BSc/MSci Examination

Main Examination Period 2018

SPA4210 Electric and Magnetic Fields Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes

YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO READ THE CONTENTS OF THIS QUESTION PAPER UNTIL
INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY AN INVIGILATOR.

Instructions:
Answer ALL questions from Section A. Answer ONLY TWO questions from Section B.
Section A carries 50 marks, each question in section B carries 25 marks.

If you answer more questions than specified, only the first answers (up to the specified
number) will be marked. Cross out any answers that you do not wish to be marked.

Only non-programmable calculators are permitted in this examination. Please state on your
answer book the name and type of machine used.

Complete all rough workings in the answer book and cross through any work that is not to be
assessed.

Important note: The academic regulations state that possession of unauthorised material at
any time when a student is under examination conditions is an assessment offence and can lead
to expulsion from QMUL.

Please check now to ensure you do not have any notes, mobile phones or unauthorised elec-
tronic devices on your person. If you have any, raise your hand and give them to an invigilator
immediately. It is also an offence to have any writing of any kind on your person, including on
your body. If you are found to have hidden unauthorised material elsewhere, including toilets and
cloakrooms it will be treated as being found in your possession. Unauthorised material found on
your mobile phone or other electronic device will be considered the same as being in possession
of paper notes. A mobile phone that causes a disruption is also an assessment offence.

EXAM PAPERS MUST NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE EXAM ROOM.

Examiners:
Dr C. D. White
Prof. F. Di Lodovico

c Queen Mary University of London, 2018
Page 2 SPA4210 (2018)

SECTION A Answer ALL questions in Section A

Note: a table of useful data is provided at the end of the paper.

Question A1

An electron is a distance of 1m away from a proton. What is the magnitude of the electric force
on the electron? Which direction does it point in?
[5 marks]
Question A2

A positive point charge of 2C situated at a point P experiences the forces

     
1 0 1
~
F1 =  2 , F2 =
 ~  1 , F3 =
 ~  1 
3 0 0

due to point charges located elsewhere, where all numbers are in Newtons. Find the total electric
~ at P .
field E
[5 marks]
Question A3

Figure 1 shows a Faraday cage, namely an empty space that is completely enclosed by a perfect
conductor. By considering the line integral of the electric field around the loop composed of the
segments C1 and C2 , show that the electric field in the centre must be zero.

C2

b C1

Figure 1: The Faraday cage, in which an empty space is completely surrounded by a perfect
conductor, where the latter is shown in grey.

[5 marks]
Question A4

Show that two capacitors in parallel (with capacitances C1 and C2 ) have a total effective capaci-
tance
C = C1 + C2 .
SPA4210 (2018) Page 3

[5 marks]

Question A5

A particle of charge 0.2C moves with velocity 5ms−1 in the +x direction. If a magnetic field of 2T
points in the +y direction, what is the magnetic force on the particle? You must state the direction
in your answer.

[5 marks]

Question A6

State Ampere’s Law, and use it to show that the magnetic field a perpendicular distance R from
an infinitely long wire has magnitude
µ0 I
B= ,
2πR
where I is the current in the wire, and µ0 the permeability of free space. Which direction does
the field point in?

[5 marks]

Question A7

A circular coil of conducting wire, with radius a, sits in a uniform magnetic field of magnitude

B = B0 e−λt ,

whose direction is parallel to the axis of the coil. If the wire has resistance R, derive an expression
for the current induced.

[5 marks]

Question A8

State Kirchoff’s voltage and current laws, and explain the physical principles underlying them.

[5 marks]

Question A9

In simple conducting materials, the electric field E is related to the current density J by

E = ρJ,

where ρ is the resistivity. Use this to show that the potential difference across a length L of such
material, with cross-sectional area A and carrying current I, satisfies

∆V = IR,

where
ρL
R= .
A
Turn over
Page 4 SPA4210 (2018)

[5 marks]

Question A10

A vector field is given by  

x y
f~ = , − 2, 0 .
y2 x
What is its divergence, as a function of position? Could this represent a magnetic field?

[5 marks]
SPA4210 (2018) Page 5

SECTION B Answer TWO questions from Section B

Question B1

a) One of Maxwell’s equations in differential form is given by

~
~ = µ0 J~ + µ0 0 ∂ E ,
∇×B
∂t
where B ~ is the magnetic field, 0 and µ0 the permittivity and permeability of free space, and
J~ the current density. Briefly explain the origin of the second term.

[3 marks]

b) The remaining Maxwell equations are given by

~
~ = ρ,
∇·E ~ = − ∂B ,
∇×E ~ = 0,
∇·B
0 ∂t

where ρ is the charge density and E ~ the electric field. What do all the Maxwell equations
(including that of part (a)) reduce to in a vacuum?

