
potential energy
Uk
r12
using
. Instead,
use
If the electric field is zero everywhere in some region,
what can you say about the potential in that region?
Why?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION
For some reason you think practical applications are
important.
Well, I found one!

More Cooking with High Voltage

Application: Deep Space Propulsion

Systems

Dr. Joshua Rovey, MAE Dept.

Todays agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric
potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss law,
and electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about
conductors in electrostatic equilibrium.

Equipotentials
Equipotentials are contour maps of the electric
potential.

http://www.omnimap.com/catalog/digital/topo.htm

Equipotential lines are another visualization tool. They

illustrate where the potential is constant.
Equipotential lines are actually projections on a 2dimensional page of a 3-dimensional equipotential
surface. (Just like the contour map.)
The electric field must be perpendicular to
equipotential lines. Why?
Otherwise work would be required to move a charge along an
equipotential surface, and it would not be equipotential.

In the static case (charges not moving) the surface of

a conductor is an equipotential surface. Why?
Otherwise charge would flow and it wouldnt be a static case.

Here are some electric field and equipotential lines I

generated using an electromagnetic field program.

Ill discuss in lecture some

implications this figure
has for charged particle
motion.

Equipotential lines are shown in red.

Toy
http://www.falstad.com/vector2de/

Todays agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric
potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss law,
and electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about
conductors in electrostatic equilibrium.

Potential Gradient
(Determining Electric Field from Potential)
The electric field vector points from higher to lower
potentials.
More specifically, E points along shortest distance from a
higher equipotential surface to a lower equipotential
surface.
You can use E to calculate V:

r r
Vb Va E d l .
b

You can use the differential version of this equation to

calculate E from a known V:

r r
dV E d l E l dl

dV
El
dl

For spherically symmetric charge distribution:

dV
Er
dr
In one dimension:

dV
Ex
dx
In three dimensions:

V
V
V
Ex
, Ey
, Ez
.
x
y
z
r
r
V V V
or E
i
j
k V
x
y
z

More *^#$*& signs!

dV
El
dl
dV
Er
dr
V
V
V
Ex
, Ey
, Ez
.
x
y
z
Calculate
-dV/d(whatever) including all signs. If the
r
result
r E is +, points along the +(whatever) direction. If
the
E points along the (whatever)
E result is -,
direction.

Example (from a Fall 2006 exam problem): In a region

of space, the electric potential is V(x,y,z) = Axy2 + Bx2
+ Cx, where A = 50 V/m3, B = 100 V/m2, and C = -400
V/m are constants. Find the electric field at the origin

V
E x (0, 0, 0)
Ay 2 2Bx C
x (0,0,0)
V
E y (0, 0, 0)
(2Axy) (0,0,0) 0
y (0,0,0)
V
E z (0, 0, 0)
0
z (0,0,0)
r
V

E(0,0,0) 400 i
m

(0,0,0)

Todays agenda:
Electric potential of a charge distribution.
You must be able to calculate the electric potential for a charge distribution.

Equipotentials.
You must be able to sketch and interpret equipotential plots.

Potential gradient.
You must be able to calculate the electric field if you are given the electric
potential.

Potentials and fields near conductors.

You must be able to use what you have learned about electric fields, Gauss law,
and electric potential to understand and apply several useful facts about
conductors in electrostatic equilibrium.

Potentials and Fields Near Conductors

When there is a net flow of charge inside a conductor,
the physics is generally complex.
When there is no net flow of charge, or no flow at all
(the electrostatic case), then a number of conclusions
can be reached using Gauss Law and the concepts of
electric fields and potentials

Summary of key points (electrostatic case):

The electric field inside a conductor is zero.
Any net charge on the conductor lies on the outer
surface.
The potential on the surface of a conductor, and
everywhere inside, is the same.
The electric field just outside a conductor must be
perpendicular to the surface.
Equipotential surfaces just outside the conductor
must be parallel to the conductors surface.

Another key point: the charge density on a conductor

surface will vary if the surface is irregular, and surface
charge collects at sharp points.
Therefore the electric field is large (and can be huge)
near sharp points.

Another Practical Application

To best shock somebody, dont touch them with your
hand; touch them with your fingertip.
Better yet, hold a small piece of bare
wire in your hand and gently touch
them with that.

What does our text mean by

Vab? The Physics 23 notation, which we also
Clarification
use in Physics 24, is [Wnet]if = K = Kf Ki.
Our texts convention is Vab = Va Vb. This is explained on page 84 of
our text. If we re-write this in Physics 23 notation, it means Vab = Vab =
Va Vb. The second subscript, b, represents where we start, and the first
subscript, a, represents where we end up.
In problem 4.60, Vab = +210 V means Va Vb = 210 V, so a is at a higher
potential than b. Then
Vad = Va Vd = 140 V. Point a is 140 V higher than point d.
Vac = Va Vc = 70 V. Point a is 70 V higher than point c.
From the above, point c must be at a higher potential than point d.