MODULE : 1

Lecture 1 :

Key words :

Scalar, Vector, Field, position vector, dot product, cross product, Right hand rule

Multiple Choice Questions :

1. A scalar quantity
a. is specified only by its magnitude
b. does not have unit
c. always has a mass
d. is not dimensioned.
2. Which of the following is a scalar?
a. velocity
b. current density
c. electromotive force
d. electric field
3. If |A+
B|=|
A
B| , then the angle between the vectors
A and
B is
a. zero
b. 450
c. 600
d. 900

A
B
4. When two vectors and having magnitudes a and b are added, the
magnitude of the resultant vector
a. is equal to a+b
b. is equal to a-b
c. cannot be greater than a2 +b2
d. cannot be greater than a+b

A
B
5. If two vectors and are such that the magnitude of their dot product
is equal to magnitude of their cross product, the angle between the vectors is
a. zero
b. 450
c. 600
d. 900

C does not lie in the plane containing vectors
A
B . If
6. A vector and
none of the vectors is a null vector, it follows that the sum of the three

A +
B +
C
vectors
a. is not a null vector
 b. can be a null vector

c. may lie in the plane containing the vectors A and B

A +
B
d. may lie in the plane containing the vector and either of the

A
B .
vectors and

Problems :

^ ^j+ k^
i+ i^ .
1. Determine the angle between the vector and the unit vector
^
4 i3 ^j
2. Find a unit vector perpendicular to the vector .
3. Determine a vector having a magnitude 1/2 which is anti - parallel to the
^
10 i5 ^k
^j+ 10
vector .
^ a2 ^j+ a3 k^
a =a1 i+
4. For a non-zero vector , the cosine of the angle between the

vector a and the unit vectors

^ ^j
i, and k^ are known as the direction

cosines of the vector a :

a i^ a ^j a k^
cos = ,cos = , cos =
|a| |a| |a|
+ cos2 + cos2 =1
Show that the direction cosines satisfy the relation cos 2

^ 4 ^j+5 k^
3 i+
and find the direction cosine of the vector .
5. Find the angle between the body diagonal AC of the cube with its face
diagonal AB.

A
B
6. Find the area of a triangle whose onevertex is at the origin and the position
^ 4 ^j
i+ ^ ^j+2 k^
2 i+2
vectors of the remaining vertices are and .
 7. Three edges of a parallelepiped which meet at the origin are defined by
^ 4 ^j
i+ ^ ^ ^ ^ 4 ^j
i+
position vectors , 2 i+2 j+2 k and .
Answers to Multiple Choice Questions
1. a
2. c
3. d
4. d
5. b
6. a
Answers to Problems

1
cos1 ( )
1. 3
3^ 4^
2.
i+ j
5 5
1 ^ 1 ^ 1 ^
3.
i + j k
3 6 3
3 5 5
cos = , cos = ,cos =
4. 5 2 5 2 52
2
cos1 ( )
5. 6
6. 2 2
7. 10

Hints for solutions to problems :

1. Find the dot product of the vectors and divide it by the product of magnitude
of the vectors.
2. For a vector to be perpendicular to another vector, their dot product should
^ b ^j
i+
vanish. Take the vector to be , equate the dot product to zero. This
will give you a relation between a andb. Since the vector is to be a unit

vector a2 +b 2 =1.
^k
^ ^j10
10 i+5
3. The required vector has to be proportional to so as to be
anti-parallel to the given vector. This vector has a magnitude 15. Thus to get
magnitude of 1/2 , divide this by 15/2.
4. Direct use of formula.

AC
AB . Determine their dot product and find the
5. Find the vectors and
angle as in Problem 1.
6. Area vector is cross product of the vector s representing the edges. Its
magnitude represents the area.
7. Volume is given by taking the dot product of the vector of the third edge with
the area vector.

Errors to be corrected :
1. Page 7 line 2 : inside the bracket (math it should be aligned) should read
0
2. Page 10 : line 3 : raise the line points in the direction . Called the to
align with AXB
3. Last line before the figure dS should be aligned with the word element
4. Example 1 : (Page 14 pop up) all underlines should be removed.

Lecture 2 :

Key Words : Cartesian coordinates, spherical coordinates, cylindrical coordinates,

Jacobian, coordinate transformation.

Multiple choice questions :

1. Rectangular coordinate system is also known as

a. Space coordinate system
b. Polar coordinate system
c. Cartesian coordinate system
d. Planar coordinate system
2. The least distance between two points on the equatorial circle on the surface
of the earth having polar coordinates (R,0) and (R, /2) with respect to the
origin at the centre of the Earth is
a. R
b. R/2
c. R/2
d. R
3. The range of azimuthal angle in the spherical polar coordinates is
a. [0,2]
b. [0,]
c. [0,/2]
d. [-, +]
4. The equation to a surface in spherical coordinates is given by =/3. The
surface is
a. A sector of a circle
 b. A cone making an angle of /3 with the z-axis
c. A vertical plane making an angle of /3 with the z-axis
d. A vertical plane making an angle of /3 with the x-axis
5. The equation to a surface in spherical coordinates is given by =/3. The
surface is
a. A sector of a circle
b. A cone making an angle of /3 with the z-axis
c. A vertical plane making an angle of /3 with the z-axis
d. A vertical plane making an angle of /3 with the x-axis
6. In two dimensions, for the transformation from a pair of variables (x,y) to a
new pair (u,v), the Jacobian is
a. The ratio of the elemental area dudv to the area dxdy
b. The ratio of the elemental area dxdy to the area dudv
c. Only depends on the area element dxdy
d. Only depends on the new area element dudv
7. The Jacobian for transformation from three dimensional Cartesian coordinates
to spherical polar coordinates is
a. r sin

b. r 2 sin

c. r 2 sin cos

d. r cos

8. Expressed in spherical coordinates, the equation x 2+ y 2 + z 2=4 z becomes

a. r=4 cos sin

b. r=4 sin cos

c. r=4 cos

d. r=4 sin

Problems

1 1x 2
1. Rewrite dx x 2+ y 2 dy in polar coordinates.
1 0

2. Convert ( x , y , z ) =(1,1, 2) to (a) spherical coordinates and (b)

cylindrical coordinates.

3. Sketch the region
0 , 1 of the cylindrical coordinate system.
2

Define the region in spherical polar coordinates.


4. Convert (
4, ,
4 3 ) in spherical coordinates to (a) rectangular coordinates

and (b) cylindrical coordinates.

5. Find the Jacobian of the transformation from the xy plane to the uvplane :
v v2
x= , y=
u2 u .

6. Evaluate the integral |x|| y| dxdy over a circular region of radius R

centered at the origin.

7. Using an appropriate change of variables calculate the double integral
( x +2 y)2 dxdy over the region defined by the parallelogram with

1
vertices at
( 0,0 ) , ( 1,1/2 ) ,(1,
2 )
, ( 2,0 ) .

1/2

0 2
x

8. Using cylindrical coordinates, calculate the volume of a hemisphere.

Answers to Multiple choice questions :

1. (c) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (b) 6. (b) 7. (b) 8. (c)

Hints for solutions to problems :

 2 2
1. The upper limit on y integration satisfies x + y =1 . Since y 0, the

region of integration is a semicircle of radius 1 with 1 x +1 as its

diameter. The area element dxdy becomes rdrd in polar. Thus, the
1

integral becomes dr r 2 d .
0 0

7 7
2. Answer :(a)
(2, , ) , (B)
( 2 , , 2) . One has to be careful in
4 4 4

fixing the value of in spherical polar (or of in cylindrical). Since the point is
7
in the fourth quadrant of the xy plane, tan =1 has the solution 4 .

3. In xy plane it is quarter of a disk x 2+ y 2 1 , z unbound. Thus the region

defines quarter of an infinite circular cylinder. In spherical polar x 2+ y 2 1

becomes r 2 sin 1 .

2 2 , ,2 2
4. Answer : ( x , y , z ) =( 2 , 6 , 2 2) ; 3 )
( x , y , z ) =( 2, 6 , 2 2 ) ; ( , , z )=

| |
x x
2
u v v
5. The Jacobian is given by the inverse of the determinant =3 4 .
y y u
u v

u 4 1
Thus the required Jacobian is 2
2 .
3v 3x
6. The required integral is equal to 4 times the integral over the first quadrant,
where both x and y are positive. Convert the integral to polar. Value of the

integral is R2 /2 .

