PHY 2049 FALL 2000 EXAM 1

1. Figure below shows three arrangements of electric eld lines. A proton is released from
point X. It is accelerated by the electric eld toward point Y. Points X and Y have equal
separations for the three arrangements. Rank the arrangements according to the velocity
of the proton at point Y, greatest rst. Answer: ACB

Y
B

The charge that experiences the largest force will achieve the greatest velocity and the
largest electric eld created the largest force. The electric eld is greatest where the electric
eld lines are closest together. The eld lines are most dense in A. The next is C and then
B. (The diverging lines in C mean that the electric eld is not uniform.)
2. A spherical shell of radius R = 1 m is uniformly charged with a charge Q = 1 C. Find
the pressure experienced by the shell walls due to electrostatic repulsion of the charge.
Hint: Consider a small patch on the shell surface. The net electric eld on the shell surface
(eld of a uniformly charged shell) is the sum of the eld made by the patch itself (eld of
uniformly charged plane) and the remaining part of the shell (E). The force on the patch
is its charge times E. Pressure is the force per unit area. Answer: 3.57 108 Pa
The electric eld just outside the sphere is a superposition of the electric eld due to
the patch and the electric eld due to the remainder of the sphere. Even though the patch
is small, the point is just outside the sphere and the patch appears to be an innite plane.

Esphere = Epatch + Eremain

Q

=
+ Eremain
2
40 R
20
Q 1
Q

Eremain =
2
40 R
4R2 20
kQ
=
2R2
with k = 1/40 . The force on the patch is
F = (Eremain )(qpatch )



kQ
(A)
=
2R2

kQ Q
F
=
A
2R2 4R2
kQ2
=
8R4
P = 3.57 108 Pa
where =charge/area=Q/4R2 .
3. A quadrupole is a combination of two staggered dipoles with dipole moments qd that
are equal but opposite in direction. Find the magnitude of the electric eld made by the
quadrupole at a distance x  d. Answer: 6kqd2/x4
+q

-q

-q

+q

The electric eld created by a dipole at a point located along the dipole moment points
away from the positive charge and toward the negative charge and has the magnitude
E=

2kqd
r3

where r is measured from the center of the dipole. The electric eld due to the left dipole
points to the left and the eld due to the right dipole points to the right,
2kqd
2kqd
+
(x + d/2)3 (x d/2)3
= 2kqd((x + d/2)3 + (x d/2)3)

E =

d
2kqd
1+
=
3
x
2x

3

d
+ 1
2x


3

2kqd
d
d

1 + (3)
+ 1 + (3)
3
x
2x
2x


2kqd 3d
=
x3
x
6kqd2
=
.
x4



4. A uniformly charged sphere of radius R with a spherical cavity of radius R/2, as shown
is charged with a uniform charge density . Find the magnitude of the electric eld at the
point P at a distance R/2 from the center of the sphere on the side opposite to the cavity.
Answer: kR/2

R
R/2
P

R/2

This is a superposition of the electric elds of two bodies. E1 is the electric eld at a
distance R/2 inside a uniformly charged sphere of radius R and charge density . E2 is the
electric eld at a distance R exterior to a sphere of radius R/2 and charge density . For
E1 use the electric eld at a distance r from the center to a point located inside a sphere
of radius R containing uniform charge q (Sample Problem 24-7)
E=

kq
r.
R3

Applied to this situation

E1 =
=
=
=
=

kq R
R3 2
k
q
2R2
k
( Volume)
2R2 

4 3
k
R
2R2
3
2kR
.
3

E2 is found from the charge q  contained the the smaller sphere

kq 
R2

  
k
4 R 2
=

R2
3 2
kR
=
.
6

E2 =

The net eld is E = E1 + E2 = kR/2.

