College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Physics

Physics Program
General Physics for Engineering II
PHYS 193
Spring 2015
1st April 2015

EXAM 1
Instructor: Dr. A. Shalaby

100

Student Name:
Student ID:
Section number:
Please read the following instructions carefully before you start answering

1. Make sure that you have 10 pages including two parts, A and B. Part A consists of 9 multiple choice

questions, and part B consists of 3 problems.

2. Calculators are permitted but no electronic dictionaries or mobile phones.
3. All your work must be done on your exam paper; no loose papers are allowed.
4. This is a timed exam (120 min). Do not spend too much time on any particular question.

Useful Formulae
|

| |

,
,

ke = 9.0 109 N.m2/C2

0 = 8.85 10-12 C2/N.m2

,
,

g = 9.8 m/s2
e = 1.60 10-19 C
me = 9.1 10-31 kg

,
,

Useful Constants

mp = 1.67 10-27 kg

Best Wishes

Part A. Please choose the one alternative that best completes the statements or
answers the questions, circle your choice using pen and justify your choice.

54

Make sure that only ONE of the alternatives is chosen for each question. Two answers to one question will
result in loss of the mark of that question.
1. The average distance of the electron from the proton in the hydrogen atom is 0.51 1010 m. What
is the electric field from the protons charge at the location of the electron? (ke = 8.99 109
Nm2/C2, e = 1.6 1019 C)

a.
b.
c.
d.

5.5 1011 N/C

1.0 106 N/C
3.2 102 N/C
8.8 108 N/C
Justification:

2. Four charges are at the corners of a square, with B and C on opposite corners. Charges A and D,
on the other two corners, have equal charge, while both B and C
have a charge of +1.0 C. What is the charge on A so that the force
A
B +1 Coul
on B is zero?
a)
b)
c)
d)

1.0 C
0.50 C
0.35 C
0.71 C

C
+1 Coul

Justification:

3. Two large, flat, horizontally oriented plates are parallel to each other, a distance d apart. Half way
between the two plates the electric field has magnitude E. If the separation of the plates is reduced
to d/2 what is the magnitude of the electric field half way between the plates?
a) E/2
Justification:
b) 4E
c) 2E
d) 0
e) E
2

4. An uncharged conductor has a hollow cavity inside of it. Within this cavity there is a charge of +10
C that does not touch the conductor. There are no other charges in the vicinity. Which statement
about this conductor is true? (There may be more than one correct choice.)
a) The inner and outer surfaces of the conductor each contain charges of -5 C.
b) Both surfaces of the conductor carry no excess charge because the conductor is uncharged.
c) The net electric field within the material of the conductor points away from the +10 C
charge.
d) The outer surface of the conductor contains +10 C of charge and the inner surface
contains -10 C.
e) The inner surface of the conductor carries a charge of -10 C and its outer surface carries
no excess charge.
Justification:

5. Under electrostatic conditions, the electric field just outside the surface of any charged conductor
a) is always zero because the electric field is zero inside conductors.
b) can have nonzero components perpendicular to and parallel to the surface of the
conductor.
c) is always perpendicular to the surface of the conductor.
d) is always parallel to the surface.
e) is perpendicular to the surface of the conductor only if it is a sphere, a cylinder, or a flat
sheet.
Justification:

6. Consider a spherical Gaussian surface of radius R centered at the origin. A charge Q is placed
inside the sphere. Where should the charge be located to maximize the magnitude of the flux of the
electric field through the Gaussian surface?
a. at x = R/2, y = 0, z = 0
b. at x = 0, y = R/2, z = 0
c. at the origin
d. at x = 0, y = 0, z = R/2
e. The flux does not depend on the position of the charge as long as it is inside the sphere
3

Justification:

7. The graph in the figure shows the variation of the electric potential V (measured in volts) as a
function of the radial direction r (measured in meters). For which range or value of r is the
magnitude of the electric field the largest?
a) A) from r = 0 m to r = 3 m
b) B) from r = 3 m to r = 4 m
c) C) from r = 4 m to r = 6 m
d) D) at r = 3 m
e) E) at r = 4 m

8. Suppose a region of space has a uniform electric field, directed towards the right, as shown in the
figure. Which statement about the electric potential is true?

a) The potential at points A and B are equal, and the potential at point C is higher than the
potential at point A.
b) The potential at all three locations (A, B, C) is the same because the field is uniform.
c) The potential at point A is the highest, the potential at point B is the second highest, and
the potential at point C is the lowest.
d) The potential at points A and B are equal, and the potential at point C is lower than the
potential at point A.

9.

A +4.0 C-point charge and a -4.0-C point charge are placed as shown in the figure. What is the
potential difference, VA - VB, between points A and B? (k = 1/40 = 8.99 109 N m2/C2)

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)

48 V
96 kV
C) 96 V
D) 0.00 V
E) 48 kV
Justification:

Part B. Please solve the following problems using pen and showing all the steps
of your work in a clear tidy way.

46

1. Two 1.20-m non-conducting wires meet at a right angle. One segment

carries + 2.50C of charge

distributed uniformly along its length, and

the other carries -2.50 C distributed uniformly along it, as shown in Fig.
Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field these wires produce
at point P, which is 60.0 cm from each wire.

2. A solid conducting sphere with radius R that carries positive charge Q is concentric with a very
thin insulating shell of radius 2R that also carries charge Q. The charge Q is distributed uniformly
over the insulating shell. (a) Find the electric field in each of the regions

3.

The charge Q on the rod of Fig. has a non-uniform linear charge

distribution (=a x, where a is a constant), Determine the potential
V for points along the y axis.

10

Solutions
Part A
1. (a)
E=

1
8:854187817

1:60217733
10

12

(0:51

10

19

10
10 )2

= 5: 536 2 1011 N=C

(1)

2. (c)
Fx

Fy

kq (1) k (1) (1) 1

+ p 2 p =0
a2
2
a 2
kq (1) k (1) (1) 1
+ p 2 p =0
a2
2
a 2
0:35

(2)

3. (e)
E=

(3)

4. (d)
5. (c)
6. (e)
7. (b)
E=

4+4
dV
=
= 8N=C
dr
4 3

8. (d)
Vb

Va =

(4)

! !
E dl

(5)

9. (b)
VA

VB

4 10
8:854187817

6
12

10
4 10
4
8:854187817 10
95 868 ' 96KV

0:3

4
8:854187817

6
12

0:32 + 0:42

10
10

6
12

4 10
8:854187817

0:32 + 0:42
6

10

12

0:3
(6)

===========================================================
Part B
1

1. Both segments will have the elds;

kQ
p
|^; y = 0:6m; a = 0:6m
y a2 + y 2
kQ
p
E
=
^{; x = 0:6m; a = 0:6
x a2 + x2
q
2:5 10 6
2 + E2 =
E =
E+
4
8:854187817 10
tan ( ) = 1 ) = 135
E+

12

1
a2

x2

2 = 62414N=C
(7)

2. Solution;

= k
= k
=

Z
Z

ak
2

l
l
l

dq
r
ax
1

(x2 + y 2 ) 2
l

dx

2x

1 dx
(x2 + y 2 ) 2
Z
ak
du
=
u = x2 + y 2
1 ;
2
2
u
p
= ak x2 + y 2 jl l

(8)