Page 1 of 9 2010 - 11

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON


MSci/BSc EXAMINATION 2011



For Internal Students of
Royal Holloway


DO NOT TURN OVER UNTIL TOLD TO BEGIN



PH2420 : ELECTROMAGNETISM
PH3420 : ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY
MT3240 : ELECTROMAGNETIC THEORY


Time Allowed: TWO hours


Answer Question ONE and TWO others


Approximate part-marks for questions are given in the right-hand margin


The total available marks add up to 60


No credit will be given for attempting any further questions



College Calculators are provided






Royal Holloway University of London 2011
Important Copyright Notice
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strictly for the educational benefit of current Royal Holloway students
on the course of study in question.
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PH2420
Page 2 of 9
GENERAL PHYSICAL CONSTANTS

Permeability of vacuum
0
= 4 10
-7
H m
-1

Permittivity of vacuum
0
= 8.85 10
-12
F m
-1


0
1/ 4 = 9.0 10
9
m F
-1

Speed of light in vacuum c = 3.00 10
8
m s
-1

Elementary charge e = 1.60 10
-19
C
Electron (rest) mass
e
m = 9.11 10
-31
kg
Unified atomic mass constant
u
m = 1.66 10
-27
kg
Proton rest mass
p
m
= 1.67 10
-27
kg
Neutron rest mass
n
m = 1.67 10
-27
kg
Ratio of electronic charge to mass /
e
e m = 1.76 10
11
C kg
-1

Planck constant h = 6.63 10
-34
J s
= / 2 h = 1.05 10
-34
J s
Boltzmann constant k = 1.38 10
-23
J K
-1

Stefan-Boltzmann constant = 5.67 10
-8
W m
-2
K
-4

Gas constant R = 8.31 J mol
-1
K
-1

Avogadro constant
A
N = 6.02 10
23
mol
-1

Gravitational constant G = 6.67 10
-11
N m
2
kg
-2

Acceleration due to gravity
g
= 9.81 m s
-2

Volume of one mole of an ideal gas at STP = 2.24 10
-2
m
3

One standard atmosphere
0
P = 1.01 10
5
N m
-2


MATHEMATICAL CONSTANTS

2.718 e 3.142 log 10 2.303
e










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PH2420
Page 3 of 9
Question ONE: answer only FIVE sections.

You are advised not to spend more than 40 minutes answering Question One.

PART
MARKS
1. (a)
Four point charges, each of magnitude Q + , are placed at the corners of a
square of side a.
(i) Where is the zero of the electric potential?
(ii) Use symmetry arguments to show that the electric field at the
centre is zero.
(iii) Show that at the mid-point of each side the electric potential is
given by
0
1
1 .
5
Q
V
a
| |
= +
|
\ .

[4]
(b) The expression
.d 0 E l

is a statement that the electric field E is conservative.
(i) Explain physically what this means.
(ii) Express the conservative property of E in differential form.
(iii) When is the electric field not conservative, and how is the
differential form modified in this case? [4]
(c) (i) Sketch the B-H curve of a ferromagnetic material.
(ii) Show clearly on your sketch the remanence B
r
and the coercivity H
c
.
(iii) Explain how the B-H curve shows that ferromagnetic materials can
be permanent magnets? [4]
(d) In one experiment, a particle of charge q, mass m and initial velocity
i
v
moves in a region of constant electric field E, where
i
v is perpendicular to
E.
In a second experiment, a particle of charge q, mass m and initial velocity
i
v moves in a region of constant magnetic field B, where
i
v is
perpendicular to B.
For both experiments describe the subsequent motion (without detailed
proofs). [4]
[You may make use of the expression for the Lorentz force: q q = + F E v B.]
(e)
Assuming the Poisson equation =
2
0
/ V , show that the electric field
in an empty cavity within a conductor is zero. [4]
(f) Show carefully that, in the absence of any surface charge, the normal
component of D and the tangential component of E are continuous at the
boundary between two different dielectric media. [4]
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PH2420
Page 4 of 9

PART
MARKS
2. (a) State Gausss law relating the flux of an electric field E out of a closed
surface to the total electric charge enclosed. [3]
(b) (i) Use Gausss law to show that the magnitude of the electric field at
a distance r from a point charge Q is given by

=
2
0
.
4
Q
E
r


(ii) What is the direction of the field? [2]
(c) An infinitely long, thin, straight wire is charged with a uniform charge
density of coulombs per metre.
(i) What is the direction of the electric field in this system?
(ii) By constructing a cylindrical Gaussian surface with the wire on
axis, use Gausss law to show that the magnitude of the electric
field of an infinite line of charge is given by
( ) =
0
2 . E r
[3]
(d) An infinite, thin, flat sheet contains a uniform charge density of
coulombs per square metre.
(i) What is the direction of the electric field in this case?
(ii) Using a Gaussian pill-box construction, or otherwise, show that
the magnitude of the electric field produced by an infinite plane
sheet of charge is given by
( ) =
0
2 . E
[3]
(e) A capacitor is made from a thin straight conducting wire of length l and
radius a placed along the axis of a conducting tube of length l and inner
radius b. When the capacitor is charged the inner wire carries a total
charge of +Qon its surface and the tube has a total charge of Qon its
inner surface. Assume that l >>b, so that end effects can be ignored and
the charge distribution on the conductors is uniform.
(i) What is the magnitude of the electric field inside the capacitor
(away from the ends) as a function of r for a <r <b, and what is its
direction?
(ii) Given that the potential difference between a and b is given by
.d ,
a
b
V E r

show that the potential difference between the inner tube and the
outer tube is given by
( )

| |
=
|
\ .
0
ln .
2
a b
Q l
a
V V
b



See the next page for sections 2(e)(iii), (iv) and (v)
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PH2420
Page 5 of 9

PART
MARKS
(iii) Hence show that the capacitance of this configuration is given by
( ) =
0
2 ln . C l b a


(iv) The capacitor is filled with dielectric material of relative permittivity
.
r
What is the expression for the capacitance in this case?