7. Let u=x +2 y , v=x2 y . The Jacobian is 1/4 . (Remember that inside

integrals only the magnitude of the Jacobian is to be taken). The required

2 2
1
integral is u2 du dv= 34 .
4 0 0
 2 2 2
8. In cylindrical coordinates, the equation to the sphere is + z =R . Range of
both and z vary from 0 to R (For a sphere, z would vary from R to +R).
Volume element in the cylindrical coordinates is dddz . The integral over

R R 2 z 2 R
R 2z 2 R3
d dz d= 2 dz=2
0 0 0
2 3
the hemisphere is 2 .

0

Lecture 3 :
Key words : line integral, work, parameterization, flux, surface
integral

Problems :

1. Evaluate the integral

x y 2 dx where C is a quarter circle of radius 2 on
C

the first quadrant with the centre of the circle being at the origin.
^ x ^j
F ( x , y )= y i+
2. Evaluate the work done by a force acting along the

e
curve y=ln x from the point (1,0) to ( 2 ,1) in a counterclockwise

fashion.
x
2
( 2+ y )dx +2 xydy
3. Evaluate the integral where C is a semicircle of

C

radius 1 about the origin (in a counterclockwise fashion).

4. Show that the integral

( x y 2 ) dx+( x 2 y+ 2 x ) dy around any square of side
C

a depends only on the area of the square.

5. Find the work done in moving an object in a force field given by
^ z 2 ^j+ x2 k^
F = y i+ ^ cos t ^j+t k^ ; t :[0,2 ]
r ( t ) =sin t i+
along a closed curve .

6. Evaluate the line integral ( x 2 y 2) dl where the contour is along

x=3 cos t , y =3 sint .


F representing the velocity field of a fluid is given by
7. A vector field

^ z ^j+ y k^
F =x i+2 . Find the flux of the filed through the surface S given by

the part of the plane x+ y+ z=1 in the first octant and oriented upward.

8. Let S be a circular cylinder of radius 3 and height 4. If

^
F =x i+2 y ^j+ z 2 k^ ,
find the surface integral of the force field through the curved surface of
the cylinder.
^ x 2 ^j+3 z k^
F = y i+
9. Find the flux of out of the closed surface bounded by

z=x 2+ y 2

and z=1.
^
F = y ix ^j+ z k^
10.Evaluate the flux of the vector field through a cone

z= x 2+ y 2 ; 0 z 2 .

Hints for solutions to problems :

1. Parameterize x=2 cos t ; y=2sin t so that d x =2 sin t dt . Taking the

contour in the anticlockwise direction, t varies from /2 to 0. The line

integral, taken in the anticlockwise fashion ,is+4.
2
e 1
F d l = F x dx + F y dy= ydx + xdy = ln x dx + e y dy=e 2 +e

1 0
2.

C

3. Parameterize x=2 cos t ; y=2sin t . Answer = 2/3

4. Without loss of generality, take the vertices of the square at (0,0), (a,0), (0,a)
and (a,a). Calculate each line integral. Along the line joining (0,)0 and (a,0) ,
y=0 and dy =0, the integral is zero. From (a,0) to (a,a), x=constant=a, dx=0.
 a a 4
a
The integral is a 2
ydy + 2 ady=
2
+2 a2 . Add two other contribution to
0 0

show that the resulting integral is proportional to the area of the square.

5. x=cos t , y =sin t , z=t . F d r = F ddtr dt= ( F x dx

dt
dy
dt
dz
+ F y + F z ) dt
dt . The

value of the integral is 2 + 4 2 .

6. Answer : 0
1 ^ ^ ^
7. The unit normal to the given plane is
( i + j + k ) . Thus flux =
3

1
( x+ 2 z + y ) dS= ( 2x y ) dS
3 S z
F d S= 13
S S

Since the integrand is a function of

x and y, it is convenient to convert
the integral to a surface integral in
the xy plane. This is done by y
observing that if z=g(x,y) is the x+y=1
equation to a surface S which
projects on to the region R of the x-
y plane, we have,

x,y,z

f ()dS= f ( x , y , g ( x , y )) (

g 2 g 2
x
+)( )
y
+1 dxdy

In this case z=g(x,y)=1-x-y. Thus


F d S
1 { 1x }
2
dx ( 2x y ) dy=
3
0 0
S

8. The outward normal to the curved surface of the cylinder is given by

^ 3sin ^j
3 cos i+ .
The surface integral over the closed surface is given by

2
3 co s



2
dz
0
4

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.Consider the curved surface first. The unit vector which points upward (i.e.
^
2 x i2 y ^j+ k^
with a positive component along the z-axis is given by
n^ =
4 x 2+ 4 y 2 +1 .
Thus
1
F n^ dS= (2 xy2 y x 2 +3 x2 +3 y 2 ) dS
S S 4 x + 4 y +1
2 2

(2 xy2 y x 2 +3 x2 +3 y 2 ) dxdy

15.We can parameterize the integral by x=r cos ; y=r sin ; 0 r 1, 0 2 .

The integral can be easily calculated to give 3 /2.

 16.The normal to the cap of the hemisphere is along the negative z direction.
Since z=0 on this cap, it does not contribute to the surface integral.
17.The problem of calculating surface integral over a cone is very similar except
that the radius r depends on the z-coordinate. Unit normal to the slanting
i^ x ^j y + k^ z
surface is n^ = . Following the method outlined earlier, we can
2 z
parameterize (the slant angle is /4
x=r cos ; y=r sin ; z=r ; 0 r 1, 0 2
+r
2
2 r cos sin rdrd=
3



18.Thus xy+ xy +z 2
( z )
dxdy=

F n^ dS=


z S

19.

20.
21.
22.
y
23.
24.
25.
x 26.
27.
28.
29.
30. Lecture 4 :
31.
32. Problems :
1. Use the fundamental theorem of calculus to compute the derivative of
3
x
2

the integral f ( x )= et dt .
x

2. Let
3
f ( x , y ) =x + x y 2
. Find
f
dl , over the arc of a circle of radius 1
A

B and B (0,1).
connecting A (1,0)

A
 33.

34.

35.

36.

37.

38.

3. Find the work done by a conservative force field

^
F =( 4 x3 y 3 +3 ) i+(3
x 4 y 2+1) ^j on a particle acting along the straight-line
joining the point A to B as shown for problem 2.
4. Find the directional derivative of f ( x , y , z )=2 x2 y 3+ 3 xy + z 2 along the

^ ^j+ k^
i+
direction at the point (1,1,1).

5. Find the unit vector normal to the surface 4 x 2 + y 2 +9 z 2=18 at the point
(1,1,1).
6. Calculate the gradient of f ( x , y ) =x2 y 2 in Cartesian coordinate system

as well as in the spherical polar coordinates and show that they give the
same results.
z=y z ^ y ^j+(z1) k^
F =x i+
7. x=0
Verify divergence theorem for the vector field over a

hemisphere x 2+ y 2 + z 2 R2 , the bottom cap being at z=0.

8. Evaluate
z=4-y the surface integral of the vector field
^
F =3 x z 2 i+5 y 2 ^jz 3 k^

over the region bounded by the surfaces (see figure)

x2
z= y , z =4 y , z=2 , x=0, z=0 .
2

39.

40.
y
41.

42.

43.
x
44.

45.

9. Find the surface integral of F = y 2 i^ +2 xz ^j+ ( z1 )2 k^

over a region

bounded by a cylinder x 2+ y 2 =4 and the planes z=1 and z=2.

10.Let S be an open cone z= x 2+ y 2 with z 4 . Calculate F d S over

S

^ y ^j+ z k^
F =x i+
the surface of the cone, where .

k
F = n ^
11.Find the divergence of , and find n for which the divergence

vanishes for all >0.

46. Hints for solutions to problems :

2

1. If F(x) is anti-derivative of ex , f ( x )=F ( x 3 ) F ( x ) . Thus

df 2 ' 3 ' 6
2 x x 2

=3 x F ( x ) F ( x ) =3 x e e
dx
B

2.
f
dl=f ( B ) f ( A )=1
A

3. The problem is to calculate the function f from its gradient. Given

f 3 3
=4 x y +3 we have f =x 4 y 3+3 x +C ( y ) , where C(y) is a function of y
x

f
alone. Similarly,
=3 x 4 y 2 +1 gives f =x 4 y 3+ y+ D( x) with D(x) being a
y

function of x alone. Comparing the two expressions for f(x,y) we find that
apart from an unimportant constant, the function f is given by
f ( x , y ) =x 4 y3 +3 x + y . Thus using the fundamental theorem of calculus, the

value of the integral is -2.

