Chapter 21 (Reading from Young&Friedman): Charge, force, & electric field.

Last update: 2/23/09

21-1: a) The "coulomb" is the amount of charge that would generate an electric force of 9x10
9
N when two equal 1C charges are 1
meter apart. In other words the "coulomb" is defined to make k=9x10
9
N.m
2
/C
2

b) 6.25 x10
18
electrons in 1 C.
c) This problem requires some intelligent guessing. Ping pong balls are mostly paper which is mostly carbon (Atomic mass=12
g/mole). A 2-g ball will contain 1/6 of a mole. Since carbon atoms have 6 electrons, that means there is about 1 mole (6.02 x 10
23
)
electrons in the ping-pong ball. From here it is relatively easy to determine that 1C is about 10
-4
% of the electrons in the ping-pong
ball. It would require, of course, an unreasonably large amount of force to remove these many electrons from any object.
d) 3 x 10
9
esu = 1C. The technique is to compare "k" in MKS units to "k" in cgs units.
e) proton: u-u-d and neutron: u-d-d
21-2: These were discussed in class. Check your notes.
21-3: a) 9.2 x 10
-8
N
b) 4.06 x 10
-47
N. The electric force is about 39 powers of ten larger, which makes the gravitational force negligible in the atom.
c) Recall a=v
2
/R and e= v/R. So, v= 2.2 x 10
6
m/s and e= 4.5 x 10
16
rad/s.
d) K= 2.3x 10
-18
J and L=1.02 x 10
-34
kg.m
2
/s
2
.
e) Since most matter is neutral, electrical forces tend to cancel out as more matter accumulates, and although electrical effects do not
entirely disappear, they are effective only at short ranges. Masses cannot neutralize each other so the gravitational force gets very
large with very massive objects.
21-4: a) F
AB
= 3kq
2
/2d
2
; F
AC
= kq
2
/3d
2
; F
BC
= 2kq
2
/d
2
. b) F
A
= 11kq
2
/6d
2
i; F
B
= 7kq
2
/2d
2 (-
i); F
C
= 5kq
2
/3d
2
i.
d) The only place that this can happen is moving the charge to the right of -q. Setting the forces equal to zero gives you x=4.1d to
the right of -q.
e) The vertical component of F
AB
would have to cancel F
BC
.
21-5: The answers would be: q
1
= 22 C, q
2
= 127 C, with the charges being of opposite type. The solution would be as
follows:
The original charges have opposite signs since the force is attractive (negative), this means that Coulombs law becomes kq
1
q
2
/r
2
=-
25. When they touch the charge is redistributed so each ball has charge q
3
= (q
1
+q
2
)/2 . Since we don't know which charge is
negative, q
3
could be positive or negative, but either way the force would be repulsive (positive) and Coulombs law becomes
kq
3
q
3
/r
2
=25. Substitution allows you to relate the two charges with a quadratic equation. Solving the quadratic gives you a
relationship between q
1
and q
2
. Plugging back into Coulombs law will then give you the value of each charge.
21-6: a) Draw free-body diagrams for one of the charges. The forces (weight, tension and coulomb force) add up to zero and the
vector relationship can be used to solve for q.
b) (i) the angle of the mass that is increased decreases while the other angle increases, (ii) both angles increase, (iii) the angle of the
shorter string increases and the other decreases.
c) There is not enough information to solve this problem in general. Assuming that the external electric field is horizontal it is
possible to make one ball hang vertically while the other one will rise at angle with the vertical. Then you can find an expression for
the external electric field in terms of the other given quantities. If the horizontal external field is E=kqcos(o/2)/[2lsin(o/2)]
2
, one
sphere will hang vertically and the other will rise to an angle o with the vertical.
21-7: a) E
A
= 11kq/18d
2
i; E
B
= 7kq/4d
2
i; E
C
= 5kq/3d
2
(-i).
b) The electric field at the location of the removed sphere would not change but the field at all other points would be changed.
21-9: (a) This was done in class, check your notes. Answer is E
x
=2kqa/(x
2
+a
2
)
3/2
(-j).
b) For y>a, E
y
=4kqay/(y
2
-a
2
)
2
(j). For y<a, E
y
=2kq(y
2
+a
2
)/(a
2
-y
2
)
2
(-j).
c) In either (a) or (b), the "a" term in the denominator is negligible.
d) Along the x-axis the maximum value is at the origin. In the y-direction, the point charge expression predicts an infinite field at +a.
Because infinite fields are not realistic the implication is that there really are no such things as "point charges", all charges must
have some dimension even if it is too small to measure.
21-10:a) Very similar problem to the one before except vector addition is in the x-direction. Answer is E
x
=2kqx/(x
2
+a
2
)
3/2
(i).
b) For y<a, E
y
=4kqay/(a
2
-y
2
)
2
(-j). For y>a, E
y
=2kq(y
2
+a
2
)/(y
2
-a
2
)
2
(j).
c) The extreme case is actually proportional to an inverse squared function of distance. This makes sense because this arrangement
resembles a point charge from far away
d) To determine max value take a derivative of E
x
and set it to zero (dE/dx =0). E
x
is a max at x=+ 0.71a
21-11: a) It is somewhat less messy to do this along a horizontal axis passing through the quadrupole. Centering the x-axis on the -
2q charge gives, E
x
=2kq(-a
4
+ 3x
2
a
2
)/x
2
(x
2
-a
2
)
2
, where "x" is the distance from the -2q charge along that axis (i). Neglecting a, E
x
is
proportional to 1/x
4
.
b) The basic idea is that close to the center the dipole and quadrupole fields are larger than the point charge, but they decay much
quicker with distance.
c) As mentioned elsewhere, with more charges of both types the electric effects substantially drop off at long distances and become
effective only at short distances. This is why electric forces are very important in chemistry but mostly negligible in astronomy.
21-12: Draw free body diagrams. To determine torques you must consider a specific axis of rotation. a) Dipole is pushed up and has
clockwise torque about its center; charge is pushed down and has counter-clockwise torque about the center of the dipole. b) Dipoles
are pushed apart, no torques, but rotational equilibrium is unstable. c) Charge and dipole are attracted to each other, no torques. d)
One dipole is pushed down and rotates clockwise about its center; the other is pushed up but also rotates clockwise about its center.
This doesnt violate Angular Momentum Conservation because both dipoles, as a whole, will circle counter-clockwise in the plane
of the paper due to the net forces on them.
21-13: a) Net force = 2kQqa/(x
2
+a
2
)
3/2
(j).
b) Net torque about dipole center is clockwise and equals 2kQqax/(x
2
+a
2
)
3/2
(-k).
c) Force on Q is the same as on the dipole.
d) There is also a torque on Q if you consider the axis at the center of the dipole.
21-14: This problem is identical to the projectile problems that we did in kinematics. The acceleration here is not "g" but rather
F
e
/m=Eq/m. Since the electric field is uniform the acceleration can be considered constant and we can ignore edge effects, so the old
kinematics formulas apply.
a) t=L/v and the proton has to start a distance D=at
2
/2= Eq/m(L/v
)2
/2 above the plate in order to clear it.
b) The final velocity of the proton is v
final
=v i + ( EqL/mv) j.
c) Deflection angle is given by the tanu = EqL/mv
2
.
d) An electron would get a force in the opposite direction and, since it has less mass, it would have a greater acceleration
e) Plate charge would be negative.
21-15: a) t=2vsinum/Eq b) v c) H=(vsinu)
2
/2o, where a=Eq/m d) See 14(d)
21-16: a) Similar problem was done in class, check your notes: E
x
= kQ/(x
2
L
2
/4).
b) E
y
= kL/y(y
2
+ L
2
/4)
1/2
; E
x
= 0. c) E
y
= k( cosu
1
-cosu
2
)/y; E
x
= k(sinu
2
-sinu
1
)/y
d) E
y
= k/y. e) If y<<L, u
1
~ 0 and u
2
~180 .
21-17: a) F=E
x
= kQq/(x
2
L
2
/4). b) (x
2
L
2
/4)
1/2