(v) A coaxial cable has this geometry. What is the capacitance of a
1 metre length of a coaxial cable with a =0.5 mm, b =2.5 mm, and
= 2.3
r
?
[9]

























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PH2420
Page 6 of 9

PART
MARKS
3. (a) Ampres law in free space can be written as
0
curl , = B j
and the equation of continuity is given by
div .
t

=

j

(i) Define all the parameters in these equations.
(ii) Show that the vector calculus identity div curl C =0, for any vector
C, implies that Ampres law in free space is incompatible with the
equation of continuity. [5]
(b) Show that the incompatibility is removed by adding a further term K to
Ampres law i.e.
0
curl , = + B j K
and letting
0
div .
t

K
[4]
(c) Show that by making use of the differential form of Gausss law
0
div ,

= E
the modified Ampres law expression can by written as
0 0 0
curl .
t


= +

E
B j
[4]
(d) Faradays law of electromagnetic induction can be written as
d
.
d
V
t

=

(i) Define all the terms in this expression and comment on the
significance of the minus sign.
(ii) Comment briefly on the parallels between Faradays law and the
additional term in the modified Ampres law expression. [7]








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PH2420
Page 7 of 9

PART
MARKS
4. The magnetic field at a displacement r away from an element dl of a wire
carrying a current I is given by the Biot-Savart Law:
0
3
d
d .
4
I
r

=
l r
B

(a) What is the direction of B for a long straight wire? Sketch this and explain
your answer with reference to the Biot-Savart law. [4]
(b) Using the Biot-Savart law show that B may be written as the curl of the
magnetic vector potential A, where
0
d
d .
4
I
r

=
l
A
[You may make use of the formulae:
( ) ( )
3
grad 1r r = r and
( ) curl curl grad a a a b b b = , for a general scalar a and a general vector
b.] [8]
(c) Stokess theorem for a general vector field C is given by
surface perimeter
of surface
curl .d .d C a C l

.
Explain what this equation means and use it to show that the magnetic
flux
surface
.d B a

can be written in terms of the magnetic vector potential A as
perimeter
of surface
.d A l

.
[4]
(d) In the Landau gauge, the vector potential is given by

z
B y A x ,
where
z
B is a constant, and x is the unit vector in the x-direction. By
taking the curl of A, or otherwise, show that this represents a uniform
magnetic field in the z-direction.

[You may make use of the definition curl C C .] [4]





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PH2420
Page 8 of 9

PART
MARKS
5. Maxwells equations for conducting linear, isotropic, homogeneous (LIH)
media, in the absence of free charges are given by
div 0, curl , div 0, t = = = D E B B
and curl .
f
t t = + = + H j D E D
with and = = D E B H.

(a) (i) What is the parameter ?
(ii) Express the absolute permittivity in terms of the relative
permittivities
r
and
0
, and write a similar expression for the
absolute permeability .
[3]
(b) Using Maxwells equations, show that we can write:
( ) ( ) ( )
curl curl curl , t = E H

and hence derive the wave equation
( ) ( )
2 2 2
. t t = + E E E

[You may make use of the identity curl curl =grad div
2
. ] [4]
(c) A plane-polarised Ewave travelling in the z-direction is represented by
( )
0
exp i , 0 and 0
x y z
E E z t E E ( = = =


with
0
0, i 1, and
x x
E x E y E = = = constant. Show that this is a
solution to the wave equation given in 5(b) with
2 2
i . = +
[2]
(d) The term t D in the fourth Maxwell equation corresponds to a fictitious
current.
(i) What is the name of this fictitious current?
(ii) Show that for the case of the plane-wave solution in 5(c), this
fictitious current is much less than the conduction current if
.

(iii) Show that if then we can write approximately i . =
[4]

See the next page for sections 5(e) and (f)






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PH2420
Page 9 of 9

PART
MARKS
(e) (i) By writing in the form
1 2
i = + , show that if then the
real and imaginary parts of are equal and given by

1 2
2. = =

(ii) By substituting this value of into the plane-wave solution in 5(c)
show that in this case the solution takes the form of a wave whose
amplitude is attenuated by a factor of
( ) exp / z on travelling a
distance z in a metal, where 2 . =
.

[You may make use of the identity
( )
( ) i 1 2 1 i . = + ]
[4]
(f)
A metal has
8 1 1
10 m .

= It has relative permittivities and
permeabilities 1.
r r
= = Show that for this metal at an angular
frequency
14 1
10 s

= the conduction current dominates over the fictitious
current, and obtain a numerical value for . [3]




END