4. Find the gradient of the given function and take its scalar product with the

unit vector along the given direction. Answer 6 3 .

5. The normal is in the direction of the gradient at the point. Calculate the
^
( i2 ^j+2 k^ )/3
gradient and divide by its modulus. Answer
6. In Cartesian f =2 i^ x2 ^j y . In spherical system f ( r , )=r 2 sin2 cos 2 .

f 1 f ^ 1 f
Use the expression for gradient
f= r^ + + ^ to calculate
r r r sin

the gradient. This is given by

2 ^
47. f =2 r sin cos 2 r^ + 2r sin cos cos 2 2 r sin sin 2
^

2r sin [ cos ( sin r^ + cos ^ )sin ( sin r^ + cos ^ )2sin cos ^ ]

2 2

^
2r sin cos ( sin cos r^ +cos cos sin ^
^ )2 r sin sin ( sin sin r^ +cos sin +cos ^ )

^
2 x i2 y ^j
2 3
7.


F =3 . Thus F dV =3 3
R =2 R3
. Next step is to calculate the
V

surface integral. There are two surfaces, the curved surface whose outward

normal is d S=R2 sin dd r^ is in the radially outward direction and the

normal to the cap which is along the negative z-direction k^ . For the

curved surface, the surface integral is calculated easily by going over to the
spherical polar coordinates (you could also do it in Cartesian by expressing
the normal in the Cartesian using the equation to the surface). Since the
normal is along the radial direction, in computing the surface integral, we are
only interested in the radial component of the force field. It can be shown
3 2 3 2 2
that the radial component of F is given by R sin + R cos R cos , i.e. it

is independent of . The integral over the azimuth gives 2 The surface

integral is

2

48. 2 ( R s + R cos sin R sin cos ) d

3 3 3 2 2

4 3 2 3 2 3 2
R+ R R =2 R R
3 3
49.That leaves us with the integral over the bottom cap where z=0. Since the
normal is along the negative z direction, the surface integral is

( 1z ) dS= dS= R2 . Adding the two contributions to the surface integral,

S

the result follows.



F =10 y ,
F d S= 10 ydV . We need to specify the limits of the volume
8.

integral. Limits on y are from z to 4-z. Limits on z are from 0 to 2x 2 /2 and

2
2 2 x /2 4 z

that of x are from 0 to 2. 5 dx dz ydy =128

0 0 z

F 2
z 2 z . Thus the volume integral (in cylindrical
9. Divergence of is

coordinates) is 2
2
2(z1)dz =4 .
1

10.We can use the use the divergence theorem to calculate the flux from the
surface of the closed cone first and then subtract the surface integral of the
field from the to cap, at z=4. For the closed cone, it is convenient to use

F =r , so that div F = 3. The volume integral of div F is 3
spherical polar as

1 1 64
times the volume V of the cone, i.e.
V = r 2 h= ( 16 ) 4=
3 3 3 . The

surface integral, therefore, is equal to 64 . We have to now subtract the

surface integral over the top surface, whose normal is along the positive z

F d S =zdS . Since z=4 on the cap and is constant the
direction. Thus
surface integral is 4 times the area of the cap which is 16, so that the
surface integral on the cap is 64. Thus the surface integral from the outside
surface of the open cone is zero.
11.Ans. n=1
12.(a) 0, (b) 2/r (c) 0 (d) 6
50.
51. Corrections and additions to Lecture 4 :
52.
53.Page 4 :

54. Line 7 , 10 and 11 : remove underlines from d r (four places

total)

55. Page 5 :

56. Line 5 :ADD after the sentence ending with dT above

57. This is known as the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.

58. INSERT at the end of Page 5 :

 59. If we divide the relation T =
T d r by s, the length of

the vector d r , we get, on taking the limit,

dT d r
60.
= T
ds ds

d r
61. However, u= is a unit vector along the direction in which the
ds

T u is known as the directional derivative of
change of T is measured.

T in the direction u , and is denoted by

Du T .

62. If f(x,y,z) is a function of (x,y,z), the equation f ( x , y , z )=c =constant

is known as the equation to the level surface of f, parameterized by c.

df
Suppose, r (t) is a curve that lies on such a level surface. Then
=0 .
dt

f u , where u=( x ' ( t ) , y ' ( t ) , z ' (t ) ) , with t
But, the left hand side is equal to
being a parameter such as time. However, u is a tangent to the surface as it

f
is a tangent to a curve on the surface. Thus is along the normal to the
level surface. (It makes sense as df=0 implies no change in the value of f.
Thus the direction should be normal to the level surface.)

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70. Lecture 5

71.
72. Problems :
1. Calculate the curl of the following vector fields
^ yz ^j+ xy k^
F =xz i+
a. (in Cartesian)

1
b.
F = ^ (in cylindrical)

1
c.
F = ^

(in cylindrical)

2. For F =x i^ + x ^j+ y k^ , verify Stokes theorem over the surface of a

hemisphere x 2+ y 2 + z 2=a2 ; z 0 .

3. If a is a constant vector, show that ( a r ) =2 a .

x ^j+ z ^k
2^ 2
4. Find the line integral of the vector field

F =x i+2 along an ellipse
2 2
in the x-y plane 4 x + y =4 taken in the anticlockwise direction.

5. Verify Stokes theorem over the boundary of a plane x+ y+ z=1 for the

^ xz ^j + x 2 k^
F = y i+
vector field .
j
6. Convert y i+ x ^
^
with being a constant, to polar coordinates and
F =r

calculate its line integral over a circle x 2+ y 2 =a2 .

^ x 3 y 2 ^j+ z k^
F =x i+
7. Using Stokes theorem, find the line integral of over

the boundary of the semi-ellipsoid z= 44 x 2 y 2 in the plane z=0. Use

both the elliptical disk and the ellipsoidal surface to obtain the result.
8. Are the following force fields conservative?
^ xyz ^j y 2 k^
F =xz i+
a.
^ x ^j+ y k^
F =z i+
b.
1+2 x 2 y 2 ^j3 z2 k^
c. F =2 x y 3 i^ +

73.
2 2
9. Calculate the Laplacian of f ( x , y ) =x y in Cartesian and in spherical
coordinates and show that the results are the same.
10.Calculate the Laplacian of the following scalar functions where
r= x 2 + y 2+ z2

a. r (cos + sin cos )

n
b. r
( yz )
c. r

d. sin r / r
11.A spherical shell of radius R has a total charge Q. If the charge density is

given by ( r )=C (r R) , find the constant C.

12.Show that for a0 , ( x /a)=|a| (x ) .

13.Show that the derivative of the delta function satisfies

' ( x ) f ( x ) dx=f ' (0) .

14.Verify the following identities

F )=f (
(f
F )+( f )
F
a.

( F +
f )=
(

F)
b.

( G (
) =
F G F ) F (

G)
c.
74.
75.
76. Hints for solutions to problems :
1. (a) ( x y ) ( i^ + ^j) (b) 0 (only non-zero component is
F which

depends on (c) 0
2. First calculate the line integral F d l= xdx+ xdy+ ydz over a

circle in z=0 plane. Parameterize the remaining integrals by

x=cos t , y =sin t ; 0 t 2 . Only the value of the second integral is
2
non-zero and it gives a .

77. To calculate the

surface integral, first
calculate the curl

^ k^
i+
78. which is . If we take the circular
 79. disk as the bounding surface
80. of the curve, the normal l is along

81.

82. the positive z-direction, so that

curl F dS= dS= a 2

S

83. If, on the other hand, we take the surface to be the curved
1
surface, the unit normal is given by
n^ = ( i^ x+ ^j y + k^ z ) . The surface
a

1
a
(x +z )dS
integral is S
. By symmetry, the term with x is zero (this

can be seen in spherical coordinates, where the integral vanishes).