21-18: a) E
y
= 2k/R.
b) E
y
= ksino/R; E
y
= k(1coso)/R.; E
total
= 2ksin(o/2)/R, directed (180
o
+ o/2), along the bisector of the arc. c) u=t
2119: a) The symmetry of the ring causes the y-components of the electric field to cancel along the axis. A vector diagram would
show this very well.
b) E
x
= kQx/(x
2
+R
2
)
3/2
(i). c) x=0.71R
d) For x<<R, the force on the -q charge would be proportional to "x" and would always be directed toward the center of the ring
which makes this a restoring force that leads to SHM.
e) The angular frequency constant here would be e= 2t/T = (kQq/mR
3
)
1/2
.
21-20:This was partially done in class. Check you notes. The idea is to use the electric field derived previously along the axis of a
ring of charge, then use this expression to integrate rings of variable sizes to get the expression for the entire plate. In this case dQ is
the charge of one infinitesimal thin ring of arbitrary radius "r" and thickness "dr" imbedded in the plate.
a) E= 2tok[1- x/(x
2
+r
2
)
1/2
]
b) For x<<R, E=2tok, which is independent of distance. This is an important case which tells us that it is possible to experience a
constant E field if we are close to a plate of uniform charge.
c) For x>>R you can show that the plate acts like a point charge by using the binomial expansion (1+x)
p
= 1+px, for x<<1.
21-21: a) Torque about center of dipole=Eqdsinu c) The dipole is in equilibrium when parallel to the electric field.
d) Use the fact that T=Io and use the small angle approximation as we did for pendulums in mechanics.
21-22: a) F=(kQ
2
/L
2
) ln[D
2
/(D
2
-L
2
)]
Chapter 22:Gauss Law Hints Last update 9/10/08


1. A number of these can be seen in the textbook (p 724-5) or they were done in class.
- Lines-of-force cannot cross in space or bend at sharp angles because this would imply that the electric field had
two different directions at the bend or cross point, which is not possible.
- Lines-of-force are always perpendicular to charged surfaces because any surface looks flat and infinite if you are
close enough to it, so all lines-of-force begin parallel and perpendicular to the source charged surface before it
spreads out in space.



-Charged particles do not follow a path along a single curved line-of-force. The force on the particle is tangent to a line-of-
force but as the particle accelerates its velocity is not parallel to the force it experiences at a particular point and the particle
follows a curved path that is different from a single line-of-force curve.

2. Since q is proportional to the lines emanating from the charge, compare the lines connected to each charged object. Answers:
a) q
2
=q
1
=+6nC; b) q
2
= -q
1
=+6nC ; c) q
2
= -3q
1
= -18nC



3. (a) Since E= flux/area, the argument is based on the way that the lines spread out in space. For a point charge the lines-of-force
(electric flux) spread into spherical surfaces (E=flux/4tr
2
), so E is prop to 1/r
2
. For a line of charge the flux spreads into cylindrical
These are concentric spheres

+q
-2q
+q
-q
+Q
-Q
+Q
+q +q
See textbook
+q
-2q
See textbook
q1
q2
q2

q1
q1
q2 q2
surfaces (E=flux/2trL), so E is prop to 1/r. For a plate of charge the areas over which the flux spreads do not grow in size (E=flux/A),
so the lines-of-force are parallel and E is therefore uniform. The last two arguments are only true if you are away from the ends of
the line or plate of charge.
b)The electric field E can be defined as flux/area, since flux is the correct expression of the lines-of-force, one could say that E is the
density of the lines-of-force.
c) The main limitation is that the number of lines is finite whereas there is electric field at every point in space.

4.
Illustration Given information Find |
a)

E= 200 N/C; triangular
dimensions are 30 cm,40 cm and
50 cm and the width is 20 cm.
This was done in class:
Through slanted surface and back vertical surface,
| = +12 Nm
2
/C, all others | =0
b)

E= 200 N/C; diameter of
hemisphere is 40 cm.
Find the flux thru circular base of the hemisphere:
| = EtR
2
= +25 Nm
2
/C
c)

Q=2 nC at the center of a cube
with sides equal 60 cm.
Because the charge is at the center, it is easier
here to use Gauss law to determine the entire
flux emanating from the charge and then divide
by 6: |
side
= 4tkQ/6

= +38 Nm
2
/C
e) q= 2 nC Because these are closed surfaces use Gauss law:
|
A
= 4tk(+q-2q)= -226 Nm
2
/C; |
B
= 4tk(+q+3q)=
+905 Nm
2
/C
f) E is not uniform but it is given by
the formula: E=E
o
y/a (k^), where
a and E
o
are constants.
The element of integration here is a strip parallel to
the x-axis, a long and dy wide (dA=ady k). Then
|
A
= S EdA= So
a
(E
o
y/a) ady= E
o
a
2
/2

5. (a) Charged spheres require spherical gaussians; rods require cylindrical guassians; and plates require a gaussian surface that
have sides that are parallel and perpendicular to the plate.
b) All these charge arrangements have fields that are not uniform enough for a simple gaussian surface.

6. Check your notes as some of these would have been done in class.

Example Line-of- force
illustration &
gaussian surfaces
Electric field expressions
from Gauss law
Graph of E vs. r Follow up...
E
E
+3q
-2q
+q
A
B
E
y=a
x=a
z
dA
a) Point charge q

E=kq/r
2
r
^
Is a point charge
likely to exist? No...
b) Conducting sphere of
charge Q with radius R
E for r<R

E=0
E for r>R

E=kq/r
2
r
^
What happens to the
field at a point outside
if sphere shrinks to 0?
Nothing..
c) Non-conducting sphere
with volume charge
density with inner and
outer radii R
in
& R
out
.
R
i
<r<R
o

E=4tk(r-
R
i
3
/r
2
)/3



r>R
o

E=
4tk(R
o
3
-
R
i
3
)/3r
2
Consider the special
case of R
in
=0.
E
in
=4tkr/3
E
out
=4tkR
o
3
/3r
2


d) Non-conducting sphere
with non-uniform charge
distribution =Ar

and
radius R



r<R

E=tkAr
2
r
^

r>R

E=tkA R
4
/r
2

What is the net charge?
Q=tAR
4


7. These would have been discussed in class: (a) Since all the charge is on the surface in a conductor, a gaussian surface inside
enclosed no charge.

8. Some of these were done in class, so check your notes for hints on how to get the answers. Gaussian surfaces will be spheres.

Example Line-of- force
illustration &
gaussian surfaces
Electric field expressions Graph of E
vs. r
Follow-up...
a) Inner metal sphere
(+q) and outer shell of
negligible thickness (-
q)
E for r<a

E=0
E a to b

E= kq/r
2
r
^

E for r>b

E=0
inner = -q
outer = 0
b) Point (+q) charge at
the center of a solid,
un-charged
conducting shell
(radius a to b)
E= kq/r
2
r
^
E=0 E= kq/r
2
r
^
inner = -q
outer = +q
c) Non-conducting
sphere with uniformly
distributed (q)
surrounded by a thin
conducting shell with
(+2q)
E=
-kqr/R
3
r
^

E=-kq/r
2
r
^
E= kq/r
2
r
^
inner = +q
outer = +q
E,
dA
dA


E
dA



E
dA



E
d) Metal sphere (q
1
,
radius a) surrounded
by a thick, metal shell
with (q
2
, b to c)
E (a to b)
E= kq
1
/r
2

E (b to c)
E=0
E for r>c
E=
k(q
1
+q
2
)/r
2

Varies.. inner = -q
1
outer = (q
1
+q
2
)

9. Gaussian surfaces here will always be cylinders of arbitrary length and radius where the E field is being determined.

Example Line-of- force
illustration &
gaussian surfaces
Electric field expressions,
measured from the center of
the rod.
Graph of E vs r Follow-up...
a) Line of constant
charge density
=dq/dL
E=2k/r r
^
Is it possible to have a
line of charge? No
b) Conducting rod of
charge Q, length L,
and cross-sectional
radius R.

E for r<R

E=0
E for r>R

E=2kQ/Lr

E=2k/r
E=4ktoR/r
c) Line of charge with
density surrounded
by cylindrical shell
with - density and
radius R

E for r<R

E=2k/r r
^

E for r>R

E=0

o= -/2tR on the inside
surface and 0 on the
outside surface
d) Non-conducting rod
with uniform charge
distribution =dQ/dV


and radius R

r<R
E=2tkr

r>R
E=2tkR
2
/r

You would have to
integrate to get q
in
: q
in

= S Cr(2tr ldr)=
C2 ltr
3
/3

10. For a numerical example, consider a cylindrical conductor of length 20 cm and diameter 1 cm. A proton 1 cm above the surface
of the cylinder orbits the cylinder with a speed of 10
6
m/s. Determine: (a) the linear charge density of the cylinder, and (b) the net
charge of the cylinder. What if the protons orbit were 2 cm?
This requires that you review circular motion. The protons centripetal force (mv
2
/r) is provided here by the electric force from the
field (Eq). The E field can then be related to the charge density of the rod.
My answers: a) -0.58 C/m; b) -0.116 C; c) The radius of the orbit doesnt change any of the answers because they are
independent of r.

