EO208 Electromagnetics (1)

Homework Problem Set #4

1. Figure 1 shows a spherical charge distribution of radius 3a with a spherical hole of radius a
displaced at a distance a with respect to the center of the big sphere. The solid part of the sphere
carries a uniform charge density ρ. Find the electric field E throughout the hole. Assume that the
permittivity is ε0 everywhere. (Hint: Simply use the principle of superposition and Gauss’s law.)

Fig.1

3a z
a

2. Find the mistake in the following argument:

“All extra charges inside a conductor would set up electric fields and repel each other, so all of
them will move until they reach the surface of the conductor. Therefore, there is no charge in the
 
interior of a conductor (ρ = 0). Now, according to Gauss’s law,  E  ds
S
= 0 for any closed

surface S constructed inside the conductor, so E must be zero everywhere inside the conductor.”

3. A finite line charge of length L carrying uniform line charge density ρl is coincident with the z-
axis. In the plane bisecting the line charge,
(a) determine E from ρl directly by applying Coulomb’s law;
 
(b) determine V using V    E  dl .

(c) Explain why we can choose the reference point (for V = 0) at r =  for this problem but not
for Example 3-4?
1  l dl
(d) Redo part (b) using V 
4 0  R
.

(e) Check the answer in part (a) with -V.

4. A metal sphere of radius R, carrying charge q, is surrounded by a thick concentric metal shell
(inner radius a, outer radius b, as in Fig. 2). The shell carries no net charge.
(a) Find the surface charge density ρs at R, at a, and at b.
(b) Find the potential at the center, using infinity as the reference point.
(c) Now the outer surface is touched to a grounding wire, which lowers its potential to zero (same
as at infinity). How do your answers to (a) and (b) change?

Fig.2

5. The polarization in a dielectric cube of side L centered at the origin is given by P = Po (axx + ayy
+ azz).
(a) Determine the surface and volume bound-charge densities.
(b) Show that the total bound charge is zero.