Going over to spherical coordinates, the integral is
2 /2

d acos a2 sin d= a 2 .
0 0

3. Let the components of a be

a x , a y , a z . Using this write a r

explicitly and then take the curl. Reconstruct the result.

4. Curl of the given field is 2 k^ . Thus the required line integral is equal

to the surface integral

2 dS=2 dx dy , which is twice the area of the
S

ellipse. As the given ellipse has a semi-major axis of a=2 and semi-
minor axis of b=1, the area is ab=2 . Thus the integral is 4 .

5. Curl of the vector field is i^ x2 ^j x + k^ (z1) . The normal to the plane

i^ + ^j+ k^
is . Thus the surface integral is
3
1 1x
1
(3 x +( z1)) dS= (3 x+( z1)) dxdy= dx
3 S
(4 x y ) dy =5
6
0 0
 F =r ^ . The line integral is
+1
6. In cylindrical coordinates the field is

a +1 ad=2 a2 + . Try doing it using Stokes theorem as well.

0

7. The curl of the vector is 3 x2 y 2 k^ . The line integral of the field is

equal to the surface integral over the semi-ellipsoid , which is also

equal to the surface integral of the planar ellipse. Considering the
planar ellipse, the direction of the surface is along the positive z
direction, so that,
+1 2 1 x
2

( F ) d S =
3 x 2 y 2 dxdy=
1 2 1x 2
If instead, we consider the semi-

S

ellipsoid, the normal (calculated by computing the gradient) is

^ y ^j+z k^
4 x i+
n^ =
2 16 x 2 + y 2 + z 2 . Thus the integral is

3 x2 y2 z 3 2
dS= y zdxdy . To evaluate this integral , use a
S 2 16 x + y + z S 2
2 2 2

coordinate transformation x=rsin cos , y=2 rsin sin , z=2r cos .

2
Using this the equation to the surface becomes 4 r =4, i. e .r =1. The
2
Jacobian of the transformation is 4 r sin =4 sin . The surface integral

becomes

2 2
5 2 2
24 sin cos d sin cos d=
0 0

8. Check if the curl is zero. Answer (a) No (b) No (c) yes

9. y 2x 2=r 2 sin 2 cos 2 . Laplacian is zero.
2( y z) sin r
10.(a) 0 (b) n(n+1) r n2 (c) (d)

r3 r


11.Since the total charge is Q, ( r ) dV =Q 4 C ( r R ) r 2 dr =Q ,

0

which gives C=Q/4 r 2 .

12.Take a to be positive and negative to arrive at the identity.
13.Do an integration by parts.
14.Express the vectors in terms of their components and prove each of
the identities.
84.

85.

86. Corrections and 87.

additions to Lecture 5 :

1. Page 2 : Left side of the last equation should be

F d l
C

V

2. Page 10 : Last line of the equation on the right replace y2 by

2 V
y2
3. Page 15 : Replace the last equation by the following equation

4. 2 ( 1r ) d 3 r = ( 1r ) d 3 r

1
r() 1
d S = 2 r^ d S
V V S S r

5.

6. MODULE :2

7. Lecture 6
8. Multiple Choice Questions :

1. Eight charges, each +q, are located symmetrically on a circle of radius

R with P as its centre. If the charge at the position X is removed and
brought to the location P, the force on this charge will be
1 q2
a. 4 R2 from X to P
X
2
1 q
b. 4 R2 from P to X P
 7 q2
c. 4 R2 from X to P

7 q2
d. 4 R2 from P to X

2. Twelve charges are positioned on the dial of a wall clock such that a
charge Q is at the position 1, 2Q at position 2, 3Q at 3 and so on,
ending with 12Q at the position 12. If O is at the centre of the dial,
what is the force exerted on a unit charge located at O, assuming the
radius of the dial to be of unit length?

9. y

^ ^j
( 12+6 3 ) i+6 ^
( 12+6 3 ) i6 ^j
a. d.

b.
^ ^j
( 12+6 3 ) i+6 10.
11.
^
( 12+6 3 ) i6 ^j
c.
12. x

13. 14.

15.

3.
4. Two small conducting spheres attract each other electrostatically. It can
be concluded that
a. At least one of the spheres is charged
b. Both the spheres are charged
c. Both the spheres are charged and their charges are of opposite
sign
d. No definite conclusion on their charge state can be made from
the given data.
5. Electric field lines are
a. Vectors in the direction of the electric force that acts on a test
charge
 b. Trajectories of a test charge in the electric field
c. Closed loops
d. Pictorial representation of electric field around a charged object.
6. The total amount of negative charge of all the electrons contained in
one mole of water is approximately
a. 1C
b. 105 C
c. 106C
d. 1023C
7. A negative charge of 9C and mass 2kg orbits around a heavy
positive charge of 16C in a circular orbit of radius 5m. What is the
speed of the negative charge?
a. 180 m/s
b. 324 m/s
c. 360 m/s
d. 1984 m/s
8. A 2.5 C test charge is placed to the right of another charge Q. If there
is an attractive force of 22.5 N between the two, what would be the
force exerted if the magnitude of the test charge were to be doubled
but it stayed at the same location as before?
a. 90 N
b. 45 N
c. 11.25 N
d. Depends on the distance between the test charge and the
charge Q.
9. The charges Q ,Q ,4 QQ are kept at the corners A, B, C and D ,
respectively, of a square. If the force between the charges at A and B is
F, the net force exerted on the charge at A due to the other three
charges is
10.

a. 6F A
d. 3 FB
b. 3 F e.
c. 6 F 11.

12.

13. Two small conducting spheres D of mass m and charge

C q each are
suspended from a common point by means of threads. The spheres
settle down to an equilibrium position, each making an angle with the
vertical. The tension in either of the threads is
 a. Zero f.
b. Greater than mg g.
c. Less than mg h.
d. Equal to mg i.
e. j.

14. Two opposite charges are placed on the paper, as shown in the
figure.

15. The charge on the left is three times as big as the charge on the
right. Other than at infinity, where else can the force on a unit test charge
due to these two charges is zero?

a. To the right of the 16.

smaller charge
b. Between the two 17.
d
charges 18.
c. To the left of the bigger 19.
charge 20.
d. Depends on the sign of 21.
the test charge.

22. Problems :

1. ABC is an equilateral triangle of side 40 cm. At the vertices A and B

+4C of charge is kept fixed while at the vertex C a 4 C charge is
held. What is the force on the charge at C? If now, the charge at C is
released while the charges at A and B still remain fixed, describe its
subsequentAmotion.

23.

24.

25.

26. C B

2. Two equal and positive charges, q each, are at a finite distance 2d from
each other. A third charge Q is located at the midpoint of the line
joining the two. Where should a unit positive charge be placed so that
the net force on it zero? What, if any, is the requirement of the
magnitude and sign of the charge Q?
3. Twelve equal charges +q are situated on a circle of radius R and they
are equally spaced like the position of digits on the dial of a clock.
What is the net force on a charge Q kept at the centre? What would be
the force on Q if the charge at 3o clock position is removed?
4. Two particles, each of mass m and having charges q and 2q are
suspended by strings of length l from a common point. Find the angle
that each string makes with the vertical.
5. A particle of mass m and with charge q is suspended from a peg on a
wall by means of a string of length 0.5m. The string makes an angle
600 with the vertical. Another charge q is held at the same horizontal
level as the first charge so that the distance between the charges is R.
Calculate the tension in the string and the distance R.
6. A wire is bent in the form of a semicircle and carries a linear charge
density . Find the electric field at the centre of the circle.
27.

28.

29. Answers to Multiple Choice Questions :

1. (b) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (c) 6. (c) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (b) 10. (a)

30. 32.
31. Hints for solutions to
problems :

1. Resolve the forces along the perpendicular bisector from C on to AB

and a direction perpendicular to it. The net force is along the
perpendicular bisector towards AB and has a magnitude 1.56 N.
2. Charge Q has to have opposite sign of the charge q; else at no finite
distance field can be zero. In order that forces cancel out, the test
charge must be located along the perpendicular at Q of the line joining
the two charges q.
33.
34.
35. q
36.
37.
38. Q
P
39.

q
 40. Resolve the forces due to the pair q, the components
perpendicular to QP cancel. Along QP, it has to be canceled by the
repulsive force due to Q. The condition gives cos3 =Q/2q .