11. Gaussian surfaces can be cylinders of arbitrary height and crossection.

Example Line-of- force illustration
& gaussian surfaces
Electric field expressions,
measured from the center of the
plate.
Graph of E vs.
y
Follow-up...
a) Non-conducting
sheet of charge
with charge Q and
area A

E=2tkQ/A o=dQ/dA =Q/A
b) Conducting sheet
of charge with
charge Q, surface
area A, and
thickness d.

E for y< d/2
E=0
E for y> d/2
E=2tkQ/A
o=dq/dA=Q/2A
c) Non-conducting
slab of area A,
thickness d, with
charge Q uniformly
distributed.

E for y< d/2
E=Qy/Adc
o
;
Where y is
measured from
center of slab.
E for y> d/2
E=Q/2Ac
o

E=y/c
o
;


12. In 11a above, E
a
=o /2c
o
. In 11b above, E
a
=o/c
o
. These two expressions appear different because o = 2o. But the fields must
be equal since the overall charge density is the same.

13. Seen from the outside the slab has an overall area charge density Q/A=o , the same as for the sheet of charge of negligible
thickness. This is reasonable because outside the slab, the thickness is irrelevant. In all cases in problem 11 the outside field
depends only on the overall charge density.

14. The most uniform electric fields are generated by two or more sheets of charge parallel to each other.

Example Line-of- force
illustration &
gaussian surfaces
Electric field expressions, in
between and outside the plates
Graph of E vs. x,
form the left-most
plate.
Follow-up...
b) Two conducting
sheets of area A with
equal and opposite
charges +Q & -Q
E outside
E=0
E between
E=Q/Ac
o

E=o /c
o

c) Two conducting
sheets of area A with
charges +Q & -2Q
E=Q/2Ac
o
;
Toward the
plates
E=
3Q/2Ac
o
;
from + to -
-Q/2 and +3Q/2 on
+plate and -3Q/2 and
Q/2 on plate.
d) Three sheets of area
A with charges +Q,
+Q, and -Q
E=Q/2Ac
o
;
Away from the
plates
E=Q/2Ac
o
;
From 1
st
to
2
nd
plate.
E=3Q/2Ac
o

from 2
nd
to
3
rd
plate.
+Q/2 & +Q/2 on 1
st

plate;
-Q/2 and +3Q/2 on 2
nd

plate;
-3Q/2& +Q/2 on 3
rd

plate.
a
a
a
E
a
E
y
a
a
E
-Note: From afar the net effect of many plates is that of one plate with a net charge, the field must emanate equally in
both direction because of the symmetry of space so the outside fields must be equal and opposite.

15. This is numerical version of 14b. If you follow similar procedures you can get the formulas for the fields outside and in between
the plates.
Use 2 Gaussian surfaces to relate the field between the plates and the field outside the plates. Use the fact that by symmetry the
fields outside must be equal and opposite.
Answers: a) E
o
=1.2 x10
6
N/C & E
i
=4.2 x10
6
N/C; b) o
o
=10.6 C/m
2
& o
i
=36.9 C/m
2
; c) q
o
=0.85 C & E
i
=2.95 C; d) Determine the
acceleration of the electron and use the appropriate kinematics formula.

16. As a review of simple harmonic motion consider this problem. A small object of mass
m and charge q is attached by a thread of length l to a large, flat, non-conducting sheet of
charge with area charge density o and same sign as q. If the object is displaced slightly
from equilibrium, show that it will undergo SHM with a period of T= 2t(2c
o
ml/qo)
1/2
.
Solution: This is basically a simple pendulum. Recall that the period of a simple pendulum is T=2t(l/g)
1/2
. Here the g is by analogy
the acceleration due to the electric field, which is a=F/m=Eq/m. Finally the electric field here is due to a flat sheet of charge so that
E=o/2c
o
. After substituting you get the expression given.

17. Gauss law can also be applied to gravitation by defining analogous quantities to those in electricity.

a) Show that the gravitational acceleration g can be defined as the gravitational field at a point.
b) Define gravitational flux and use it to express Gauss law for gravity.
c) Use Gausss law to prove that the gravitational field outside a planet with uniform mass density is the same as if the mass
were concentrated at the center. (Newton had to use calculus to prove this, since he didnt have Gauss law).
a) By analogy to the electric field (F/q) the gravitational field E
g
should be F/m. Since F=GMm/r
2
, E
g
= GM/r
2
which is g, the
acceleration due to gravity.
b) Gravitational flux should be |
g
= E
g
dA and Gauss law of gravity should be E
g
dA= 4tGM
inside
.
c) You can use Gauss law here the same way we used it to show that sphere of uniform charge had the same field as a point
charge outside.

18. After J.J. Thomson discovered that atoms contained negative particles (now called electrons). He postulated the first atomic
model that consisted of electrons distributed throughout a uniform ball of positive charged material (protons and the nucleus had
not yet been discovered). He described this model as plums in a pudding hence it came to be known as the plum-pudding model
of the atom. In this model the electrons did not orbit but were located at equilibrium positions inside the atom.

a) Explain why, in the hydrogen atom, the equilibrium position of the electron is at the center of the mass of positive matter.
Thats where the field is zero
q,m

l

q
b) Show that if the electron is displaced by a small amount from the center, the resulting motion is simple harmonic. The
field from the positive distribution depends on r so there would be a restoring force proportional to the position of the
electron, suggesting a SHM case
c) In Thomsons time it was known that atoms emit light waves when excited. Thomson postulated that this was caused by
the electron vibrating back and forth. What would be the size of the hydrogen atom in this model to produce light of
frequency 4.5 x 10
14
Hz? Compare to the known size of the hydrogen atom of about 10
-10
m. Hint: Use the period derived
from the SHM in (b).
d) If the electron were displaced from equilibrium by a distance greater than the radius of the positive ball of charge, would
the resulting motion still be simple harmonic? Explain. Nothe force becomes inverse squared with distance
e) Consider a Thomson model of the Helium atom, with two electrons and a positive spherical mass of charge +2e of radius
R. How far from the center must the two electrons have to be for the atom for be stable? Hint: Locate the point where
the electric field from the +charge mass and the other electron would cancel.

19. Thomsons model of the atom was proven incorrect when Rutherford discovered that the positive stuff (what we now call
the protons) was concentrated inside a tiny region of the atom (about 10
-14
m in diameter). The modern quantum model
describes the hydrogen atom as consisting of a point positive +e charge at the center and the electron smeared out over the
volume surrounding the nucleus. The electron charge density is given by the equation:
o
a r
o
e
a
Q
r
/ 2
3
) (

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
t
, where a
o
= 5.3 x
10
-11
m and is called the Bohr radius, and Q is the elementary charge e= 1.6 x 10
-19
C. This is a very challenging problem.

a) Find the total amount of charge within a volume of radius r. Show that as rinfinity, the net enclosed charge is zero.
Explain that result.
The first thing is to find the amount of charge due to the negative cloud created by the electron. This requires that you integrate
the given density function over a sphere of radius r within the volume.
q(r)= dV= (4tr
2
dr)= (-Q/ta
o
3
) e
-2r/a
(4tr
2
dr)=.
The solution can be found in a Table of Integrals, in general x
2
e
-bx
dx= -(1/b
3
)(b
2
x
2
+ 2bx+2)e
-bx

b) Find the electric field caused by the hydrogen atom as a function of r.
c) Graph the electric field vs. r.
Chapter 23: Electric Potential Hints & Answer- Updated 9/19/08

1.
a) Fill in the following chart: U
g
stands for gravitational potential energy and W
g
is the work done by the force of gravity.
Remember that potential energy is relative to an arbitrarily chosen U=0.