5. Of the eight charge distributions show in Figure which one results in the maximum
magnitude of the electric eld at the center point of the square. Each conguration consists

of a square with or without rods along its sides. Each rod has either +Q (lled bars) or
Q (empty bars) charge. Answer: (3)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(5)

(4)

The electric eld due to each bar is indicated in the diagram. If each
rod creates an
electric eld
E at the center of the square then E1 = 2E, E2 = 0, E3 = 2 2E, E4 = E,
and E5 = 2E.
6. A semi-innite rod is placed along x as shown in Figure and uniformly charged with
positive charge density . Find the direction of the electric eld with respect to y-axis
direction at the point P 1 meter away from the tip of the rod. Hint: use integration to
calculate Ex and Ey . Answer: 45
y

The electric eld due to a small portion dx is dE = (k dx)/r 2 where r 2 = x2 + y 2 . The

components are dEx = dE cos and dEy = dE sin , where cos = x/r and sin = y/r.
Integrating
Ex =
Ey =

kx
dx =
+ y 2)3/2
ky
dx =
2
(x + y 2)3/2

(x2

k
y
k
.
y

Since Ex = Ey the angle is 45 .

7. Four charges of the same sign and value q are placed in the corners of a square and
free to move. One more charge Q is placed in the center of the square so that the entire system of the ve charges has become statically stable, i.e., net forces on each of the
ve charges are equal to zero. Find the value of the charge Q in terms of q. Answer: 0.957q
The charges in the corners will repel each other. In order to hold the system together,
the force (F4 ) due to Q must be attractive. Since Q is in equilibrium for all values of Q,

Q
F4
o
45

F1
q
F3

F2

we consider a corner charge.

Fx = F1 F2 cos 45 + F4 cos 45

k|q||Q| 1
k|q||q|
k|q||q| 1
+

2
2
L
( 2L) 2 ( 2L/2)2 2

= |q| |q|/2 2 + |Q|2/ 2

2 2+1
|q|
|Q| =
4
Q = 0.957q.
0 =

The sign of Q is the opposite to the sign of q since their interaction must be attractive.
8. A pair of parallel horizontal conducting plates of length L, distance D apart, are charged
so as to produce a uniform vertical electric eld E between them. An electron (mass m and
charge e) moves horizontally with velocity v and enters the electric eld exactly halfway
between the plates as shown in the Figure. What must be the electrons minimum velocity
in order for
 it to pass through the eld without hitting one of the plates? Ignore gravity.
Answer: eE/mD L
L

e, m

The horizontal position as a function of time is x = vt and the vertical position is

y = at2 /2 = eEt2 /2m. Solving for t = x/v and substituting gives y = eEx2 /2mv 2 . The
problem species y = D/2 when x = L
D
eEL2
=
2
2mv 2

v =

eE
L.
mD

9. Two positive charges Q = 125 nC are held xed 1 m apart. A test charge q is inserted
along the line between them and 25 cm away from one of them. The force acting on the
charge q is found to be 16 mN. Find the magnitude of the test charge q. Answer: 1.00106
C
Since the two 125 nC charges have the same sign, the forces they exert on the test charge
placed between them will act in opposite directions.
F = F1 F2
kqQ kqQ
=
2
r12
r2



2
r2 r12
= kqQ
r12 r22
F r12 r22
q =
kQ(r22 r12 )
= 1.00 106 C.
with a = 1 N , b = 2 N ,
 = (ax)i + (by)j + ck,
10. The electric eld in three dimensions is E
Cm
Cm
N
and c = 3 C . Find the electric eld ux through the surface of a cube with a side of 1 m
and oriented as shown in the Figure. Answer: 3 Nm2 /C
5
3

y
4

x
2

The ux through the cube is the ux through the 6 sides of the cube

E =
=

 dA

E
 dA
1 +
E

 dA
2 +
E

 dA
3 +
E

 dA
4 +
E

 dA
5 +
E

 dA
 6.
E

 points away from the enclosed volume, dA

 1 = dA i, dA
 2 = dA j,
Recalling that dA
dA
Substituting the expression for E
 4 = dA i, dA
 5 = dA j, and dA
 6 = dA k.

 3 = dA k,
dA

and the dAs into the expression for E
E =

ax dA

by dA

c dA +

ax dA +

by dA +

c dA.

The rst two terms are zero since x = 0 on side 1 and y = 0 on side 2. The length of the
sides of the cube are L = 1 m and the area of one side is L2 . The total ux is
E = 0 0 c

3
2

dA + aL

dA + b

= cL2 + aLL + bLL2 + cL2

= (a + b)L3
= 3 Nm2 /C.

dA + c

dA