3. When equal charges are kept on the dial, the net force on a charge at
the centre is zero as the forces due to a pair kept in diametrically
opposite positions cancel. If a single charge is removed, the effect is
due to the diametrically opposite member.
4. Draw the freebody diagram of each particle. Resole forces along
vertical and horizontal.

41. q 42.

T
Fe 43.
2q q
44.
mg
1 2 q2
45. T cos =mg T sin =
4 0 4 l 2 tan 2

46. Eliminate T to get the angle .

5. Very similar to Problem 4. The right hand side of the second equation is
1 q2
to be changed to 4 0 R2 . Since the angle is given and T can be

eliminated, one can find R.

6. Consider the field at P due to an element Rd located at an angle , as
shown. The magnitude of the field due to this element is given by
1 R d
dE=
4 0 R2 . The component of the field parallel to the diameter

cancels due to a symmetrically placed element, leaving the net field to

be perpendicular to the diameter and pointing away from the
semicircle.

47.

48.

49.
P
50.

51.

=
2 0 R

52. The net field has a magnitude 2
1 R d
|E|= 2 sin
4 0 0 R2

53.

54.

55. Corrections to Lecture 6:

56. Page 1 : line 8 : funadental fundamental

57. Page 6 : Align mathematical expressions on lines 2, 6, 8 with text

58. Page 7 : Align mathematical expression on lines .

59. In the last but one line of the last equation in the
r^
second term on the right insert 2

60. Page 8 : align mathematical expressions with text.

61. Line 1 : Field field

62. Line 4 : Electric Field Electric Field

63. Line 3 from bottom :colobm coulomb

64. Page 9 : align math with text

65. last line : theirdensity their density

66. Line 3 from bottom :auniformly a uniformly

67.

68.

69. Lecture 7

70. Multiple Choice Questions :

1. The figure shows field lines due to three electric charges each of magnitude
Q. The red circle indicates the intersection of a spherical Gaussian surface
with the plane of the paper. The net electric flux out of the sphere is
a.
2Q / 0

b.
2 Q/ 0

c. zero
d. cannot be determined without knowing which charge is negative

71.

72.

73.

74.

2. The figure shows a pyramid with a square base. Each of the triangular side is
an equilateral triangle. A charge Q is fixed at the centre of the base of the
pyramid. The flux through any of the triangular sides is
a.
Q/ 0

b.
Q/2 0

c.
Q/4 0

d.
Q/8 0

75. 78.
79.
76.
80.
77.

81.
3. The field in the cube of side L is given by E=(a+ bx) i^ , where a and b

are constants. The total charge enclosed within the cube is

z
82.

a. Zero 83.
b. aL3 84.
c. bL3 O 85.
d. (a+b/2)L3 y
86.

87.
x
88.

4. A point charge Q is situated at a distance d/2 directly above a square

plate of side d. The electric field through the square is

89.

90.

Q/6 0 Q/ 0
a. d/2 d.
Q/4 0 d 91.
b.
92.
Q/3 0 93.
c.
d 94.

95.

E passes through the hemispherical shell of
5. A constant electric field
radius R. The flux through the curved surface is

96.

a. Zero 97.
2
b. E R
98.
c. 2 E R2
99.
2
d. 4 E R
E
100.

101. 102.

103.
 104. Problems :

1. The electric field corresponding to a charge distribution is

given by

{
a a2
r 3 r for r < R
E= r 3 R
0 rR

105. Where a is a real constant. Find the charge

distribution (charge density and the total charge) which gives
rise to this field. Does your answer depend on whether a is
positive or negative?

2. The field in the hemisphere of radius R is given by

E=(a+ bx) i^ , where a and b are constants. What is the total

charge within the hemisphere?

106.

107.

108.

109.

3. Four spheres of equal radii R=2a are placed such that their
centres are at the corners of a side of a square ABCD of side
a. The spheres, with their centres at A,B,C and D have charge
densities + , ,+ respectively. Ahow that in the
region of space where all the spheres overlap, the electric
field vanishes.

110.

111.

112. A B

113.

114.

D C
115.

116.

117.

118.

119.
120.
4. A 5.31mC charge is located at one corner of a cube of side
8cm. Calculate the flux of electric field through one face of the
cube.
5. A sphere of radius R has an off-centre spherical hole of radius R/4,
the centre C of the hole being at a distance R/2 from the centre O of
the sphere. The sphere has a charge density . Obtain an
expression for the electric field at an arbitrary point of the hole.
121.
122.
123.
124.
125.
126.
6. A plate O has a thickness
C d along the z direction and is of
infinite extent in the x-y plane. The volume charge
d Rd
density is for
z +
2 2 . Calculate the electric field for all

values of z.
7. A cylinder has a circular cross-section radius R and is of
infinite length. It has a volume charge density . Calculate the
electric field at all distances r from the axis of the cylinder.

127. Answers to Multiple choice questions:

1. (c) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (a) 5. (b)

128.

129. Hints for solutions to Problems

1. The first term represents the electric field due to a point charge
Q=4 0 a
at the origin while the second term represents the field

due to a uniformly charged sphere with a total charge 4 0 a2 , i.e.

 2 3
having a negative charge density which is =3 0 a /R . This can be

checked by taking the divergence of the given electric field. For a>0 ,

the point charge is positive while for a<0 it is negative. Note

however, that the field vanishes at distances greater than R. Thus if

we take a Gaussian sphere (the field is spherically symmetric) for r>R,
the surface integral being zero, the net charge enclosed should be
zero. This is only possible if a>0.
3
2R
2. = E =b = constant. Thus the total charge is b . Try doing
3

this problem by calculating the surface integral over the curved

surface (the surface integral over the circular cap is zero).
3. First show that the field in the region of intersection of two identical
spheres which carry opposite charge is constant and is directed along
the line joining the two centres.
130.

131.

132. P
O1 O2
133.

134.

( )O P
135. The field at P due to the sphere with centre at O1 is 3 0 1

( ) PO 2
while that due to the sphere with centre at O2 is 3 0 , so that the

net field is ( 3 )
0
OO 1 2
. Using this it is easy to show the given result.

4. Imagine stacking eight identical cubes of side a=8cm so that we get

one single cube of side 2a.

136.

137.
138. The charge can be made to reside at the centre of this big cube.
Because of the symmetry, the flux through each face of this big cube is
Q/6 0
. Since each face of the big cube is one fourth the size of a face of

Q
.
the original cube, the flux through each face of the original is 24 0

5. The hole can be considered as a superposition of a sphere with charge

density with a sphere of identical size but with charge density .
Consider a point P in the hole. The field at P is a superposition of field
due to the big sphere with a charge density everywhere and the
field due to a negatively charged sphere of density of the size of

OP
the hole. The field due to former is 3 0 while that due to the

PC OC
latter is 3 0 , which gives 3 0 , an expression independent of

the position of P inside the hole.

6. The field can only depend on the z-distance from the centre plane of
the slab. The Gaussian pillbox is in the shape of a rectangular
parallelepiped.
E
139.

140.
-d/2
141. d/2 x

142.
x x
143.
-d/2 O d/2
144. Since the field directions are perpendicular to the slab, the flux
contribution is from the two faces perpendicular to z direction. If the
area is taken to be A, the magnitude of the field is given by
Q 1
2| E| A= = A .d. |E|= d
0 0 , which gives 2 0 for x>d/2.
 145. If x<d/2, only a part of the charge is included. In this case we
Q 1
2| E| A= = A .2 x . , |E|= x
have, 0 0 which gives 0 . The field

distribution is shown above.

7. Choose the Gaussian surface to be a coaxial cylinder of length L and
radius r. Field lines being perpendicular to the cylinder, contribution to
flux is from the curved surface alone.

146.

147.

148.

149.

150.

151. Flux = |E|2 r L . The amount of charge enclosed

is=
R 2 L , for r > R an d = r 2 L for r < R

152. Thus the magnitude of the field is

2
R Rr
for r > for r< R .
2 0r 20

153.

154. CORRECTIONS

155. There are major corrections in this lecture some

pages are mixed up.

156. Page 3 : Align line 2

157. Page 4 : Example Example 1 (This is to be corrected

inside the link as well)

158. Exercise Exercise 1

159. Insert at the bottom : A linked item : Example 2

160. The linked page should be as follows ;

161. Example 2 :

162. A flat surface with an area of 0.2 m2 lies in the xy plane in

^ ^ ^
a uniform electric field given by E=5 i+3 j+3 k (N/C). Find the
flux through the surface.

