PHY 2049 FALL 2000 EXAM 1 (MAKEUP)

1. A sphere of radius R with a spherical cavity of radius R/2, as shown, is charged with
a uniform charge density ρ. Find the electric field at the point P at a distance R from
the center of the sphere on the same side where the cavity is. Hint: A uniformly charged
sphere with a cavity can be viewed as a superposition of two spheres: a solid sphere of radius
R without a cavity and uniformly charged with a charge density ρ and a smaller sphere of
radius R/2 uniformly charged with a charge density −ρ. In the place where the two spheres
overlap, one would equivalently get a zero charge density. Volume of a sphere of radius r is
4
3
πr 3 . Answer: 2πρkR/3

The electric field on the surface of a sphere of radius R and charge Q is Esphere = kQ/R2 .
The charge is related to the charge density and the volume of the sphere Q = (ρ)(4πR3 /3).
This gives
kQ k ρ4πR3 4πkρR
Esphere = 2 = 2 = .
R R 3 3
E1 is the electric field at the surface of a uniformly charged sphere of radius R and charge
density ρ. E2 is the electric field at a distance R exterior to a sphere of radius R/2 and
charge density −ρ. Using the general expression for the electric field at the surface of a
sphere, the net electric field is

E = E1 + E2
4πkρR 4πk(−ρ) R2
= +
3 3
4πkρR 2πkρ
= −
3 3
2kρπR
= .
3
2. An atom of hydrogen is a proton with an electron orbiting it along a circular path of
diameter d = 10−10 m. What must be the velocity of an electron so that it could remain
on this orbit? Express the answer in terms of the speed of light c = 3 × 108 m/s. Hint:
the centripetal acceleration for a particle moving with velocity v along a circular orbit of
radius r is a = v 2 /r. Electron mass is m = 9 × 10−31 kg and the elementary charge is
e = 1.6 × 10−19 C. Answer: 0.0075c.

The force is
k|e|| − e| ke2
F = = 2 .
r2 r
2
Newton’s second law is F = mac = mv /r. Substituting

v2 ke2
m =
r
r2
ke2
v =
mr


 (8.99 × 109
 Nm2 /C2 )(1.6 × 10−19 C)2
=
(9 × 10−31 kg)(0.5 × 10−10 m)
= 2.26 × 106 m/s.

In terms of c, v/c = (2.26 × 106 m/s)/(3 × 108 m/s) = 0.0075.

3. Two charges of the same sign and value are placed along y-axis at y = d and y = −d.
Find the x-coordinate of a point
√ P along the axis x (x > 0) where the strength of electric
field is maximal. Answer: d/ 2

y=d
r
E1
P (x=?)
θ x
θ
E2
r
y=-d

Since the charges and distances to P are equal, the electric fields will have the same
magnitude. The net electric field is
 = E1 + E2
E
= (E1 cos θ ı̂ + E1 sin θ ̂) + (E2 cos θ ı̂ − E2 sin θ ̂)
= 2E1 cos θ ı̂
kQ x
E = 2 2
r r
2kQx
= .
(x + d2 )3/2
2
To find the maximum, use the first derivative test.
 
dE (x2 + d2 )3/2 − ( 32 (x2 + d2 )1/2 2x)x
= 2kQ
dx (x2 + d2 )3
√
2kQ x2 + d2 2
0 = (x + d2 − 3x2 )
(x2 + d2 )3
2x2 = d2
d
x = √ .
2

4. A negative charge placed in electric field E will experience an electrostatic force. The
direction of this force: Answer: opposite to the electric field vector.

The force is related to the external electric field by F = q E.

 If the charge q is negative,
the force and the electric field will be in opposite directions.

5. Three charges of the same sign and value q are placed in the corners of√
a square with a
2
side d as shown in the figure. Find the force acting on charge 2. Answer: 2 dq 2 k

2 3
F3

F1

From the diagram

F = F1 + F3
= −F1 ̂ − F3 ı̂.

Since the charges and the distances are equal, the forces have the same magnitude

k|q||q| kq 2
F1 = F3 = = .
d2 d2
The magnitude of the net force is
 √ √ kq 2
F = (F1 )2 + (F2 )2 = 2 F1 = 2 2.
d
6. Two charges of the same sign and value q are separated by some distance d as shown in
the figure. A third charge is placed in the center point right between them so the net force
 1 3 2
F12 F13

on each of the charges is zero. Find the value of the third charge in terms of q. Answer:
−q/4.
If all three charges have the same sign, q1 and q2 will be repelled outward. Therefore,
the sign of q3 must be opposite the signs of the other charges. The forces on q1 is

F1 = F12 + F13

= −F12 ı̂ + F13 ı̂
F1 = −F12 + F13
k|q1 ||q2 | k|q1 ||q3 |
0 = − +
(r12 )2 (r13 )2
k|q||q| k|q||q3 |
= − 2 + d 2
d (2)
= −|q| + 4|q3 |
|q|
|q3 | =
4
Remembering that the sign on q3 is the opposite to the sign of q gives q3 = −q/4.

