PHY II

PH1020
Jan - May 2016
Department of Physics, IIT Madras
(Dated: January 6, 2016)

Problem Set 2
Electrostatics

0. Notation
Notation throughout follows that of Electrodynamics, Griffiths.
Bold face characters, such as v, represent three-vectors.

1. Principle of superposition I
Consider a regular N sided polygon, with N equal charges, each of magnitude q, placed at each of the corners.
Let Q be a test charge at the center.
(a) What is the total force Ftot on charge Q, for N = 13?
(b) In the above case, if a charge is removed from one of the corners, what is the total force Ftot on Q?
(c) How will the results change for N = 12.

2. Consider a square sheet with each side of length L, and carrying a uniform charge density .
(a) Calculate the electric field E at a point a distance h above the center of the plate.
(b) Find the limits of the above electric field for (i) L , and (ii) h  L. Justify these limiting expressions.

3. Consider a sphere of radius R centred at the origin, and let P be a constant vector of appropriate dimensions.
Let E0 denote the electric field at the center of the sphere. Find E0 if the sphere carries a surface charge density
(r) = P r. What are the dimensions of P ?
[Suggested problem]
Find E0 if the sphere carries a volume charge density (r) = K r where 0 |r| R.

Note:
We will encounter the situations described by Problem 3 above, and Problem (5) below, more than once in this
course; most importantly while discussing a uniformly polarised sphere and electric fields in material media. It
would be very useful to familiarise yourself with these elementary results.

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4. Gausss law in integral form
Using Gausss law in integral form, find the electric field for the following charge configurations.


(a) Consider a volume charge distribution given by (r) = 0 1 (r/R)2 for 0 < r < R, and (r) = 0 for
r > R. Find the electric field everywhere due to this charge distribution.
(b) Consider a volume charge distribution given by (r) = 0 s/R for 0 < s < R, and (r) = 0 for s > R,
where s is the distance from the z-axis. Find the electric field everywhere due to this charge distribution.
(c) Redo the L limit of Problem 2b using Gausss law.

Note:
The Gausss law in integral form is given by
I
E n dS =

Qenc
0

(1)

where Qenc is the total charge enclosed, and n is the outward normal to the gaussian surface S. Provided the
given charge distribution has some nice symmetry properties, one can choose S appropriately to determine E
using the above expression.
For instance, a charge distribution that looks the same in all directions about a given point is said to be
spherically symmetric about that point, while one which looks the same about a given axis is referred to as
axis/cylindrically symmetric. When such symmetries exist, it usually gives us a very good intuition about the
at least some aspects of the resultant electric field E.
Two most important things that a symmetry can tell us are: (1) whether E must be independent of some
coordinate(s), (2) whether only certain components of E can be non-zero.
Deducing such aspects is something for which you need to rely on your geometric intuition.
You can identify examples of each of these symmetries in the problems above, and then choose an appropriate
gaussian surface and an appropriate coordinate system to find the electric field.

5. [Suggested problems]
(a) Consider two infinite line charges, with constant charge per unit length , lying along the x and y axes
respectively. Find the flux through each side of a cube of side L, centered at the origin, due to this
configuration.
(b) Consider a pyramid with a square base of side L, and the four faces formed by equilateral triangles of sides
H. A charge Q is placed at the center of the base. Find the flux through each of the triangular faces.
(c) A charge Q is placed at one of the corners of a cube of side L. Find the flux through each of the faces not
containing Q.

6. Principle of superposition II
Consider a sphere of radius R, with its center having position vector r0 , carrying a uniform volume charge
density 0 . Let there be a spherical cavity of radius R0 inside this sphere, with its center at position s0 .
Find the electric field everywhere inside the cavity.

[Suggested problem]
Consider a sphere of radius R, with its center having position vector r0 , carrying a uniform volume charge
density 0 . Consider another sphere, of radius, say, R0 , with its center having position vector s0 , and carrying
a uniform volume charge density: 0 . Suppose this second sphere has a region of overlap O with the first
sphere; find the electric field in O.

7. Possible pitfalls in usage of Gausss law

In both of the problems in (6) above, the total charge density, and hence the total charge, in the region of
interest is zero; that is, Qenc = 0. Explain why a non-zero electric field E in this region does not invalidate the
Gausss law. If you can answer the above clearly, you would also understand why, although the Gausss law
always holds, it is not always useful!