163. Solution : Since the surface is in the xy plane, the surface

^
vector is 0.2 k (m2). Thus the flux = E S =0.6 Nm2/C.

164.

Page 6 : Line 4 from bottom : align

166. Page 7 : Replace the page as follows :

Field due to an infinite line charge with charge

density

168. Gaussian surface is a cylinder of radius rand length L

whose axis is along the line charge.

169. Normal to the Gaussian surface is everywhere

perpendicular to the line charge. By symmetry, the magnitude of
the electric field is the same everywhere on the Gaussian surface
and its direction is along the outward normal. Hence

170. E d S =|E|2 rL

171. The amount of charge contained inside the cylinder is

L. Thus,

172. Exercise Exercise 2

173. Delete : Example (also delete the linked page : This is

repeated later).

174.

175.
176. Page 8 : Last but one line align ^

177. Page 10 : Line 3 from bottom and Page 11 and 12

should come immediately after page 8 (i.e. become pages
9 and 10)

178. The current page 9 and 10 (except last three lines of

page 10 should become new pages 11 and 12.

179. Page 13 : Recap : 1st item : normalcomponent normal

component

180.

181. Lecture 8

182. Corrections :

1. Example 11 should end at the last line of the page of the

example. The statement in bold face Line integral . Zero is
a part of the main text. The rest of the pages of this example
should be a part of the main text.
2. Page 6 : 0 is a subscript of P (P0)
3. Exercises should all be properly numbered. Inside the exercise
numbers should be corrected.
183.
184. Multiple Choice Questions :
1. A point charge -3Q lies at the centre of a conducting
shell of radius 2R. The net charge on the outer surface of
the shell is
a. -3Q
b. Zero
c. +1.5 Q
d. +3Q
2. Two identical spherical conductors A and B of radius R ,
each carrying a charge Q are kept at some distance from
each other. A third spherical conductor C , initially
uncharged, is first brought into contact with A and then
with B before finally being removed to a far away
distance. If the charge on C is (10/9)Q, the radius of C is
a. R/5
b. R/3
c. R/2
d. 2R
3. 64 identical spherical drops of mercury are combined to
form a large drop. If the potential of each smaller drop is
1 V, the potential of the final drop is
a. 1 V
b. 4 V
c. 16 V
d. 64 V
4. Infinite number of charges of equal magnitude Q are
placed along the axis at distances a, 2a, 3a, .from the
origin. If the charges alternate in sign and the charge
closest to the origin is positive, the potential at the origin
due to the charge distribution is
Q
a. 4 0 a

Q
b. 4 0 a

Qln 2
c. 4 0 a

d. Zero
5. Three charges, Q, q and q are arranged at the vertices of
a right angled isosceles triangle of base a. If the charge Q
are fixed, the configuration has minimum electrostatic
energy when q is equal to

Q
2+1
a. 2

+Q
2+1
b. 2

Q
2+1
c. 2 2

+Q
2+1
d. 2 2
e.
6. The electric potential in a region along the x axis varies
with distance x (in meters) as V ( x)=4 +4 x 2 (Volts). The

force acting on a 1C charge located at x=3 is

a. 2.4 105 N along the positive x axis

b. 2.4 105 N along the negative x axis

5
c. 4 10 N along the positive x axis

d. 4 105 N along the negative x axis

7. Four electric charges +q, +q, q and q are placed at the
corners of a square of side 2L (see figure). The electric
potential at point A, midway between the two charges +q
and +q, is
q 1
( )
a. 2 0 L
1+
5
q 1
b. 2 L (0
1
5 )
q 1
c. 2 L (0
1+ )
3
d. Zero
8. Two uniformly charged concentric rings of radii R and 2R
are placed on a plane. Each ring has a charge density
The electric potential at the centre of the rings is
2
a. 3 R 0

b. R 0

c. 0

2
d. 3 0

9. A hemisphere of radius R is charged with a uniform

surface charged density s on its curved surface. The
potential the centre is

a. 40

b. 2 0

c. 0

4
d. 3 0

10. A hollow metal sphere of radius R is charged to a

potential of 10 V on its surface. What is the potential at
the centre of the sphere?
a. Zero
b. +10 V
c. -10 V
d. Same as its value outside at a distance of R from the
surface of the sphere.
e.

f. Problems

1. A uniformly charged sphere of radius R contains a

charge Q. Choose the origin of coordinate system at
the centre of the sphere and let V(0)=0. Find an
expression for the potential both inside and outside
the sphere.
2. Two identical metal plates have area 1 m2 each and
are separated by 3 cm. Initially both are uncharged.
A charge of 2 nC is transferred from the plate on the
left to the plate on the right and equilibrium is
I II III allowed to be established. Neglecting edge effects,
calculate the electric field (a) in the region II between
the plates at a distance of 0.5 cm from the plate to
the right and (b) at points to the immediate left of
the plate on the left (region I) and at points to the
immediate right of the plate to the right in region III.
3. Two identical thin rings, each of radius R, are placed
coaxially at a distance R from each other. The rings
carry charges Q1 and Q2 uniformly spread over the
rings. Find the work done in removing a charge q
 from the centre of the first ring to that of the second
ring.
4. A metal sphere of radius R carrying a charge q is
surrounded by a thick concentric conducting shell of
radii a and b. The shell has no charge. Calculate the
charge densities on the metal sphere as well as on
the inside and outside surface of the shell. With the
reference of the potential at infinite distances,
determine the potential at thecentre of the sphere. If
now, the outer surface of the shell is grounded, what
will be the potential at the centre of the sphere?
5. A metal sphere of radius R has two spherical cavities
of radii a andb. The former has a charge q at the
centre of the cavity while the latter has a charge Q at
its centre. Find the charge densities in the interior of
the two cavities and on the outside surface of the
sphere. Also determine the field outside the sphere
at a distance r from the centre of the sphere.
6. Potential on the surface of a sphere is 400 V and its
value drops to 100 V at a distance of 60 cm from the
surface. Calculate the radius of the sphere and the
amount of charge contained in the sphere.
7. Two equal charges q are located at a distance 2d
apart. Find the expression for the electric potential at
a distance of z along the perpendicular bisector of
the line joining the two charges. Using this determine
the electric field at that point.
8. A metal sphere of radius R carries a charge Q.
Surrounding this is a concentric metallic shell of inner
radius 2R and outer radius 3R. If the shell carries a
total charge 3Q, find the potential for r<R.
9. Can an electric field be given by the expression
^ 2 yz ^j+ xz k^
E=3 xy i+ ?
10. How much work is done in moving a 0.5nC
charge on the surface of a sphere of radius 2m from
an initial position =0,=0 to a final position

=0,= ?
2 The electrostatic field in the region is

^ 10 x ^j+2 z k^
E=10 y i+
given by (in V/m).

g.

h. Answers to Multiple choice questions:

i. 1. (a) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. (c) 6. (d) 7. (b) 8. (c) (9)

(b) 10. (b)

j. Hints for solutions to Problems

k. 1. Electric field is known from Gausss law to be

Q r r^ Q r^
4 0 R3 for r <R and 4 0 r2 for r>R. For r<R ,

r 2
Q r Q r
E
V ( r )V ( 0 )= dl= dr=
0 4 0 R3 8 0 R3 . For r>R,

take the corresponding expression for the field for

outside the sphere and integrate from the surface of
the sphere to the point where the potential is to be
found. We get
r
Q 1 3Q 1 Q
V ( r )=V ( R ) 2
dr = + .
R 4 0 r 8 0 R 4 0 r

l. 2. The charge on the left plate is -2nC and on the

right plate is +2nC. Without assuming that the final
charges are on the faces of plate facing each other,
we can assume that the charge density on the left
plate (plate 1) is 1L on its left face and 1R on its right
face. Likewise, the charge density on the right plate
(plate 2) are 2Land 2R respectively. We also have
9
2 10
2= 1= = =2 109 C/m2. Further,
1
 1= 1 L + 1 R 2= 2 L + 2 R .
For a point in region II,

1 L 1 R 2 L 2 R 1 2
E II = + = =2 / 0 .
2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 20

m.

n.

o.

