Assignment 2

1. An electric field is 6 V/m is +𝑥 direction. Calculate the change in potential in

carrying a test charge from (1,1,1) 𝑡𝑜 (3,2,4).

Answer:

V=− E. 𝑑𝑙
E = 6𝑥, 𝑑𝑙 = 𝑑𝑥𝑥 + 𝑑𝑦𝑦 + 𝑑𝑧𝑧
3
V=− 1
6𝑑𝑥 = −12𝑉

Two point charges 𝑞1 = +2 nC and 𝑞2 = −4 nC are kept at

(2,2,2) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 (1,1,1) respectively.
For the information above answer the questions 2 and 3

2. Calculate the potential at origin.

Answer:
𝑞
𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 due to point charge =
4𝜋𝜖 𝑜 𝑟
𝑞1 𝑞2
𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛 = 4𝜋𝜖 + 4𝜋𝜖 =0𝑉
𝑜 𝑟1 𝑜 𝑟2

3. Calculate the work done in moving another charge 𝑞3 = −4 nC slowly from infinity
to origin.

Answer

𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 = 𝑐𝑕𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 ∗ 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 = 0 𝐽

4. Electric flux density in a certain region is given by 2𝑥 2 𝑥 + 6𝑦 2 𝑦 + 𝑧𝑧 C/m2 . The

charge density at point (2,2,1) is

Answer

𝐷 = 2𝑥 2 𝑥 + 6𝑦 2 𝑦 + 𝑧𝑧
∇. 𝐷 = 𝜌𝑣
𝜌𝑣 𝑎𝑡 2,2,1 = 4𝑥 + 12𝑦 + 1 = 33 𝐶/𝑚3

5. A hollow spherical shell with centre at origin has a radius of 5 𝑚 and a surface charge
density 𝜌𝑠 = 3 C/m2 . Calculate the work done in moving a charge 𝑞3 = 3 𝑛C slowly
from infinity to a radial distance of 4 m from origin.
Answer
𝜌𝑆 𝑟
𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑎 𝑕𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑕𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑕𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑓 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 =
𝜖𝑜
3∗10 −9 ∗ 3∗5
𝑊𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 = 𝑐𝑕𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 ∗ 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑎𝑙 = = 5.085 𝑘𝐽
8.85∗10 −12

6. A potential in free space is given as 𝑉 = 𝑘𝑥𝑦 2 𝑧 −1 V. For a conservative field what is

the volume charge density?

Answer
𝜌
∇2 𝑉 = − 𝜖 𝑣
𝑜
2𝑘𝑥 2𝑘𝑥 𝑦 2 2𝑘𝑥 𝜖 𝑜 𝑦2
𝜌𝑣 = −𝜖𝑜 + = − 1 + 𝑧 2 𝐶/𝑚3
𝑧 𝑧3 𝑧

7. For the details given in question 6, find the electric field

Answer

𝐸 = −∇𝑉 = −𝑘𝑦 2 𝑧 −1 𝑥 − 2𝑘𝑥𝑦𝑧 −1 𝑦 + 𝑘𝑥𝑦 2 𝑧 −2 𝑧

8. Give 𝐸 = −∇𝑉 is valid, what can be said about the field?

Answer: The field is irrotational

9. Given 𝑇 𝑥, 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 𝑦, the gradient of 𝑇(𝑥, 𝑦) at (1,1) is

Answer
𝜕 𝜕
∇𝑇 = 𝑥+ 𝑦 𝑇 = 2𝑥 + 𝑦
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦
∇𝑇 @ 1,1 = 2𝑥 + 𝑦

10. A uniform sphere of charge, with volume charge density 𝜌0 and radius 𝑏, is centered
at origin. Find the electric field at a distance 𝑟 from the origin, for the cases 𝑟 > 𝑏

Answer: From Gauss’s law

𝜖 𝐸 . 𝑑𝑆 = 𝜌 𝑑𝑉
4𝜋𝑏 3 𝜌 0 𝑏 3 𝜌0
For 𝑟 > 𝑏 it becomes 4𝜋𝑟 2 𝐸𝑟 𝜖 = => 𝐸𝑟 =
3 3𝜖𝑟 2
 11. For the same case mentioned in the above problem calculate the electric field for case
𝑟<𝑏

Answer:

4𝜋𝑟3 𝜌0 𝑟𝜌 0
For 𝑟 < 𝑏 it becomes 4𝜋𝜖 𝑟 2 𝐸𝑟 = => 𝐸𝑟 =
3 3𝜖

12. A charged wire is infinitely long placed in a free space and has charge 2 nC/m. Find
the electric field at a distance 5𝑚 from the wire.

Answer.
𝜏 2 × 10−9
𝐸= = = 7.2 𝑉/𝑚
2𝜋𝜖𝑟 2 × 𝜋 × 8.85 × 10−12 × 5

13. For the details given in question 11. Find the potential difference between P1 located
at a distance 3𝑚 from the wire, and P2 , at a distance 4𝑚 from the wire
Answer:
𝜏 𝑏
𝑉= 𝑙𝑛 = 10.34 𝑉
2 𝜋𝜖 𝑎

14. Choose among the options below, the function 𝑈(𝑥, 𝑦, 𝑧) whose gradient is given by
2𝑥𝑥 + 5𝑦 4 𝑦 + 4𝑧 3 𝑧

Answer:
𝜕 𝜕 𝜕
∇𝑈 = 𝑥+ 𝑦+ 𝑧 𝑈
𝜕𝑥 𝜕𝑦 𝜕𝑧
If we verify from the options given 𝑈 = 𝑥 + 𝑦 + 𝑧 4 gives us the right solution
2 5

15. What is ∇ 1/r , where 𝑟 is the radial distance from the origin of a coordinate system?
Answer:

𝜕𝑉 1 𝜕𝑉 𝜕𝑉
∇𝑉 = 𝑟+ 𝜙+ 𝑧
𝜕𝑟 𝑟 𝜕𝜙 𝜕𝑧
1 1
𝑉 = => ∇𝑉 = − 2 𝑟
𝑟 𝑟