Reference U
g A
U
g B
U
g C AU
AB
AU
AC
AU
BC
W
g

AB
W
g

AC
W
g

BC
Relative to
table-top
0 0 30 J 0 30 J 30 J 0 -30 J -30 J
Relative to
the floor
20 J 20 J 50J 0 30 J 30 J 0 -30 J -30 J
Relative to
the ceiling
-40J -40J -10J 0 30 J 30 J 0 -30 J -30 J

b) This chart illustrates the definition of potential energy because it shows that AU= - W
g
, which is the definition of potential
energy and potential energy requires a conservative force.
c) The work done by and against gravity depends only of vertical displacement.
d) AK= - AU= 50 J = mv
2
/2.





a) & b)Fill in the following chart. Here U
e
represents the electric potential energy and W
e
the work done by the electric force. The
symbol AU
AB
represents the change in U from A to B = U
B
U
A.


Reference U
e A
U
e B
U
e C AU
AB
AU
AC
AU
BC
W
e

AB
W
e

AC
W
e

BC
Relative to A 0; 0 0; 0 +16J;
-24J
0; 0 +16J;
-24J
+16J;
-24J
0; 0 -16J;
+24J
-16J;
+24J
Relative to B
Relative to C -16J;
+24J
-16J;
+24J
0; 0

c) The potential differences are: V
AB
=0, V
AC=
8 v, and V
BC=
8 v.
d) You are not encumbered by the variations in + and energies that result from the two different types of charge that can move in
an electric field. Like electric field, electric potential describes the energy properties of space itself.

3. Enough positive and equal negative charge is accumulated on two flat parallel plates until the voltage between them is 36 volts.
Define the negative plate as zero volts (that is, ground).

a) The broken lines drawn parallel to the plates are called equipotentials because being perpendicular to the electric field the
potential cannot change along these lines. Plates are themselves equipotentials for the same reason. Here E is constant so
AV is proportional to As and the lines must be equally spaced.
b) V
A
= 6v, V
B
= 12v, etc....(AV= 6v)
c) V
AB
= 6v, V
AE
= 24v, V
EC
= -12v, & V
DB
= -12v. Calculate the following:
d)
(i) 18J
(ii) -6J.
(iii) 12e J
(iv) -36J & 36J
e) E= 600N/C & o = c
o
600 C/m
2
. f)
g) The answers to b) would differ, they would be negative starting from the positive plate. Also the shape of the graph in (f)
would be the same but V=0 at the positive plate and the other potential values would be (-).

4. Consider a configuration of three charged flat plates set parallel to each other. As you go from one plate to the other the
potential changes according to the graph shown below the plates.

2. The following is an electric version of the problem above. A +2 C charge is
moved from point A to point B then to point C inside a uniform electric field E=200
N/C. The distance from Cto B is 4 cm. The angle is 37
0
.




E
C
A
a
B
0.04 m
C A
B
a)

a) Taking the negative of the slopes of V, the electric fields are zero outside,
E
AB
= -200i & E
BC
= 1200i.
b) Draw a graph of the electric field vs distance. Remember V decreases in the
Direction of the field.






c) To find acceleration, a= eE/m. To find speed use K=Vq = mv
2
/2.
d) The electron will not make it to the other plate because the electric field is too strong. It will be decelerated to v=0 and
turned around after moving 1/6 of the way to C.

5. Consider two parallel conducting plates of area 0.028 m
2

and different amounts of charge. One plate has a net charge of +6pC
(10
-12
C) and the other -12pC and they are 6 cm apart.

a) Using Gauss law you can show that E
out
= (o
1
+ o
2
)/2 c
o
= 12 N/C . and that E
in
= 3E
out
=36 N/C.
b) Remember V decreases in the direction of the field.







6. Identify the following statements as either true of false. Justify your choice.

a) Equipotential lines are always perpendicular to lines of force. True
b) Equipotential lines can intersect in space. False
c) Equipotential lines spread out as the electric field gets weaker. True
d) The electric potential inside a conductor is always zero. False
e) If you touch a high-voltage wire you will invariably be electrocuted. False
f) Electrons will freely move toward higher potentials. True
g) If an electron and a proton are accelerated through the same potential difference, they will have the same acceleration
(False )and they will acquire the same amount of energy (True).

7. The figure shows a number of equipotentials curves in a cross-section of space.
+
-

+100v
-200v
0.50m 0.75m
V
+1200N/C
-200N/C
0.50m 0.75m
E

+36N/C
-12N/C
0.06m
E

0.06m
V
EA EB
1 cm

a) At B the equipotentials are denser.
b) On diagram.
c) The electric field intensity is given approximately by (AV/Ax):
at point A is about 500 N/C and at point B is about 1000N/C.
d) The electric field vectors are parallel to the line of force but their directions
depend on whether the source at the center is positive of negative, and that is not
given in this problem.


8. Since equipotentials are perpendicular to the lines of force they tend to follow the surface contour of the source charge. They are
closer together near points and sharp corners because charges accumulate more densely at those locations. Like lines of force they
can blend but not cross. Note how the equipotentials follow the contour of the charged objects.



9. The potential in a certain region in space is given by V=axy, for x & y >0, and a is a constant.
This is conceptually challenging problem.
a) Ex = dV/dx = -ay; and E
y
=dV/dy = -ax
b) Equipotentials would be a series of hyperbolas with different constant Vs.
c) Two equally (-) charged plates at right angles to each other could do something like this.

10. The following problem will review the gravitational potential energy for spherically symmetric gravitational fields such as those
from planets and stars. A rocket of mass 10
5
kg moves from the surface of the earth to a distance of 3 earth-radii above the surface
of the earth. Recall that we define the zero of gravitational potential energy at infinity in these cases.

a) U
init
=-GM
E
m/R
E
= -6.23 x 10
12
J and U
final
= -GM
E
m/4R
E
= -1.56 x 10
12
J.
b) AU
g
= +4.67 x 10
12
J and W
g
= -4.67 x 10
12
J.
c) AU
g
= -GM
E
m/R
E
(
1
/
8
-
1
/
4
) = +0.78 x 10
12
J. The reason it is so much less is that further from the earth the force of gravity is
much less therefore energy changes require more distance.
d) Graphs:




+Q

These are concentric spheres
+Q
+q
-2q
+q +q
+Q
-Q
+q
-q
r
-U
-Q
-Q
r
-Fg
e) We chose U
g
=0 at infinity because it gives us the simplest potential energy function U
g
= -GMm/r.

11. Now for an electric version of the problem above. When the electron in the hydrogen atom is excited it rises from its ground
energy state position (r=0.52 x 10
-10
m) to a position 4 times further.

a) U
init
= -ke
2
/R= -4.4 x 10
-18
J= -27.7 ev, and U
final
= - ke
2
/4R = -1.1 x 10
-18
J= -6.9 ev. For potentials divide by the electron
charge: V
init
= +27.7 v, and V
final
= +6.9 v, the + sign here reflects the fact that the potential source is a positive charge.
b) AU
E
= +3.3 x 10
-18
J= 20.8 ev and W
E
= -3.3 x 10
-18
J.
c) Graphs:





d) The energy values would change sign but not the potential values.
e) Same answer as 2d.

12. Consider the following examples of spherically symmetric electric fields. Fill in the following chart summarizing important
properties. Some of these were done in the previous problem set. Remember V
oo
=0.

Example Equipotentials
illustration
E
V V at relevant
surfaces
Graph of E
vs. r
Graph of V
vs. r
a) Point charge +q kq/r
2
kq/r
b) Conducting
sphere of charge
Q with radius R
E
out
=kQ/r
2

E
in
=0
V
out
=kQ/r

V
in
=kQ/R
V
surface
=kQ/R
c) Charged metal
sphere of radius a
surrounded by
un-charged
conducting shell
with radii b to c.
E
out
=kq/r
2

E
between
=
kq/r
2

E
in
=0
V
out
=kq/r

V
between

=kq[(1/r)
+(1/c)-(1/b)]
V
c
=kq/c

V
b
=kq/c

V
a
=(kq/c)+V
ba

d) Non-conducting
sphere with
radius R & charge
Q uniformly
distributed
E
out
=kQ/r
2

E
in
= kQr/R
3

V
out
=kQ/r

V
in

=(3kQ/2R)-
(kQr
2
/2R
3
)
V
R
=kQ/R

V
cener
=3kQ/2R


13. Two conducting sphere of different radii a & b have equal amounts of charge Q on them.
r
-U
r
+V
r
+V
r
E
R
+V
R
E
R
+V
R
E
a b c
+V
a b c
E

a) V
a
>V
b
.
b) Charges will move until the potentials are equal.
c) The final charge ratio q
a
/q
b
=a/b
d) The final surface density ratio o
a
/o
b
=b/a. This shows final surface densities are NOT equal which is a common
misconception.
e) If b=2a, then q
a
/q
b
=1/2; o
a
/o
b
=2/1. It is also possible to figure out how the original 2Q charge has been divided. Since
q
a
+q
b
= 2Q, you can figure out that q
a
=2Q/3 and that q
b
=4Q/3.

