PHY2323 – Electricity and Magnetism

Assignment 3 (Winter 2015)

You should drop off your assignment in the appropriate dropbox on the second floor of
the MCD physics building.
No late assignment will be accepted.
25% will be deducted if your assignment is not stapled or neatly bound. Sorry about this rule, but we’ve
had too many problems with missing pages!

1. Charges exist on the loop shown below. This loop consists of a straight line
on the x-axis from -a to +a with linear charge density given by 𝝆𝒍 = 𝒌|𝒙|/𝒂
and also a semicircular arc of radius a with linear charge density given by
𝝆𝒍 = 𝒌 . The loop is in the xy plane, and k and a are positive constants.
a) Find the electrostatic potential V(z) on the Z axis. (Let 𝑽(∞) = 𝟎)
b) Find the z-component of the electric field on the negative z-axis.
c) From the geometry of the problem, you probably noticed that the total
electric field should have a y-component as well. For an arbitrary point on the z-axis, can you also
determine Ey from the answer in part (a)? Answer why or why not in one clear sentence.

2. A coaxial cable consists of a metal wire of radius a, and is surrounded by a

concentric metal tube of inner radius c. The space between the central wire and
the tube is partially filled (from b out to c) with an insulator of dielectric
constant ε. Find the capacitance per unit length of this cable. [a < b < c]

𝟏𝟖 𝑽
3. If the electric field ⃗𝑬 = 𝒓𝟐 𝒓̂ (𝒎), what is the electric potential at point A with respect to point B where A is at
+2 m and B at -4 m, both on the z-axis?

4. The interface between two regions is defined by the line equation 𝟐𝒚 − 𝒙 + 𝟒 = 𝟎 and has no accumulated
charge. This plane is parallel to the z-axis. The origin (0,0,0) is in region 1, which consists of air (εo). Region
⃗ 𝟏 = 𝟐𝒙
2 is an insulator with the dielectric constant ε=3 εo. If the electric field in region 1 is equal to 𝑬 ̂−
̂ + 𝟑𝒛̂ (V/m), what is the electric field in region 2, ⃗⃗⃗⃗
𝟓𝒚 𝑬𝟐 ?

5. A hollow spherical shell carries a charge density of 𝝆𝒗 = 𝒌/𝒓𝟐 in the region 𝒂 ≤ 𝒓 ≤

𝒃, where k is a constant. Find the potential at the centre using infinity as your
reference point. [There are two ways to solve this problem. One involves determining
the electric field everywhere in space using Gauss’ law and then calculating Δ𝑉 by
integrating from the reference point – infinity – to the centre. The second method is
to calculate V directly using the integrals we derived in class. You can use the method
of your choice, although I recommend using the first method as it is more intuitive in
my opinion.]