PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 1
The figure shows a conducting sphere that carries an excess charge of +Q
which is surrounded by a concentric, spherical, conducting shell. If an excess
charge of 4Q is placed on the conducting shell, how does this charge distribute
itself on the inner and outer surfaces of the shell?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

4Q on the inside; 0 on the outside.

2Q on the inside; 2Q on the outside.
Q on the inside; +Q on the outside.
Q on the inside; 3Q on the outside. Q to balance the +Q, the rest to the outside
5Q on the inside; +Q on the outside.

Q uestion 2
The figure on the right shows Electric field lines in a region of
space. Which one of the figures below best shows equipotential
contour lines in this same region of space?
B

A
D

C
E field lines are perpendicular to the equipotential lines
Q uestion 3
An electron is in the vicinity of some charges (not
shown) and is moved from its initial position (i) to
its final position (f) by an external agent, as shown.
You may assume that before and after the move it is
at rest. What work did the external agent do?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

-15 eV
15 eV
-5 eV HOHFWURQVZDQWWRJRXSKLOO
10 eV
5 eV

(i)
(f)
12.5V

15V

10V

Page 1 of 8

PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 4
Two point charges, a negative charge -Q and a positive charge
with twice the charge magnitude +2Q , are arranged as shown. A
student is asked to indicate on the diagram everywhere within the
dashed rectangle where the voltage is zero. Remembering that for
point charges the voltage is always zero at infinity, how should the
student respond?

-Q

+2Q

A.
B.
C.
D.

Since these are point charges, the voltage is zero everywhere

The voltage is zero nowhere inside the dashed rectangle
The voltage is only zero at a single point somewhere inside the dashed rectangle
There are exactly two (and only two) points where the voltage is zero inside the dashed
rectangle
E. There is a curved line inside the dashed rectangle along which the voltage is zero
Q uestion 5
Consider a parallel plate capacitor, connected to an ideal battery. With the battery still connected,
you push the plates of the capacitor to half their original separation. What happens to the
electrical energy stored in the capacitor?
A. It quadruples
B. It doubles

1
2

CV 2 ; C

H 0 A d d halved, C doubled, U doubled

C. It stays the same

D. It is halved
E. It is quartered
Q uestion 6
An ideal parallel plate capacitor has charge Q on its top plate, and -Q on the bottom plate. A
thick neutral metal slab sits midway between the plates, as shown.
The capacitor plates are electrically isolated, as is the metal slab. The metal slab has no net
charge.
Ignoring edge effects, if the slab were removed, how would the magnitude E (A) of the electric
field at point A (located in the empty space between the lower capacitor plate and the metal slab)
and the stored energy U of the capacitor change?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

E (A) would increase, while U would decrease

E (A) would decrease, while U would increase
Both would increase
Both would decrease
None of the above

With conductor, -Q on top, +Q on bottom. So E

GRHVQWFKDQJHU will increase, with larger volume
with electric field energy.

+Q

L
A
-Q
Page 2 of 8

PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Question 7
Two uniformly charged rods are each bent into a quarter circle of radius R. The left rod is
positive, with total charge +3Q (smeared out uniformly along the rod). The right rod is negative,
with total charge -Q (again smeared out uniformly)
What is the potential at the point A, located at the center of the circle formed by the two rods?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

+3Q

V= k Q/R
V = 2 k Q/R
V=0
V = N45
9  k Q/R

-Q

All charge same distance from A, & Q tot = 2 Q

Q uestion 8
A circuit has a light bulb in series with a switch and a
battery. The switch is open. What is the magnitude of the
voltage difference VAB (where points A and B are on
opposite sides of the switch)?
A. 2V
B. zero
C. V/2
D. V
No voltage across bulb since no current
E. Impossible to tell from the information given

A
A

switch
V
bulb

Q uestion 9
A small positive charge +q is released from rest a distance R from a large stationary charge +Q.
The only force on the small charge is the electrostatic repulsion from the large charge. After the
charge q has traveled a distance R, and is a distance 2R from the large charge, what is its final
kinetic energy?
Kinetic energy comes from drop in potential energy:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

kQ
R
kQ
2R
kqQ
R
kqQ
2R
None of these.

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PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 10
The three light bulbs in the circuit below are identical. If the switch is initially open, what
happens to the brightness of bulbs A and B when the switch is closed?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

A stays the same, B dims

A brightens, B dims
A and B both brighten
A and B both dim
A and B remain the same

Intuitively A gets brighter the path in series with it got easier to take, so more current flows in
the circuit. To determine B you really need to do the math. It used to see current V 2 R . Now it
sees current 12 V

 23 R  V 3R so it gets dimmer.

Q uestion 11
In three different regions of space (labeled I, II, and III), the electric fields are accurately
indicated by the electric field lines shown. (Notice that the separation of the field lines in II is the
same as in the right part of I and the left part of III.) The distance from point A to point B is the
same in all three regions. In which region is the magnitude of the voltage difference 'VAB the
smallest?

I
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

II

III

region I
region II
region III
the voltage difference in regions I and III tie for smallest
none of these.

Closer E field lines mean stronger E fields, mean steeper slopes (more rapid changes of
potential). So III has the smallest change (followed by II and then I)

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PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

The next two problems refer to the circuit shown

here to the right, consisting of a 12 V battery,
three resistors (all of them 2 :), and two
"digital multimeters," or "DMM's" the handheld
devices \RXXVHGLQWKH2KPV/DZODE to read off
the resistance of your wire.