14.
a) Because potential is not a vector you dont have to worry about directions. Add up potentials from both charges and set
equal to zero to find answers:
(4q/x) + q/(d-x) =0, the two possible places are x=4d/3 and x=4d/5.
These are only two points in an equipotential surface that
encircles the q charge.
b) There is only one point where E=0, and thats at x=2d. The reason the zero
points are not the same is simply that E=-dV/dx and just because a function
has a zero value it doesnt mean its derivative is also zero. Remember that E
changes in value as you pass over the E=0 point.

15. Energy conservation requires that U
o
+ K
o
= U+K. In this problem the U
o
=-kq
1
q
2
/d, K
o
=0, U=0, and K=m
1
v
1
2
/2 + m
2
v
2
2
/2.
Momentum conservation requires that p
o1
+ p
o2
= p
1
+ p
2
. The particles start at rest, so 0 +0= m
1
v
1
- m
2
v
2
.
Using the givens you can combine these equations and get expressions for the final speeds of the particles. I get 7.24 x10
5
m/s and
4.24 x10
7
m/s.

16.
a) V
y
=0. V
x
= kp/(x
2
-a
2
) for |x|>|a|. For |x|<|a|,V
x
= 2kqx/(a
2
-x
2
).
b) The electron here has no energy with respect to infinity but it experiences a +i horizontal electric force due to the electric
field. The electron will accelerate and curve toward the x-axis, it will cross the axis with max speed and begin to decelerate
and curve toward the (-)y-axis. It should come to a (temporary) rest at the same distance below zero as it started above
zero. Then it will retrace the path back to its original location.

c) & d)Begin with the approximation V
xy
= kq[(r-acosu)
-1
-(r+acosu)
-1
].
Since a<<r, this expression can be simplified to
V
xy
= kq2acosu/(r
2
-a
2
cos
2
u)

= kpx/r
3
.

e) This is only worth doing if you want to practice your math skills: E
x
= -dV/dx in addition E
y
= -dV/dy, where r=(x
2
+y
2
)
-1/2
.
Cranking through the derivatives gives
( ) | | j i E u u u cos sin 3 1 cos 3
2
3
+ =
r
kp

r

u
y
+q

a
-q

-a

x
(d-x)
-q

d
4q

0

(x-d)
V=0
This show that it is possible to get expressions for complex electric fields if you first determine the potential which is easier
to do since it is a scalar.

17. Consider a set of two +q charges a distance 2a apart on the x-axis.

a) V
x
= 2kqx/(x
2
-a
2
) for |x|>|a|.
b) V
y
= 2kq/(y
2
+a
2
)
-1/2
.
c) In both cases a becomes negligible and you get V
x
= 2kq/x, V
y
= 2kq/y, which are the point potentials for a 2q charge.

18. Another important symmetry to study is the cylindrical spreading electric field. Imagine a long rod with linear charge density
and cross-section radius a.

a) You will have to integrate the electric field from a to b:
V
ab
= -S 2kdr/r=2kln(a/b).

b) It doesnt make sense to define the zero of potential at infinity here because it doesnt simplify the potential function. If
we arbitrarily define the zero potential at b, then V(r) = 2kln(b/r). This means that for r>b, V<0 and for r<b, V>0.
c) Since E= -dV/dr = 2k/r, which is the correct expression for the electric field of a rod.
d) Graphs: of V vs r and of E vs r, again taking V=0 at b.




e) The potential between the rod and cylinder would be the same as for the rod alone. Outside, the potential is the same as
on the surface of the cylinder since E
out
=0.

19. Determine the potential function for a thin rod of charge Q and length L along the x-axis a distance x from the center of the
rod.
a) Here it is better to integrate the potential contributions of each
element of charge dQ: V= S kdl /(x-l) = kln[(x+.5L)/(x-.5L)]

b) Set-up is similar to problem above but resulting integral in not a common one:
V= IkCPdP/(x-P) , and you would need a table of integrals to determine expression.
c) Show that the results in (a) above approaches that for a point charge as x>>a, but not in (b) above.

20. Consider a ring of radius R and charge Q.

b

a

R
1 cm
x
y
+q

a
+q

-a

x
a b
+V
r
E
L/2 x

-L/2
l
a) The integral here is trivial because potential is a scalar, V
x
=kQ/(R
2
+ x
2
)
1/2
.
b) Again, E
x
= -dV/dx= kQx/(R
2
+ x
2
)
3/2
.

c) Obviously V is a maximum at x=0. E is a maximum at x= + 0.71R as derived
in the previous chapter.
d) Draw graphs of V vs r and of E vs r.



21. Consider a circular plate of charge Q and radius R.

a) & b) This problem is similar to the one we did to find the field. Divide the plate into infinitesimal rings of charge dQ, radius r,
and potential dV=kdQ/(r
2
+ x
2
)
1/2
. Using the charge density dQ=o2trdr. It is fairly easy to integrate dV and get V= 2kQ[(R
2
+
x
2
)
1/2
-x]/R
2
.

22. Some of the more tricky problems involve concentric spheres carrying different charges. Consider the following cases.
Assume both sphere and shell are conductors and that the shells thickness is negligible.


Example Equipotential
illustration
V
ba
=V
b
V
a
V(r) V at a and at b
w/infinity
Graph of E
vs. r
Graph of V
vs. r
a) Inner sphere
charge is +q and
outer sphere of -
q
Equipotentials
are all spherical
surfaces..
V
ba
=
kq(
1
/
a
-
1
/
b
)

V
out
=0;

V
in
=
kq(
1
/
r
-
1
/
b
)
V
b
=0;

V
a
=
kq(
1
/
a
-
1
/
b
)

b) Inner sphere
charge is +q and
outer sphere of
+q
V
ba
=
kq(
1
/
a
-
1
/
b
)

V
out
=k2q/r;

V
in
=
kq(
1
/
r
+
1
/
b
)
V
b
=k2q/b;

V
a
=
kq(
1
/
a
+
1
/
b
)

c) Inner sphere
charge is -2nC
and outer sphere
of +4nC



V
ba
=
kq(
1
/
a
-
1
/
b
)
= -108 v
V
out
=18/r;

V
in
=
144 - (18/r)

V
b
=72 v;

V
a
= -36 v



x
+V
.71R
E
b
a
b
a
25 cm
10 cm
a b
+V
a b
E
E
a b
+V
a b
E
a b
+V
a b
d) Inner sphere
charge is q
1
and
outer sphere of
q
2

V
ba
=
kq
1
(
1
/
a
-
1
/
b
)

V
out
=
k(q
1
+ q
2
)/r;

V
in
=
k(
q1
/
r
+
q2
/
b
)
V
b
=
k(q
1
+ q
2
)/b;

V
a
=
k(
q1
/
a
+
q2
/
b
)
Depends on
charges
Depends on
charges

23. This change does not affect the potentials outside the shell, but the potential difference between inner and outer spheres will be
less than before and the potential of the inner sphere will be less also: V
b
=72 v; V
ba
=
-90 v; V
a
= -18 v.

23.5 Assuming a vertical orientation of the plate, E= (x/c
o
)i, where x is the distance from the center of the plate perpendicular to
the surface. Integrating the field inside the plate gives AV=-(D
2
/2c
o
). The potential decreases parabolically from the center.

24. a) For any two point a & b in an electric field, 0 = = + = -
}
ab ab ba ab
V V V V s d E , qed.
b) Start out by tracing out a rectangular closed path in the electric field that goes parallel
and perpendicular to the lines of force as shown. You can argue that the integral on this
closed path cannot be zero because the field is stronger on the upper part of the path. This
contradicts the requirement that the potential be path independent (conservative) so a field
that increases in magnitude without changing direction is not possible.

