%% This document created by Scientific Word (R) Version 2.0 \documentclass[12pt]{article} %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% \usepackage{sw20jart} %TCIDATA{TCIstyle=Article/ART4.LAT,jart,sw20jart} \input tcilatex \addtolength{\topmargin}{-0.4in} \addtolength{\textheight}{1in} \addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-0.2in} \addtolength{\textwidth}{0.6in} \thispagestyle{empty} \QQQ{Language}{ American English } \begin{document} \begin{center} \textbf{Phys 742 - EM I} \textbf{In-class test 1 - 29 February 1996} \end{center} \smallskip\ \textbf{1.} Two conducting spheres of radius $a$ carry opposite charges. \textbf{(a) }Find the capacitance $C$ of this system when the spheres are separated by a distance $b>>a$ (One can obtain an expansion in $a/b.$ The first term of this expansion is enough for full credit on this problem, but you can get the next term for extra credit if time permits). Give a number (in cm and in $\mu F$) when $a=1$ \negthinspace cm and $b=\!10$ cm. \textbf{(b) }What is the force between the spheres? Obtain the answer directly and check that it is also given by a general formula involving% \textbf{\ }$C$ with the $C$ of part (a)\textbf{\ } \smallskip\ \textbf{2.} Consider the problem of finding the potential in a charge-free region surrounded by a surface $S$ when \textbf{(a)} the potential is assigned on $S$ \textbf{(b) }the field is assigned on $S$ \textbf{(c)} both the potential and the field have assigned values on $S$ Discuss these three cases. Can the potential be assigned arbitrarily on the boundary and is then the solution unique? Can the field components be assigned arbitrarily on the boundary, or which components can be assigned arbitrarily, and is then the solution unique? And what about case (c)? You are not expected to prove your answers, but they must be precise answers. \smallskip\ \ \textbf{3.} \textbf{(a)} We know that the real part of the complex potential $i\arcsin (z/a)$ represents the electrostatic potential of a charged strip. What is the charge per unit length on the strip? Sketch the field lines and the equipotentials. \textbf{(b)} What electrostatic potential problem is solved by the real part of $\arcsin (z/a)$? (If you can follow the branches of the complex $\arcsin $ you will think that the answer is obvious; in any case do the following). Find the electric field all along the $x$ axis. From its behavior for $x>a$ argue that you have there a conducting plate. Similarly for $xa,$ meaning that the halfplane for $x>a$ is at a constant potential, and the halfplane for $x<-a$ is too. The potential difference is \[ V_{right}-V_{left}=-\int_{-a/2}^{a/2}E_xdx=\int_{-a/2}^{a/2}\dfrac{dx}{\sqrt{% a^2-x^2}}=\left. \arcsin \frac xa\right| _{-a}^a=\pi \] One can get this directly by examining $\func{Re}F,$ which is just $\arcsin (x/a)$ for $\left| x\right| >a$ we expect $C_{11}=a+O(a^2/b^2).$ To find $C_{11}$ and $C_{12}$, we must put sphere 1 at potential 1 and sphere 2 at potential 0. To leading order, the charge on sphere 1 must be $q=a$ (so that $q/a=1$) and we must put on sphere 2 an image charge $q^{\prime }=-qa/b=-a^2/b.$ By definition, $% C_{11}=q$ and $C_{12}=q^{\prime }.$ Putting this back into eq. (\ref{C}), we get again the result \[ C=\frac 12\left( a+\frac{a^2}b\right) \] The disadvantage of this method is that it is limited to spheres, because it uses explicitly the method of images. The other method is more general. Suppose that the spheres are replaced by two bodies of capacitances $C_1$ and $C_2.$ ($C_1$ is the capacitance of body 1 all by itself and is only approximately equal to $C_{11}.$ Similarly for $C_2.$) Then the potential on body 1 is approximately $q/C_1-q/b$ and the potential on body 2 is approximately $-q/C_2+q/b$. Taking the difference and dividing by $q,$% \[ \frac 1C\simeq \frac 1{C_1}+\frac 1{C_2}-\frac 2b \] \[ C\simeq \,\frac{C_1C_2}{C_1+C_2-2C_1C_2/b}\simeq \frac{C_1C_2}{C_1+C_2}% \left( 1+\frac 2b\frac{C_1C_2}{C_1+C_2}\right) \] Comparing this formula with eq. (\ref{C}), we see that, to leading order, $% C_{12}=-C_1C_2/b.$ \end{document}