p. 1L 1R 2L 2R

q.

r. Substituting values, the field strength is

approximately 226 N/C. By similar arguments, the
field to the left of the left plate and that to the right
of the right plate can be shown to be zero. (Solution
becomes simpler if one assumes a- priori that the
charges appear only on the faces of the two plates
that face each other.)

s. 3. Calculate the potential at P due to the first ring

Q1 1
which is V 1( P)= . Similarly, since P is at a
4 0 R

distance 2 R from all points on the second ring,

the potential at P due to the second ring is
Q2 1
V 2( P)=
4 0 2 R . Thus the net potential at P is

1 Q 1 Q2
V ( P )= (+
4 0 R 2 R ) . Similarly, the potential at P

1 Q2 Q1
is V ( P ' )= ( +
4 0 R 2 R ) . The work done is q times
 the potential difference between P and P, which is
q(Q1Q 2 ) 21
4 0 R 2 .

t.

u.

v. P Q1
w.

x.

y.

z. 4. The P Q2 charge
densities are
Q Q Q
R= ; a= ; b=
4 b 2 . Inside the metal sphere
2 2
4 R 4a

(for r<R) the field is zero. Field for R<r<a as well as for
r>b, the field is inverse square and is given by
1 q
r^
4 0 r 2 . The potential can be calculated as a line

integral of the electric field

b R
V ( 0 )=
1 q
4 0 r
2
dr
1 q
a 4 0 r
2
dr =
q
[
1 1 1
+
4 0 b R a ]
aa. If the outside of the shell is grounded, the charge
density on that surface becomes zero while the
charge densities on all other surfaces remain
unchanged. The only non-zero field is in the region
R<r<a. Further V(b)=0. Thus
R
V ( 0 )=
a
1 q
4 0 r 2
dr=
q
[1 1

4 0 R a ] .
ab.5. The charge densities on the inside surface of the
q Q
a= ; b=
cavities are 4a 2
4 b2 , while the charge

q +Q
R=
density on the outside surface is 4 R2 . The field

outside the sphere is same as due to a charge q+Q

located at the centre of the sphere.

ac. 6. R=0.2 m and Q=8.88 109 C.

ad.7. Take the line joining the charges along the x-axis and
the perpendicular bisector along the z axis. Since the
point at which the potential is to calculated is at a

distance (d + z )
2 2
from each of the charges, the

q 2
V (z )=
potential is given by 4 0 ( d 2 + z 2 ) . The electric

field is the gradient of the potential and is given by

q d 1 ^ q z

E= V = k= k^
2 0 dz ( d 2+ z2 ) 2 0 (d + z2 )3/ 2 .
2

ae.8. The potential in the region r<R is the same as that on

the surface of the metal sphere. The charge distribution
on the shell will be Q on the inner surface and 4Q on the
outer surface. We can use superposition principle to find
the potential at r=R. This gives
1 Q Q 4Q 11 Q
V= ( + = )
4 0 R 2 R 3 R 24 0 . You can also find it by

determining the field distribution using Gausss law and

determining potential

af. 9. No, the curl the given field is not zero (calculate the
curl explicitly).

ag.10. Show that the field is conservative and obtain the

corresponding potential. The potential is given by
V =10 xyz 2 (in V). Then convert the given positions
 to Cartesian. The work done is equal to q times the

change in potential. Ans. 6 109 J .

ah.

ai.

aj.

ak.

al. Lecture 9

am.

an.

ao. Corrections :

1. Align and remove unnecessary underline on all pages.

2. Page 7 : Beginning of section B : I in In is displaced.
3. Page 12 : 1, 2, 23 are subscripts to P on this page.

ap.
aq. Add Examples :
1. Obtain an expression for the energy of a uniformly charged sphere
containing a total charge Q.
ar.Solution :(Method 1)
as.We will first use the expression for the energy
1
W= V d 3 x
2V where the integral is over the volume

of the sphere since the charge density outside is

zero. The potential within the sphere can be
calculated from the electric field, which in turn, can
Q r
E= r^
be calculated using Gausss law as 4 0 R3 for

Q 1
r^
r<R and 4 0 r2 for r>R. Taking the zero of the

potential to be at infinite distance,

[ ]
R r R 2
Q 1 Q r Q 3 r
at. V ( r ) = 4 r 2 4 R3
dr dr
4 0 2 R 2 R3
0 R 0
 Q
=3
au. The charge density is constant and is given by 4 R .
3

Thus the energy is given by

W=
Q
16 0 R [ 1
3 d R 2 r 2 d
V V
]
[ ]
R R
3Q2 3 Q2

1Q
16 0 R
9 Q 3 4 r 2 dr 3 Q 3 r 2 4 r 2 dr
0 4R 0 4 R
[ ]
16 0 R
1
1 =
5 20 0 R

av. Method 2

aw. Here, we will take the expression for the

energy to be given by the volume integral over the
square of the electric field, remembering that the
expression for the field are different inside the sphere
and outside.

0
ax. W=
2 V
E 2 d Thus the energy is given by

0 R Q2 r 2 0 Q2 1
ay. W = 2 4 r dr+
2
2 2 6 2 2 4
4 r 2 dr
0 16 0 R 2 R 16 0 r

[ ]
R
2
Q2 3 Q2

Q 1
6
8 0 R 0
1
r 4 dr + 2 dr
R r
[ 1 1
]
+ =
8 0 5 R R 20 0 R

az.

ba. Method 3

bb.

bc. Here we will take the expression for the energy

to be given by the sum of a volume integral over the
sphere and a surface integral over the same,
 0
bd. W= E
E 2 d + 0 V dS The integrals are
2 V 2 S

calculated using the expressions for the field and

potential given under Method 1. The volume
contribution is the same as calculated in the first
Q2
term of method 2, i.e. 40 0 R . The surface terms

is easily calculated since we only need the field and

potential on the surface, i.e. at r=R. The surface
contribution is given by

be.
0
2 S
E
V

dS= 0
Q
[ [
3 R2
3
2 4 0 2 R 2 R
QR
4 0 R3 ] ] dS

Q2 2 Q2
4 R =
32 2 0 R3 8 0R

bf. Adding the two contribution result follows.

bg. Problems

1. Four identical charges are at the vertices of a tetrahedron of side a. What is

the amount of work required to assemble this charge configuration?

2. Calculate the electrostatic energy of a metallic sphere of radius R containing

a charge Q.
3. An isolated conducting sphere of radius 10 cm is charged to a potential of
900 V. What is the electrostatic energy of the sphere?
4. Three point charges q ,q+3 q are at the vertices of an equilateral
triangle of side a. A fourth particle of charge q and mass m is initially at rest
at the centre of the triangle. When the particle is released what would be its
kinetic energy when it is far away from the triangle?
5. A conducting sphere of radius R is surrounded by a concentric spherical
conducting shell of inner radiusa and outer radius b. The sphere and the shell
are initially charge neutral. How much work has to be done to transfer
charge from the sphere to the shell till the inner sphere has a charge +Q?

6.
 7. Hints for solutions to Problems

6 q2
1. There are 6 pairs of interaction terms. The work is .
4 0 a

2. The electrostatic energy is the amount of work required to assemble the

charge on the surface of the sphere from an infinite distance. Since the
potential on the surface of the sphere is constant and is given by
V =q/4 0 R , the amount of work required to bring a charge dq from

qdq
dW =
infinity to the surface when the surface has a charge q is 4 0 R .

2
Q
Integrating from 0 to Q, the electrostatic energy is W= .
8 0 R

Q
V= Q=10
8
3. The potential is given by 4 0 R which gives C. The energy

is QV which is 4.5 J
4. The initial kinetic energy is zero. The final potent1ial energy is zero. Thus the
final kinetic energy is equal to the initial potential energy, which is
2
1 q
, where b=a/ 3 , is the distance of the centre from each vertex.
4 0 b

1
Equating this to
m v 2 , the result follows.
2
5. When there is a charge q on the inner sphere, the potential difference
q 1 1
between the sphere and the shell is
V ( q )= (
4 0 R a ) . In this situation

to transfer an additional charge dq from the shell to the inner sphere, an

amount Vdq has to be done. Thus the total work done is
Q
q 1 1 Q2 1 1
W =
0
( dq=
4 0 R a )
8 0 R a ( )
8.