7. A charge Q is placed in the center of a shell of radius R. The flux of electric field
through the shell surface is Φ0 . What is the new flux through the shell surface, if its radius
is doubled? Answer: Φ0 .

Gauss’s law states that the total flux through a closed surface is proportional to the
total charge enclosed by the surface. Since the charge is unchanged, the flux is still Φ0 .

8. The electric field in three dimensions is E = (ax)î, with a = 2 N/Cm. Find the
approximate amount of electric charge inside a cube with a side of 1 m and oriented as
shown in the figure. Answer: 18 pC

z
 Applying Gauss’s law over the six sides of the cube

Φ =  · dA
E 

=  · dA
E 1 +  · dA
E 2 +  · dA
E 3 +  · dA
E 4 +  · dA
E 5 +  · dA
E  6.
1 2 3 4 5 6

Let L = 1 m be the length of a cube edge. Assume also that the sides are enumerated as
follows:
Area Location Normal E · dA

1 yz plane −ı̂ −E(x = 0) dA
2 parallel to yz plane at x = L ı̂ E(x = L) dA
3 xy plane −k̂ 0
4 parallel to xy plane at z = L k̂ 0
5 xz plane −̂ 0
6 parallel to xz plane at y = L ̂ 0

Since E is in the x direction, there is only a flux through sides 1 and 2. The flux through
side 1 is also zero since when x = 0, E = ax = 0. The total flux is

Φ =  · dA
E 2
2
= E(x = L) dA

= E(x = L) dA
= a(L)(Area of side 1)
= aL(L2 )
= 2 Nm2 /C.

Gauss’ law implies qenc = 0 Φ = 1.77 × 10−11 C.

9. An atom of hydrogen is a proton with an electron orbiting it along a circular path of

radius R. This can be viewed as a proton (charge e) surrounded by a uniformly charged
ring with a total charge −e. Find the electric field along the line of symmetry (z-axis as
2
shown in figure) at a distance z so that z  R. Answer: 3eR
2z 4
k

11
00
00
11R
11
00
00
110
1 00
11
001
110 z
Ering Echarge

 = E
E  
charge + Ering
 E = Echarge − Ering
k|e| k| − e|z
= 2
− 2
z (R + z 2 )3/2


1 z
= ke 2 − 2
z (R + z 2 )3/2


1 z
= ke 2 − 2
z (z ((R/z)2 + 1))3/2

−3/2 
2
ke  R 
= 2
1− 1+ 2
z z

  
ke 3 R2
≈ 2 1 − (1 + −
z 2 z2
ke 3 R2
= 2
z 2 z2
3keR2
= .
2z 4
The binomial expansion has been used to find (1 + (R2 /z 2 ))−3/2 ≈ 1 + (−3/2)(R2 /z 2 ).

10. Two very small spheres have equal masses m, and charges of the same sign and value q,
and hang on strings of length L as shown in figure. Due to the repulsive force, the spheres
are separated by some distance d - find this distance.
 Assume that d  L so that you can
q2 k
use the approximation tan α ≈ sin α ≈ α. Answer: 2L mg
3

11
00 00
11
00
11
00
11
00
11 00
11
00
11
00
11 00
11
α 11
00
11
00
11
00
11
00
00
11 L
0011
11 00
00
11
00
11
00
11 00
11
00
11 00
11
00
11 00
11
00
11 00
11T
F
0
1 0011
11 001 0
0
1
0
1 0
1
0
1 0
1
0
1 0
1
mg
0
1
0
1 0
1
0
1
0
1
d=? 0
1
0
1
The conditions of equilibrium

Fx = F − T sin α
0 = F − T sin α
F = T sin α
and

Fy = T cos α − mg
 0 = T cos α − mg
mg = T cos α.

Dividing the two equations

F T sin α
=
mg T cos α
F = mg tan α

The repulsive force is electrostatic, F = kq 2 /d2 . For small α, use tan α ∼ sin α. From the
diagram, sin α = (d/2)/L = d/2L. Substituting

kq 2 d
2
= mg
d 2L
kq 2 2L = mgd3


2kq 2 L
d = 3 .
mg