25. This is mostly a kinematics problem. The electron spends time t
1
= L/v
x
between the plates accelerating toward the positive
plate at rate a=eE/m= eV
d
/md. It travels vertically y
1
=at
1
2
/2, and comes out with a vertical component of velocity v
y
=at
1
. After
exiting the plates, the electron has no acceleration but it spends time t
2
= D/v
x
moving toward the screen and traveling vertically
and additional y
2
= v
y
t
2
.

a) The final vertical position of the beam when it strikes the screen is Y=y
1
+y
2
. Putting everything in terms of the given
quantities you get, Y= (eV
d
L/mdv
x
2
)(
L
/
2
+ D), which is proportional to V
d
.
b) Because the vertical position of the beam is proportional to V
d
of the plates, one can connect an external potential to the
plates and measure it with the beam displacement.
c) The horizontal sweep is accomplished by having a second set of parallel plates perpendicular to the first that deflects the
beam back and forth at a particular rate.



Chapter 24: Capacitance Hints & Answers-Updated 10/4/08

b
a
y


x
Va d, Vd

vx
L D
a


b
1. A useful approach to learning a new concept is to find and analogy. Consider the following analogies to a capacitor: i) an air
tank; ii) a spring. Justify your answers to the questions below.
a) Analogies to the stored charge are: air mass for the tank; stretch or compression for the spring.
b) Analogies to the voltage are: pressure for the tank; spring force for the spring.
c) Analogies to the capacitance are: mass per pressure; (stretch/force) = 1/(spring constant k).

2. You should realize that the work to create=potential energy stored:

Example Illustration Work done by an
external agent to create
arrangement
Potential Energy stored
a) Four point charges, +q, -q, -2q,
& +3q, are at the corners of a
square with side b
Positions affect the
answer. For clockwise
order of the listed
charges: U = kEq
i
q
j
/r
ij
=
-5.5kq
2
/b
AU=Work against F
E
= -
Work by F
E

U is always equal to the work
done by an external agent to create
something against a conservative
force, such as the electric force.
b) A water molecule H
2
O where the
distance between the O and H
atoms is 10
-10
m and the angle is
105
0

Recall that H ions are +e
and O ion are -2e, then:
U = -7.8x10
-18
joules = -
49 ev
AU =Work against F
E

The electric force would be doing
work of opposite sign to the work
done by external agent and the
change in U.
c) Conducting sphere of charge Q
with radius R
Use:
U=k qdq/r= kQ
2
/2R
U=Work.

d) Two parallel plates of area A
separated a distance d with
charges +q and -q
Use:
U=qdq/C=q
2
d/2Ac
o

U=Work.


3.
a) AK= -AU
q
= (V
at+q
)q= (0.59kq/b)(q)=0.59kq
2
/b
b) Work= AU= [k(2Q)
2
/2R]- [kQ
2
/2R]= 3kQ
2
/2R
c) Using U= q
2
/2C; Work= AU= (2dq
2
/2c
o
A) - (dq
2
/2c
o
A)= dq
2
/2c
o
A
d) This lowers the stored energy of the molecule since the electrons spend some of the time closer to the hydrogen atoms
than is suggested by the arrangement given in (b) above.

4.
a) Do your best to estimate a max slope from the graph and a min slope,
then C=1/slope. I get roughly C
min
=7.5 mF and C
max
=8.5 mF.
b) Implied uncertainty = (C
max
- C
min
)/2 = + 0.5 mF
c) Would have a lower slope.
d) The energy stored in the capacitor.
e) It would mean that the capacitance was not a constant.

5. Some of these were done in class.
V(volts)
2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0
4 8 12 16 q(mC)

a) C
o
= c
o
A/d, with dielectric in between plates C
k
= kc
o
A/d,
b) C= R/k
c) Recall that V
ba
=kq(b-a)/ab for concentric sphere, then C=q/V=ab/k(b-a)
d) For concentric cylinders V
ba
=2kln(b/a), so C=L/2kln(b/a).
e) In this case (b-a). d and ab. a
2
. The concentric spheres behave like two parallel plates of area=4t a
2
and separation (b-a).

9.






a) Since the separation between cans is small I used a parallel plate approximation: C
k
= kc
o
A/d. Using k=5 for glass and the
given dimensions I got C
k
~ 311pF.
b) The two connected plates are at the same (-) potential while the third plate between them accumulates + charge at the
top and the bottom. This arrangement is effectively two parallel plate capacitors in parallel so C= 2c
o
A/d.
c) Since each foil layer in the rolled-up capacitor "sees" an oppositely charged layer on both sides, they store charge on both
sides of the foil, so that, as in (b), C
k
= 2kc
o
A/d . Using the given dimensions and k= 2.3 for polyethylene, I get C=0.26 F.

7. Using U= CV
2
/2, the Leyden jar stores more energy: U
leyden
= 2.5 J while U
cap
= 0.033 J

8.



9. (a) Conceptually one can see that since the capacitors share the voltage, neither can store as much charge as if they were directly
connected to a battery. In addition since they have the same amount of charge the smaller capacitor needs more voltage to store
that charge; and/or (b) proof is in 8 above.

10. First C
eq
= C/3. In the second, note that two of the capacitors are shorted, C
eq
= C, not. In the third each capacitor has the same
voltage ab, C
eq
= 3C
Parallel Set-up Series Set-up
q

V

U

q

V

U

C
1
C
1
V
s
V
s
C
1
V
s
2
/2 C
1
C
2
V
s
/
(C
1
+C
2
)
C
2
V
s
/
(C
1
+C
2
)
(C
1
/2)*
[C
2
V
s
/(C
1
+C
2
)]
2

C
2
C
1
V
s
V
s
C
2
V
s
2
/2 C
1
C
2
V
s
/
(C
1
+C
2
)
C
1
V
s
/
(C
1
+C
2
)
(C
2
/2)*
[C
1
V
s
/(C
1
+C
2
)]
2

C
eq
(C
1
+C
2
)V
s
V
s
(C
1
+C
2
)*
V
s
2
/2
C
1
C
2
V
s
/
(C
1
+C
2
)
V
s
C
1
C
2
V
s
2
/
2(C
1
+C
2
)
Vsource
C2 C1
Vsource
C2


C1




11. I) C
eq
=3F. Individual caps: 4F: +72C, 18v; 8F: +48C, 6v; 4F: +24C, 6v. Equipotential at c =6v.
II) C
eq
=1.2 F. Individual caps: 3F: +29C, 9.6v; 2F: +19C, 9.6v; 1F: +9.6C, 9.6v; 6F: +29C, 4.8v. Equipotential at d =4.8v and
equipotential at c =14.4v.
III) C
eq
=2 F. Individual caps: 3F: +24C, 8v; 6F: +24C, 4v; 2F: +24C, 12v; 4F: +48C, 12v. Equipotential at d =20v and
equipotential at c =12v.








12.
a) Max V
ab
= 40 v.
b) The energy in the 6 F capacitor decrease because its potential will decrease as the potential across the 2 F increases.
The energy of the entire circuit decrease as the C
eq
decreases.
c) This turns out to be a trick question, there is no possible way to do this by replacing the 6F capacitor. Since this
capacitor is in series with a 3F, the combination in that branch can never exceed 3F no matter how larger is the other
capacitor. The greatest possible C
eq
here is 2.1F, but you would need 10 times more capacitance to store 6 mJ of energy
with 24 v.

13. (a) The common voltage is 64 v. (b) You would get that the energy decreases in the process which suggests that some energy is
being lost to heating in the wires while the charges flow during rearrangement. (c) The common voltage is much less here: 7.1 v.

14. The potentials are V
a
= 12 v and V
a
= 24 v with the switch open When the switch is closed potential equalize to V
ab
= 18 v. In the
process +54 C flowed from b to a through the switch as the charges rearranged themselves going from two pairs of capacitors in
series to two pairs in parallel.




C C C
b a
C C C
b a
C C C
b a

15. Here is a good time to go to the text and study some of the illustration and maybe even read a little of the text. The free
charge comes from the source and is free to return to the source, whereas the bound charge is the induced charge on the
dielectric. The voltage is related to the net electric field between the plates which are the result of the sum of the free and
bound charge.