9. Lecture 10

10. Problems
1. A 5 nC charge is located at the origin. Find the radius of the
equipotential sphere for which the potential is 100 V.
11.
2. The figure below shows equipotential contours corresponding
to a charge distribution. Near which of the points A, B, C, D, is
the electric field strength strongest and points in the positive
x direction?
5V
12. 5 V 0V C
A
13.

14.
y
15.
B D
16. x

17.

3. Using the definition of work, show that the local electric field is
perpendicular to the equipotential surface.
4. The charge density on a unit disk in the x-y plane is constant and is
given by 0. The charge density vanishes on the boundary of the
disk. Obtain an expression for the potential on the disk.
18.
19.
y
20. 1
21.

22. x
-1 1
23.
24.
25.
26. -1
27.
5. For the problem 4 above, what is the equipotential contour?
6. Determine the charge distribution that would give rise to the
0 e r
potential ( r )= . Note that there is a singularity at r=0 and
r

hence treat the origin separately. What is the total charge

corresponding to this distribution?
7. A charge +2q is located a t the point (4,0,0) and another charge
3q is located at (9,0,0). If the charges are in Coulomb and the
 distances in meters, obtain the equation of the equipotential
surface on which the potential is zero.
8. A parallel plate capacitor of capacitance C is charged fully by a
battery of emf E. The battery is now disconnected. The plates of the
capacitor are pulled apart so that the new separation between the
plates is double the original separation. By what factor does the
initial energy change by the process of pulling the plates apart?
9. A cylindrical capacitor of capacitance 20 pF has an outer radius
twice the size of its inner radius. The length of the cylinder is ten
times the outer radius. A charge +Q= 10 nC is evenly distributed
on the outer surface of the inner cylinder and a charge Q is
similarly distributed on the inner surface of the outer cylinder. Find
the energy density at any point of the capacitor. Integrate this to
find the total energy stored in the capacitor.
10.A metallic sphere with a capacitance of 20 pF is charged to a
potential of 100 V. It is then connected to an uncharged sphere of
capacitance 80 pF by means of a long thin conducting wire. How
much of initial energy is lost in the process?
28.

29.

30. Hints for solutions to Problem

Q
1. The potential at a distance R is given by 4 0 R . Substituting the values

of charge and the potential, the radius R = 0.45 m.

2. The electric field is given by negative gradient of the potential. The field is
strongest where the equipotentials are closer. Using these two facts it follows
that the point B is the required point.
3. Work is given by W =
F s =Fs cos . From the definition of equipotential, the

work done moving charge along the equipotential surface must be zero. Since
neither the displacement nor the force is zero, the angle between the force
and the displacement must be 900. As the displacement is tangential to the
surface, the force, and hence the electric field must be perpendicular to the
surface.
2 2
4. A unit disk is defined by the equation x + y 1 . Thus the Poissons

2 2 0
equation is given by + = =0 for x 2 + y 2=1 . Since
x2 y 2 0 , subject to

0 is constant, the integration are easily done and we get,

 0 2 2
31. ( x , y ) = ( x + y ) +C
40

,where C is a constant. The boundary condition on the

+0
periphery of the disk gives C= . Thus the solution is
4 0

0 2 2
( x , y )= ( x + y 1 )
40

5. Putting ( x , y )= constant gives circles as equipotential contours. The

solution above is only valid within the disk.

6. Since the potential is spherically symmetric, we have
2 2 r
e
1 d r d
= = 2
0 r dr dr
with= 0
r ( ) . One can easily integrate the

0 0 2 r
relationship to get ( r )= e . However, note that the potential has
r

0
a singularity at r=0 where it has the form =
r . We know that

2 ( 1r )=4 ( r ) . Thus near the origin the charge density is like that of a

point charge. Adding the two contributions, we have

1
(
( r )= 0 0 4 ( r ) 2 e r
r ) . The total charge for this distribution is obtained

by integrating this expression over the infinite spherical volume

1
Q=4 0 0 ( r ) d r 0 0 4 er rdr
3 2
4 0 04 0 0 2 =0
0 2

32.(In the second integral above, the factor 4p comes from

the angle integration)
7. The equation to the equipotential surface is
2q 3q
=0
( 4 x ) + y + z ( 9x ) + y + z
2 2 2 2 2 2 . Solving, the surface is a sphere with its

centre at the origin with a radius of 6.

8. The electric field between the plates remain the same. The capacitances
reduces by a factor of two. Since Q has not changed, the potential difference
V=Q/C doubles. Thus the stored energy doubles, the extra energy coming
from the work done in pulling the plates apart.
2 0 L 0 L
C= =2 =20 1012
ln 2
9. The capacitance is given by ln ( ba ) , which gives

L 25 cm. Thus r =1.25 cma nd r out =2.5 cm . The potential difference

between the plates is Q/C = 500 V. The energy density at a distance r from

the axis is found using Gausss law.

2 rL E=Qencl / 0 , which gives, since

Q 1
Qencl =Q=10 C ,
8
E=
2 0 L r = 720/r N/C. The energy density is

u ( r )= ( 12 ) E .
0
2
Integrating, we get the total energy to be

rout 2
( 12 ) 0 E2 2 rLdr = 4 Q L
ln2=2.5 106 J
rin 0

33.This agrees with the result one directly agrees by

calculating the energy as ( 12 )C V 2

.

34.
10. The initial charge in the first sphere is Q=CV =2 109 C . When the

two spheres are connected, they will have a common potential V. If Q 1 and Q2
Q1 Q2
are the shared charges after the spheres are connected, we have =
V V ,

This, together with

Q1+ Q2=Q , gives the common potential to be 20 V. The

final energy ( 12 )( C V + C V )=2 10

1
2
2
2 8
J, which is one fifth of the initial

8
energy. The lost energy is 8 10 J .

35.

36.
 37.

38. Lecture 11

39. Major correction to text

40.

41. Replace page 11 by the following : ( Replace

the figure also)

42. Potential due to dielectric

43.

44.Consider the dielectric to be built up of volume d. The

dipole moment of the volume element is P' d '

45.. Note that the prime over a coordinate are appropriate to

positions within the material volume. The potential at a
point S, whose position vector is r is given by

46.
' ' '
1 P ( r ) ( r r )d '
d= 3
4 0 |r r '|

47.

48.

49.

50.

51.

52.

53.

54.

55.

56.

57.

O S
58.

59.

60.

61.

62.

63.

64.

65.

66.

67.

68.

69.

70.

71.

72.

73. Replace page 12

74.Potential due to the whole volume is

75.

P' (
r ' ) ( r r ' )d '
1 1 1
( r )=
4 0 Volume |r r| ' 3
=
4 0 Volume

( )
P ' ( r' ) '
|r r'|
d '

76.

77.where we have used

1 ( r r' )
'
( =
)
|r r '| |r r '|3

78.
79.

80.(Note that the gradient being with respect to primed

variable is negative of the gradient with respect to the
unprimed variable, since the function depend on the

difference r
r
'
)

81.Use the vector identity

(
A f )=
Af +f
A

82.

1
83.Substitute
A=
P(
r') and f=
|r r'|

P (r ') ' ' 1

84.
'
( )
|r r |'
=P ( r ) '
+
1
'
|r r | |r r |
P(
' r' )

85.

86.

P (r ')
87.
( r )=
1

4 0 Volume
'
( )
|r r |'
d '
4
1

1 ' ' P (
0 Volume |
r r |
r ' )d '

88. Replace Page 13

89.

90.The first integral can be converted to a surface integral

using divergence theorem, giving

91.

1 b( r ') ' 1 b (
r' )
92.
( r )=
4 0 Surface |r r |'
d S +
4 0 Volume |r
d '
r '|

93.
94.where the first term is the potential that one would expect
for a surface charge density

^
' '
95. b ( r ) =P ( r ) n '

96.

^
97. n ' being along the outward normal to the surface of

r'
volume at the position . The second term is the
potential due to a volume charge density

'
' '
98. b ( r )= P ( r )

99.The corresponding electric field is given by

100.

1 b ( r') ( r
r' ) ' 1 r ' ) ( r r' )
b (
E ( r )=
4 0 Surface |r r'|3
d S +
4 0 Volume |r r'|3
d '

101.

102.

103.

104.

105.

106.

107.

108.

109.

110.

111.

112.