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    1. Gauss' law states that tex2html_wrap_inline237 . Thus, for our radial electric field in spherical coordinates,

      eqnarray20

    2. First, we may simply integrate up the charge in the sphere:

      eqnarray32

      Second, we may use Gauss's law for the sphere:

      displaymath239

      Here the surface integral for flux goes over the spherical surface at radius R, with normal tex2html_wrap_inline243 . tex2html_wrap_inline245 is then tex2html_wrap_inline247 . Furthermore tex2html_wrap_inline249 is constant over our surface of fixed r=R, and may be factored out of the integral. Thus Gauss' law gives

      displaymath253

      using the surface area for the sphere (easily integrated, noting that tex2html_wrap_inline255 .) Plugging in the given tex2html_wrap_inline257 gives

      displaymath259

      in agreement with the direct integration above.


  1. tex2html_wrap425 tex2html_wrap427

    The charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface is just its z-height times the uniform charge line density tex2html_wrap_inline263 :

    displaymath265

    The surface integral for flux goes over the complete Gaussian surface: the cylindrical shell at s = S (with normal tex2html_wrap_inline269 ), a top circle at z=h (with normal tex2html_wrap_inline273 ), and a bottom circle at z = -h (with normal tex2html_wrap_inline277 ). Since tex2html_wrap_inline279 points radially outward (the tex2html_wrap_inline269 direction), the only part of the surface with nonzero tex2html_wrap_inline245 is the cylindrical shell, where tex2html_wrap_inline279 and the surface's normal vector align. Note that this surface is at constant s, so tex2html_wrap_inline279 is constant over the surface, and may be factored out of the integral. Thus Gauss' law gives

    displaymath291

    using the surface area for the cylinder (easily integrated, noting that tex2html_wrap_inline293 .). Equating the 2 expressions for enclosed charge,

    displaymath295

    or

    displaymath297

  2. Here our Gaussian surface is a sphere of radius R, with normal tex2html_wrap_inline243 . By symmetry, since tex2html_wrap_inline303 depends only on r, the electric field is radial and depends only on r. Thus tex2html_wrap_inline245 is tex2html_wrap_inline247 , with tex2html_wrap_inline249 constant over the Gaussian surface of fixed r, so that it may be factored out of the flux integral. Thus Gauss' law again gives

    displaymath317

    We may also directly integrate the charge enclosed

    eqnarray86

    Equating the 2 expressions for enclosed charge,

    displaymath319

    or

    displaymath321


  3. tex2html_wrap429 tex2html_wrap431

    Note that since tex2html_wrap_inline279 points in the y-direction, only the top and bottom surfaces, with normals tex2html_wrap_inline349 , can make any contribution to the flux integral. On the bottom surface, at y=0, tex2html_wrap_inline353 so there is no contribution. So the total flux integral for the Gaussian surface shown is

    displaymath355

    since tex2html_wrap_inline357 is independent of x and z and can be factored out of the area integral.

    The charge enclosed by the surface is

    displaymath383

    If Y;SPMlt;d, our Gaussian volume lies completely in the slab where tex2html_wrap_inline303 is constant, so

    displaymath389

    If Y;SPMgt;d, tex2html_wrap_inline303 is not constant within our Gaussian volume, but vanishes for y;SPMgt;d. The enclosed charge is thus

    displaymath397

    since tex2html_wrap_inline303 is constant where it is nonzero. Using Gauss' law, then

    displaymath401

    or

    displaymath403

    1. displaymath371

      so this is an impossible electrostatic field.

    2. displaymath373

      so this is a viable electrostatic field.

      tex2html_wrap433 tex2html_wrap435

      This path is chosen because along the first leg, tex2html_wrap_inline391 vanishes when y=0, and along the second leg, tex2html_wrap_inline395 vanishes when y=0. There is thus a nonzero tex2html_wrap_inline399 only on the third leg, where tex2html_wrap_inline401 and tex2html_wrap_inline403 is nonzero. Thus

      displaymath439

      which is easily checked to reproduce the correct tex2html_wrap_inline407 .

  4. We're asked to find the potential for the infinitely long straight wire of uniform charge line density tex2html_wrap_inline263 , whose electric field we found in problem 2 to be

    displaymath297

    The potential is just

    displaymath413

    since the electric field points in the tex2html_wrap_inline269 direction. Here we've chosen our reference point tex2html_wrap_inline417 not at infinity, but at some finite radius a, since we will find that the potential diverges at infinity. This gives

    displaymath421

    Note that this potential reproduces the correct electric field. It approaches minus infinity infinitely far from the wire, and plus infinity as tex2html_wrap_inline423 . This means, for example, that all negative charges are bound by the wire, no matter how energetic they are.




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Next: About this document

Katherine Benson
Fri Apr 12 12:22:18 EDT 2002