University of Waterloo Midterm Examination Winter 2010

Course Number: Course Title: Professor:

ECE 106 Physics of Electrical Engineering II F. Mansour Initials __________

First Name: _______________________ Last Name: _______________________ ID #: ____________________________ Date of Exam: Time Period: Duration of Exam: Number of Exam Pages: (including this cover sheet) Aids Allowed:

Signature ___________________________ Feb 22, 2010 19:00 21:00 2 hours 8

Calculator.

Attempt all 8 questions. Hand marked (worth 12 marks each). 1. Write your answers with units (unless inappropriate) in the spaces provided whenever applicable. 2. If you need more space, use the back of the previous page, BUT please leave a note directing the marker to any such extra work. 3. To earn full marks, your solutions must show your reasoning. Correct answers without any appropriate reasoning or with unreadable reasoning will not be awarded credit. 4. Make sure your calculator is in either radians or degrees, as required. If you use a programmable calculator, make sure that the memory is cleared. 5. Ask a proctor to clarify a question if you think it is necessary. If the student proctor cannot Answer your question satisfactorily, ask him / her to call the Professor. 6. Assume any data that is given is accurate to as many significant figures as necessary.

Useful Constants and expressions: 1 k= = 8.99 x10 9 Nm 2 / C 2 o = 8.85 x10 12 C 2 / Nm 2 4 o m p = 1.67 x10 27 kg Q=CV
e=Qenc/0

me = 9.11x10 31 kg

e = 1.6 x10 19 C parallel plate capacitor C=0A/d V= -E.X (uniform field)

C=C

Area of spherical shell = 4r2,

MARKING SCHEME MARK 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. MARK

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 2 of 8

Question 1. a. Find the electrostatic field near a straight uniformly charged line of length L and charge density , at a point located along the perpendicular bisector of the wire a distance r from the wire. Give your answer in terms of the total charge on the wire. Your solution should show all the steps of the full derivation.

b. Use the expression you got in a to find the value of the electrostatic field near an infinitely long straight line of uniform charge density , a distance r from the line. Give answer in terms of .

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 3 of 8

Question 2 A infinitely long solid cylinder has a variable charge distribution that results in an electric field given by E=Ar3/R3 for r R

a. Find the field at the surface of the cylinder

b.

Find the total charge on the cylinder

c. Find the volume charge density of the cylinder as a function of r.

d. Find an expression of the field for r>R in terms of A, r and R

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 4 of 8

Question 3 A parallel plate capacitor is made from two plates of area A, separated by distance d. When fully charged across a battery of emf = (V), a charge of magnitude q develops on either plate.

a. Before the capacitor is charged, two pieces of dielectric material,

one of dielectric constant 1 three times as thick as the other of dielectric constant 2, and both of area A to match the area of the plates are inserted between the plates. The two pieces of dielectric are in contact with each other and their combined thickness is d/4. The capacitor is then fully charged across the battery, the circuit is then opened (capacitor disconnected) and the dielectric material removed. Find the work you need to do to remove the dielectric. Show full solution, express answer in terms of q, A, d, and the dielectric constants.

b. When three identical capacitors are connected in parallel across a battery, a charge q
develops on the positive plate of each. What charge would develop on the positive plate of each capacitor if they were to be connected in series across the same battery.

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 5 of 8

Question 4 Three protons are placed at the corners of an equilateral triangle of side length L = 0.9 nm. They are fixed in space. Ignore gravity for this question

a. Calculate the electrostatic potential at the centre of symmetry of the triangle.

b. A fourth proton is placed at the midpoint of one of the sides and then let go, while the other three charges are sill fixed in space. Find the speed of the proton when it has moved by 3 nm.

c. When the fourth proton in b has moved to an infinite distance away, the three protons are released. Find the max speed of each of the protons.

d. A proton of speed c/2 is fired directly at another stationary proton. Find the distance of closest approach between the two protons. Show full reasoning.

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 6 of 8

Question 5

a. Using Gauss Law find the field in front of an infinite, uniformly

charged plane of charge density . Show full work.

b. A electron is fired at a uniformly charge infinite plane of charge

density with an initial speed of 3 x 107 m/s. When originally fired the electron was 2 mm away from the plane, and its velocity made an angle of 32 degrees with the normal to the plane. The smallest distance between the plane and the electron was found to be 0.17 m. Find . Ignore gravity.

c. Find the distance parallel to the plane covered by the electron from time of launch till it
reaches its minimum speed.

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 7 of 8

Question 6 A solid conducting sphere of radius R is surrounded by a conducting thick spherical shell of inner radius 2R and outer radius 3R. A total charge of + Q is transferred to the thick spherical shell. Give all answers in terms of quantities given. a. Find the potential difference between the solid sphere and the thick spherical shell.

b. Another charge 2Q is transferred to the solid sphere. Find the charge density on the
outside surface of the thick spherical shell.

c. The solid sphere and the spherical shell are now connected by a conducting wire. Find
the expression for the electric field for R<r<2R..

d. For part c, find the surface charge density on the inside surface of the thick spherical shell.

ECE 106 Midterm Winter 2010

Page 8 of 8