Jackson 2.

9 Homework Problem Solution

Dr. Christopher S. Baird
University of Massachusetts Lowell

PROBLEM:
An insulated, spherical, conducting shell of radius a is in a uniform electric field E0. If the sphere is cut
into two hemispheres by a plane perpendicular to the field, find the force required to prevent the
hemispheres from separating

(a) if the shell is uncharged;

(b) if the total charge on the shell is Q.

SOLUTION:
(a) Align the z axis with the direction of the electric field. Find the potential outside a sphere at the
origin in a uniform field by placing charges at z = -R and z = +R with charges +Q and -Q and letting R
and Q approach infinity with Q/R2 constant. The response of the sphere can be represented by placing
two image charges -Qa/R and +Qa/R in the sphere at -a2/R and +a2/R. The potential outside an
uncharged conductor in a uniform field is therefore the potential of these four charges:

[ ]
Q 1 1 a /R a/R
Φ= − 2 + −
4 π ϵ0 √ r +R +2 r R cos θ √ r +R −2 r Rcos θ
√ √
2 2 2 4 4
a r a r
r2 + 2
−2 a 2 cos θ r2 + 2
+2 a 2 cos θ
R R R R

In the limit R >> r, this becomes:

a3
Φ=−E 0 r cos θ+E 0 cos θ where E0 was recognized as 2Q/4πε0R2
r2

The first term is just the potential due to the applied field in spherical coordinates. The second term is
the potential of a perfect dipole. The sphere there has an induced charge distribution that acts as a
perfect dipole.

The electric field is therefore:

E=−∇ Φ
3
̂ a (2 cos θ r̂ +sin θ θ)]
E= E 0 [cos θ r̂ −sin θ θ+ ̂
3
r

The electric field at the surface of the sphere is:

E( r=a)=E 0 3 cos θ r̂
The charge distribution on the sphere's surface is found using:

σ=ϵ 0 r̂⋅E(r =a)

σ=3 ϵ0 E 0 cos θ

If the sphere is now cut into hemispheres at the polar angle θ = π/2, the bottom hemisphere will feel a
total force:

F=∫ σ( x) E(x) d a

We have to be careful and not include the force of the bottom hemisphere on itself. We do this by using
the relation E= 2σϵ which gives us just the electric field at the surface of a conductor due to non-self
0

contributions. Using this, we have:

1
σ2 r̂ d a
2 ϵ0 ∫
F=

2π π
a2
F=k̂ ∫ ∫ (3 ϵ0 E 0 cos θ)2 cos θ sin θ d θ d ϕ
2 ϵ0 0 π/ 2
π
F=k̂ 9 ϵ0 π E 0 a ∫ cos 3 θ sin θd θ
2 2

π /2

9 2 2
F=− π ϵ 0 E 0 a k̂
4

The force needed to keep the bottom hemisphere in place would therefore have to be equal and in the
opposite direction:

9 2 2
F= π ϵ 0 E 0 a k̂
4

Due the symmetry, the force needed to keep the other hemisphere in place would be equal and
opposite.

(b) If the sphere has a total charge of Q, it will just spread out uniformly on the sphere as an additional
charge to the induced one.

Q
σ=3 ϵ0 E 0 cos θ+
4 π a2

The total force on the bottom hemisphere will therefore be:

1 2
F=
2 ϵ0 ∫ σ r̂ d a
 2 2π π
a
F=k̂ ∫ ∫ (3 ϵ0 E 0 cos θ+ 4 πQa 2 )(3 ϵ0 E 0 cos θ+ 4 πQa2 )cos θ sin θ d θ d ϕ
2 ϵ0 0 π/ 2

2π π
a2 ̂ Q Q2
F= k ∫ ∫ (9 ϵ20 E 20 cos 2 θ+6 ϵ 0 E 0 cos θ + )cos θsin θ d θ d ϕ
2 ϵ0 0 π/ 2 4 π a 2 16 π 2 a 4

The first term represents the force on the induced charges due the external field and the field from the
induced charges. The second term represents the force on the charge Q due the external field. The third
term represent the force Q on itself. Note that the force of the external field on the point-charge-like
charge Q will just tend to shift it and not separate it. Because we just want forces that will separate the
two hemispheres, we must drop the middle term:
2π π
a2 ̂ Q2
F= k ∫ ∫ (9 ϵ20 E 20 cos 2 θ+ ) cos θ sin θ d θ d ϕ
2 ϵ0 0 π/ 2 16 π2 a 4

F=−k̂
[ 9
4
π a 2 ϵ0 E 20+
Q2
32 π ϵ 0 a 2 ]
The force needed to keep the bottom hemisphere touching the upper sphere is therefore:

F=k̂
[ 9
4
π a2 ϵ 0 E 20 +
Q2
32 π ϵ0 a 2 ]