16. a) Ive added voltage values under the charge values in each capacitor.


b)


17. I: C
k
= C
o
/ [1- y(k-1)/kd] II: C
k
= C
o
[1+ x(k-1)/L] III: C
k
= C
o
[1+ h(k-1)/H]







IV: C
k
= 3C
o

a) With a conductor E=0 (k=infinity) and the equivalent is one narrower capacitor with plates separated a distance (d-y). C
eq

= C
o
d/(d-y)
b) If you place the dielectric midway inside the capacitor you would have three separate capacitor segments but the results
are the same as in (a).
C
1
=3F C
2
=6F C
equivalent

q
1
(C)

U
1
(J)

q
2
U
2
q
total
U
total
Battery connected, no dielectric
(V=12 v)
+36
(12v)
216 +72
(12v)
432 +108
(12v)
648
Battery connected, K=2 dielectric
introduced into C
1

+72
(12v)
432 +72
(12v)
432 +144
(12v)
864
Battery disconnected, V=16v
dielectric K=2 removed
+48
(16v)
384 +96
(16v)
768 +144
(16v)
1152
C
1
=3F C
2
=6F C
equivalent

q
1
(C)

U
1
(J)

q
2
U
2
q
total
U
total
Battery connected, no dielectric
C
eq
=2F
+24
(8v)
96 +24
(4v)
48 +24
(12v)
144
Battery connected, K=2 dielectric
into C
1
(C
eq
=3F)
+36
(6v)
108 +36
(6v)
108 +36
(12v)
216
Battery disconnected, dielectric
K=2 removed
+36
(12v)
216 +36
(6v)
108 +36
(18v)
324
12 v
C2 C1
12 v
C2


C1
K

x

L

d

y K
H


h K
c) K
eq
=3

18. Since the dielectric is attracted to the plates, an external agent would do Work in introducing the dielectric into the capacitor.
In this problem the battery is disconnected so the charge Q
o
= (C
o
V
o
) is a constant, but the voltage decreases.
(a) From problem 17 above, C
k
= C
o
[1+ x(k-1)/L]
(b) Note that the potential energy decreases as the dielectric is introduced. In terms of the original voltage and capacitances: U
k
=
Q
o
2
/2C
k
= C
o
2

V
o
2
/2C
k
. In addition the voltage decreases as dielectric is introduced so the instantaneous voltage is V
k
= Q
o
/C
k
= (C
o
V
o
)/C
k
.
(c) F=-dU/dx=[C
o
3

V
o
2
/2C
k

2
](k-1)/L= C
o
V
o
2
(k-1)/2L[1+ x(k-1)/L]
2
= C
o
V
k
2
(k-1)/2L, where V
k
is the instantaneous voltage.





19. (a) C
k
is independent of voltage or charge so it is the same as in the previous problem.
(b) In this case the voltage remains constant and the charge increases: U
k
= C
k
V
o
2
/2.
(c) This problem cannot be solved by taking the derivative (-dU/dx) as in the previous problem because the battery does +work
adding potential energy to the system. Rather you must use the results from the previous problem since ultimately the force
depends on the particular charge and voltage at the position x of the dielectric. For an answer rewrite the solution to F above in
terms of the instantaneous voltage V
k
which turns out to be F= C
o
V
k
2
(k-1)/2L. Here V
k
= V
o
, so F= C
o
V
o
2
(k-1)/2L

20. a) Integrate from R to infinity; U=S (c
o
E
2
/2)d(volume)= (c
o
k
2
q
2
/2) S4tr
2
dr/r
4
= kQ
2
/2R.
b) Here you want to integrate the field for a non-conducting sphere (E=kQr/R
3
) from 0 to R, so U= kQ
2
/10R, which is 5U
out
.

21. a) U
x
= xq
2
/2c
o
A, where x is the instantaneous separation between plates. You can then conclude that at twice the separation
you have twice the energy.
b) F=-dU/dx=-q
2
/2c
o
A. This equals F=-qE/2, where E=q/c
o
A for in-between plates.
c) You might expect F=q from the definition of the electric field. The reason the force is half what you might expect, is that each
plate only experience the field from the other plate and not the field it generates, so the field acting on each plate is half the field in
between plates.
Chapter 25: Current & Resistance Hints & Answers-Updated 10/9/08

1. Answer the following questions. Always explain your reasoning.
a) No we have a source of voltage so that a potential difference can be maintained across a conductor.
b) The voltage source sets up an electric field inside the conductor that sets all the free charges in motion in a very short
time
c) The charges accelerate between collisions according to Newtons 2
nd
law, but they are constantly colliding so on average
they move with a constant drift velocity.
d) No, there are non-ohmic regions in conductors, diodes, etc
e) The textbook has a pretty good discussion on this..
f) In N-type semiconductors the predominant charge carriers are electrons (-) while in P-type semiconductors the
predominant charge carriers are holes (+)

2. a) 30 persons.
b) people flow rate= people/time= (car speed)(cars/distance)(# of people in cars)(# of lanes)
c) people/timeI; n(cars/distance); q(# of people in cars); A(# of lanes); v
d
(car speed).

3. Basically you need to plug in the given data. In the salt solution there are double the number of charge carries because the flow
of +ions effectively doubles the current.

a) Current density J=I/A= I(4/tD
2
)
b) Wire: v
d
=0.72 mm/s; solution: v
d
= 6.5 mm/s; beam: v
d
=3.6 x 10
7
m/s.

4. a) 8.9(g/cm
3
)x(1mole Cu/63.55 g)x((6.02x10
23
atoms/mole)x(10
6
cm
3
/m
3
) = 0.84 x10
29
atoms/m
3
, which compares fairly well with
the given value of 1.1 x10
29
atoms/m
3
. The comparison suggests there is a bit more than one (1.3) charge carrier per atom of
copper.
b) Plugging into the formula I get 253
o
C.
c) You can rewrite the expression given in (b) as A=
o
oAT. For infinitesimal small changes d= o dT. Rewrite as an integral:
(d/) = o.dT and solve

5.
Change in resistor Illustration New resistance Ratio: R
new
/R
original
a) The length is halved and the
diameter is doubled.
R=(L/2)/4A 1/8
b) The wire is hollowed out at the
center to half its radius.
R=L/(3A/4) 4/3
c) The wire is cut in two and the
pieces are glued along their
lengths.
R=(L/2)/2A 1/4
d) The wire is stretched until is
length is doubled without
changing its mass.
R=2L/(A/2) 4

6. Consider two cylindrical conductors connected end to end and connected to a battery of voltage V at the free ends. The
conductors have the same cross-section but conductor A is twice as long and has three times the resistivity of conductor B.

a) I
A
/I
B
=1/1; R
A
/R
B
=6/1; V
A
/V
B
=6/1; E
A
/E
B
=3/1; P
A
/P
B
=6/1.
b) V
A
= 6V/7; V
B
=V/7; and the potential at the junction is V/7 relative to ground.
c) Note the Gaussian surface in the illustration. The arrows indicate the electric field and a is the cross-sectional area.
Using Gauss law: -aE
A
+ aE
B
=ao/c
o
= -a3E
B
+ aE
B
o= c
o
2E
B
= c
o
2V/7L .
7.

In the case of the Nichrome resistor the I vs V graph is a straight line with slope 1/3.88, but in the case of Thyrite resistor the graph
curves up. The R vs I graph curves down. The graphs below are approximate ones









8. Compare the following three graphs that describe the I vs. V relationship for three different devices: a conducting wire, a
vacuum diode, and a semiconductor diode.








Nichrome resistor Thyrite resistor
Data point 1 2 3

4

1

2

3

3

I (A)

0.5 1.00 2.00 4.00 0.5 1.00 2.00 4.00
V (v)

1.94 3.88 7.76 15.52 2.55 3.11 3.77 4.58
Average R 3.88 3.88 3.88 3.88 5.10 1.12 0.66 0.41
A B
V (volt)
I (amp)






3.88
0


I (amp)





0




V (volt)
I (amp)





0




V (volt)
V (volt)
I (amp)






3.88
0




I (amp)





0




V (volt)
R(ohm)





0




I (amp)
a) In one direction they all have some region where I increases with V and, near the origin, the relationship could be
considered ohmic. The first two flatten out with increased voltage, though.
b) The diodes behave very differently from the conductor in the reverse voltage. The two diodes behave differently at high
voltages, the vacuum diode saturates, whereas the semiconductor diode becomes more conductive and eventually
breaks down.
c) The dont allow current flow with a reverse voltage
d) Review discussion about resistivities in the text, though you may not get as much information as on the web. Briefly,
saturation in conductors occur when increasing temperatures lead to more and more electron collisions and the drift
velocity of the electrons cannot increase. In vacuum diodes saturation occurs when the number of electrons jumping the
gap reach the maximum possible. The semiconductor diodes break down because currents cannot increase indefinitely
without fundamentally changing the properties of the material.