[2 marks]

c) By using the identity

∇ × (∇ × V~ ) = ∇(∇ · V~ ) − ∇2 V~
(valid for any vector V~ ), show that the vacuum Maxwell equations imply that
~ = −∇2 E.
∇ × (∇ × E) ~

[4 marks]

d) ~ show also that

By considering the Maxwell equation for ∇ × E,
~
∂ 2E
~ = −µ0 0
∇ × (∇ × E) .
∂t2
[4 marks]

e) Hence show that

~
1 ∂ 2E
~ =
∇2 E ,
c2 ∂t2
where you should state the value of c.

[3 marks]

f) Similarly, show that

~
1 ∂ 2B
~ =
∇2 B .
c2 ∂t2
Turn over
Page 6 SPA4210 (2018)

Figure 2: A circuit containing an inductor and capacitor in series, where L and C are the induc-
tance and capacitance respectively.

[7 marks]

g) What do solutions of the equations obtained in parts (e) and (f) represent?

[2 marks]

Question B2

a) The flux through an inductor with inductance L carrying current I is given by

ΦB = LI.

Using Faraday’s law, show that the potential difference across the inductor is given by

dI
∆VL = L .
dt
[5 marks]

b) Consider the circuit shown in figure 2, containing an inductor and capacitor in series. Ex-
plain why
∆VL + ∆VC = 0,
where ∆VL and ∆VC are the potential differences across the inductor and capacitor respec-
tively.

[2 marks]

c) If Q(t) is the charge on the left-hand capacitor plate at time t, show that the condition in
part (b) implies the differential equation

d2 Q(t) 1
= −ω 2 Q(t), ω2 = .
dt2 LC
[6 marks]
SPA4210 (2018) Page 7

d) Show that
Q(t) = Q0 cos(ωt)
is a solution of the equation obtained in part (c), satisfying
Q(t = 0) = Q0 , I(t = 0) = I0 ,
where I(t) is the current, and you should give the value of I0 .
[5 marks]
e) Sketch the behaviour of the charge and the current as a function of time.
[4 marks]
f) For an inductance of 1H and a capacitance of 1F, what is the earliest time after t = 0 at
which the charge is again given by Q0 ?
[3 marks]
Question B3

a) A segment of wire of (vector) length d~l is placed in a magnetic field B. ~ By considering a

charge dQ with drift velocity ~vd that traverses d~l in time dt, show that the segment feels a
magnetic force
dF~B = Id~l × B,
~
where I is the current.
[4 marks]
b) Consider two infinite straight wires separated by a perpendicular distance d, and carrying
currents I1 and I2 . Using the result of part (a), show that the force per unit length experi-
enced by either wire has magnitude
dFB µ0 I1 I2
= .
dl 2πd
Is this force attractive or repulsive?
[8 marks]
c) A current of 1A is defined such that if this current is carried by each of two parallel wires
separated by a distance of 1m, a force of 2 × 10−7 N per unit length is experienced by each
wire. What value does this imply for the permeability of free space in SI units?
[3 marks]
d) Consider now the case of an infinite uniformly charged wire, which carries no current. Use
Gauss’ Law to show that the electric field a perpendicular distance d from the wire is given
by
λ
E= ,
2π0 d
where λ is the charge per unit length. Which direction does the field point in?

Turn over
Page 8 SPA4210 (2018)

[5 marks]
e) Hence show that a similar charged wire placed a distance d from the first experiences an
electric force per unit length
dFE λ2
= .
dl 2π0 d
What value of λ corresponds to this electric force being equal to the magnetic force expe-
rienced by two wires each carrying 1A of current?
[5 marks]
Question B4

The energy density carried by the electromagnetic field is given by

1 ~ 2 1 ~ 2
u = 0 |E| + |B| ,
2 2µ0
~ and B
where E ~ are the electric and magnetic fields respectively.

a) Show that, for a point charge Q, the total field energy outside a sphere of radius r0 sur-
rounding the charge is
Q2
U= .
8π0 r0
[7 marks]
b) Show that, for an infinite current-carrying wire, the total field energy per unit length in the
annular prism defined by a < R < b (where R is the perpendicular distance from the wire)
is given by
µ0 I 2
 
b
U= ln .
4π a
[7 marks]
c) An electromagnetic plane wave travelling in the +x direction has nonzero electric and mag-
netic field components given by
E0
Ey = E0 cos(ωt − kx), Bz = cos(ωt − kx),
c
√
where ω and k are constants, and c = 1/ µ0 0 is the speed of light. Show that the energy
densities carried by the electric and magnetic fields are the same.
[5 marks]
d) For the wave of part (c), we may define the Poynting vector

~= 1E
S ~ × B.
~
µ0
Show that this vector points in the direction of travel of the wave, and that its magnitude
represents the intensity (i.e. the energy transmitted per unit time, per unit cross-section
area).
SPA4210 (2018) Page 9

[6 marks]

End of Paper

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Page 10 SPA4210 (2018)

Appendix

Useful Data

You may wish to use the following information:

Charge of an electron −e = −1.6 × 10−19 C

Vacuum permittivity 0 = 8.8510−12 C/(V·m)
1
4π0
' 9 109 (V·m)/C