A)
B)
C)
D)
E)

DMM #1

DMM #2

A
12 V

2 :

2 :

2 :

Q uestion 12
DMM #1 is set to read "amps", it's an ammeter.
DMM #2 is set to read "volts", it's a voltmeter.
What do the two devices read in the circuit
shown?
"DMM #1"

Sample 3 Solutions

"DMM #2"

9 A,
3V
9 A,
12 V
2 A,
2.7 V
2 A,
6V
None of the above combinations is correct.

The voltmeter reads the whole battery voltage

(notice that wire connects it to the battery at the
top and bottom). The ammeter sees the full
battery current. So we need to full equivalent
resistance: 4 ohms in parallel with 2: makes
4/3:. So the current is 12V/(4/3:) = 9A.

Q uestion 13
Now you take DMM #2 and flip the switch that reads "volts" to read "amps" (i.e., if DMM #2 is
now also an ammeter), what happens? (Assume 20 Amp fuses)
A. DMM #1 is o.k., but the fuse in DMM #2 blows out - too much current!
B. The fuses in both DMM #1 and DMM #2 blow out - too much current!
C. No fuses blow, and DMM #1's reading goes up
D. No fuses blow, and DMM #1's reading goes down.
E. No fuses blow, and DMM #1's reading stays the same.
DMM#2 will short out all of the resistors (it is in parallel with all) so in series with DMM #1 it
will short out the battery.
Q uestion 14
The current in the 5.0-: resistor in the circuit shown is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Req

1

1
1
1 1

6
:

12
:

4
:
 >3:  5:@



0.42 A
0.67 A
1.5 A
2.4 A
3.0 A

1

4: o I batt

3A; half each way (each 8:)

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PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 15
A real battery of emf 24 V is connected to a 6-: resistor. As a result, current of 3 A exists in the
resistor. The potential difference measured across the terminals of the battery is:
A. 0
B. 6 V
C. 12 V
D. 18 V
The internal resistance drops the terminal voltage to V=IR
E. 24 V

Q uestion 16
A 12 V car battery connected to 10 : resistor supplies 1 A of current. What is the maximum
current that the battery can supply?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

1 A
1.2 A
2 A
Theoretically it could supply any amount of current
7KHUHLVQWHQRXJKLQIRUPDWLRQSURYLGHGWRGHWHUPLQHWKHPD[LPXPEXWWKHUHLVRQH
None of the above

There is a 2 V drop (from 12 V to 10 V) at 1 A. So the internal resistance is 2 :. So if you dead

short the battery youll get 12 V/2: = 6 A of current.

Q uestion 17
The electric potential in a region of space is given by V  r  kq  1r  d1  where d is a constant.
What is the magnitude E of the electric field in this region?
1 1
A. E  r  kq 
The electric field is the negative gradient of the
r d
1
potential:
1
B. E  r  kq 2  2
d
r
kq
C. E  r 
2
r  d 
Remember, d is a constant so derivative is zero.
kq
D. E  r 
2
r
kq  r  d 
E. E  r 
r 2d

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PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 18
Consider a two identical chunks of copper of volume V that are made into two uniform wires of
length L and 2L . These wires are submerged in identical cups of water (labeled C1 and C2
respectively) and connected, in series, across a battery of EMF H. What is the ratio of time t1 it
takes for the water to boil in C1 to the time t2 it takes for the water to boil in C2?
A. t1 t2

B. t1 t2 2
C. t1 t2 12
D. t1 t2 14
E. None of the above
It takes the same energy to boil the water so the time is inversely proportional to the power.
Doubling the length halves the area (since volume is constant) so resistance is 4 times bigger.
For same current (in series) that means it has 4 times the power (I2R). So the longer wire will
boil water 4 times faster.

Q uestion 19
Two uncharged conductors, A and B, are of different sizes. They are charged as follows:
1. A is charged from an electrostatic generator to charge q.
2. A is briefly touched to B.
3. Steps 1 and 2 are repeated until the charge on B reaches a maximum value.
After the first touch the electrostatic energy associated with B is four times that of A (when they
are well isolated from each other). After the process is complete (after B has been charged as
completely as possible) how much charge is on B?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

q/4
q/2
q
2q
4q

After every touch the potentials will be the same, and since the capacitances are fixed, the ratio
of charges will also be the same. As U 12 QV the ratios of the energies is the same as the ratios
of the charges (B is four times A). At the end of the process A has q and B has 4q.

Page 7 of 8

PHYS 212 MT2

Spring 2013

Sample 3 Solutions

Q uestion 20
A system consists of two square conducting plates of side length 1 m and thickness 1 mm,
separated by 1 mm (from x=0 to 1 mm and 2 to 3 mm). You make a measure of the potential
difference between the two plates and find it is zero. The potential difference between the left
plate and a point at x = -1 mm is VLeft Plate  V  x 1mm  1V . The potential difference
between the right plate and a point at x = +4 mm is VRight Plate  V  x 4 mm  2 V . Any other
charges in the system are far away. How much total charge is on the two plates?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

3000H0 V m
3H0 C
1000H0 C
-H0 V m
None of the above

Best to draw a picture for this one (though I dont). The potential is going to be linear in this
planar geometry, and the slope will give you the electric field. On the left the E field is -1 V/mm
(it points away from the plates). On the right the E field is 2 V/mm (again pointing downhill,
away from the plate). In between the E field is zero, since the potentials are the same. To figure
out the total charge on the plates we make a giant Gaussian surface which completely encloses
the plates and has one surface at x = -1mm and the other at x=4mm. The E fields are punching
Q
V
out and the flux is E d A E L AG  E R AG 3 mm
m2
Q 3000H 0V m

H0

N O T E: This isnt entirely kosher as we would have to contend with edge effects if we made
such a large surface, but we will get the same answer if we do it more properly by making a
smaller area Gaussian surface, computing the charge density and then calculating the total charge

Page 8 of 8