9. Check out the textbook, or other textbooks, or the webThe most common use for diodes is to keep current flowing in one
direction.

10. Start with the definition of power: U/t=qV/t=Power=VI=I
2
R=V
2
/R. Check your notes for details.

11.
a) Neglecting the voltage drop across the wires, I=P/V=0.522 A
b) R
cord
=0.0642 ohm, and P
cord
=0.0175 watt, obviously ignoring the cord is a good approximation.
c) The 40-watt light bulb (R=330 ohms) has more resistance than the 60-watt one (R=220 ohms).
d) The 40-watt light bulb would be brighter but it would be generating less power than before. If you assume the
resistances are the same (which is not correct since these are non-ohmic devices) it would only be a 14.4-watt bulb as
opposed to the 60-watt bulb which would only be 9.6-watts.

12. Note that the given 115 kV-voltage is not the voltage across the transmission cable but between the cable and the ground (this
is called the line voltage). The resistance for the entire 10 km of cable is 0.50 ohm.
a) I=P/V=8.7 kA; V
cable =
IR
cable
= 4350 volts, which is small compared to the line voltage of 115 kv.
b) P
loss
=I
2
R
cable
= 37.8 MW which is 3.78 % of the 1000 MW plant output.
c) You want the P
loss
in (b) to equal 20 MW and that would require reducing the current through the cable to 6.3 kA. This would
lower the voltage drop across the cable but it would require the power plant to raise its generated line voltage to 158 kv relative
to ground to maintain the same power output (P=VI= 1000 MW). With a higher line voltage the cable can deliver the same
amount of energy with less current, therefore minimizing the loss due to heating of the cable.

13. Thinking of the capacitor dielectric as a resistor, L=d and A
crosssection
=A
plate
,
so R=1.2 x 10
12
ohms.

a) The initial rate of discharge is dq/dt which equals the current flowing through the dielectric: I=V/R=8.3 x 10
-11
amp.
b) Using the definition of current and assuming steady discharge, I=Q
cap
/t t= Q
cap
/I= 59 sec.

14. a) You need to slice the cross-section block into horizontal
infinitesimal strips of thickness dy, then the current through

k,

y
K
J=0.10
A/cm
2

y


x
each is J(5)dy. Since J increases linearly with y you can
determine the linear function for J and then you can integrate to get the answer, 2.5 A.
b) The electric field should be uniform and parallel to the current and can therefore be calculated from the expression E=J=
J/o. Then starting with R=V/I=EL/I R/L=E/I=10
-4
ohm/m.

15.
You can start with P=I
2
R=(JA)
2
(L/A)= J
2
(AL) Power/Volume=J
2
.Since this final expression doesnt depend on volume it
should apply to any infinitesimal region of the material. This power changes electric potential energy to random heat energy and is
referred to as Joule heating.


16.
a) This was done in class, check your notes, R=L/tab.
b) Since the current flows radially outward from the center, the elements of integration are thin cylinders of radius r, thickness
dr, and height h, through which the current flows. R=(/2th)S.dr/r = ln(b/a)/2th.

17. From the previous chapter, C=C
o
[1-(k-1)x/L] and Q=CV. Therefore Q depends on x and as the dielectric is pulled out, charge
will flow out of the capacitor at a rate of dQ/dt=I in the wire. Using the chain rule dQ/dt= (dQ/dx)(dx/dt)= C
o
V(k-1)v/L



Chapter 26: DC Circuits Hints & Answers-Updated last:3/28/08


1. Answer the following questions. Always explain your reasoning.
a) You should be able to show that in that way they have the minimum impact on the circuit they are trying to measure
b) Parallel
c) In series you are making a longer resistor, in parallel you are making a wider cross-section resistor
d) In series, I is the same and V is proportional to R (P=IP
2P
R). In parallel, V is the same and I is inversely proportional to R
(P=VP
2/P
R).
e) Yes, it can be lower
f) Conservation of energy and of charge
g) To be able to compare the UrateU at which they charge
h) From eP
-1P
and from (1- eP
-1P
)
i) Probably will burn out
j) The light bulb probably wont light

dr
2. Recall formula for E at surface of a cylindrical charge distribution: E=2k/r, where =q/L. We rearrange to get q=ErL/2k=1.67 nC.
If there is a difference in current in and out of resistor, then q=(AI)t. Solving for t=q/ AI=1.67 nC/1A=1.67 ms.


3.
a) A=B<C=D. You should be able to conclude this from the fact the potential
across A & B is less than for the other bulbs.You can also see this from the
fact that B & A have half the current of C & D.
b) C&D would be dimmer than before and B would be brighter than before, but
all would have the same brightness since now they have the same potential.
c) C&D would dim less than before and B would be less bright. The reason is that in the second circuit the resistance is greater
reducing the overall current. This causes the terminal voltage of the battery to increase and the potential across any
elements is higher. The light bulbs all have the same brighness.

4. The theory of the voltage divider was done in class, check your notes.
a) VB
1B
=ERB
1B
/( RB
1B
+ RB
2B
); VB
2B
=ERB
2B
/( RB
1B
+ RB
2B
). This circuit is called a voltage divider
because it divides the voltage of a source.
b) VB
l B
=E l/L

5. The limiting voltage on the resistors is V=(PR)P
1/2P
= 5 volts. We would need three resistors in series to reduce the voltage to 4v
across each one. To reduce the overall resistance we put two more parallel branches of three resistors each.
6.
Illustration Rs in series Rs in parallel RB
equivalentB
Most powerful R
a) RB
3 B
& RB
12B
RB
1 B
& RB
2B
3R/2 RB
3B
has more
voltage
b) RB
3 B
& RB
2

later, RB
1 B
& RB
234

RB
4 B
& RB
23B
5R/3 RB
1B
has more
voltage
c) NoneB


NoneB


Not applicable RB
3B
has more
current
d) RB
34 B
& RB
12B

(Actually all resistors
have the same V and I
so they are all in par
& in series!)
RB
1 B
& RB
2B

and
RB
3 B
& RB
4B


R All the same
B

C D


A
cB + - B
L V


l
cB + - B
RB1B
R

RB2B
RB3
RB1
RB3
RB2
RB4
cB
+
B

-

+ c1
-
B
RB2 RB3
RB4
RB1
RB3B
R

RB2 RB1
cB2 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
cB1 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
e) RB
1 B
& R4
4B

and
RB
2 B
& RB
3
(Actually all resistors
have the same V and I
so they are all in par
& in series!)
RB
14 B
& RB
23B
R All the same
f) RB
34 B
& RB
12B;
(Actually all resistors
have the same V and I
so they are all in par
& in series!)


RB
1 B
& RB
2B

and
RB
3 B
and RB
4B

(RB
5
has no
current)
R RB
1B
-> RB
4
are the same;
RB
5
has no current
and no power
(g) When the Rs are equal, symmetry makes cases (d), (e), & (f) essentially the same circuit. With one different R, the symmetry is
broken and the problem becomes more complicated. In (d) and (e) the same parallel and series combinations exist, but in (f) there
is now a current through R
5
and there are NO parallel or series combinations. You have to use Kirchhoffs rules and, with 5 Rs with
different currents, it could take 5 equations to solve!

7. The voltage across the 12-kO resistor is 7.2 v without a voltmeter attached.
a) Voltmeter readings: 6.5v (9.2 % off); 7.1 v (1.9 % off), and 7.2 v (negligible error).
b) The procedure is similar to above problem starting with a 3-kO resistance
equivalent on the parallel branches. Voltmeter would further reduce the
equivalent resistance to 2.4-kO etc..
c) The ammeter would nearly short the 12-kO resistor. Voltage across
the ammeter would be 0.176 v and the current through it 2.9 mA. If it werent
for the other resistors, the current would rise so high that it would overheat the
wires and could burn out the ammeter.

8..
a) Check the proof done in class.
b) E; 0; E.
c) 0; 0; (across the internal resistancer voltage is E)

9. Points A & B are at the same potential, then qB
1B
=qB
2B
. Also, there is a
single current passing through the resistors.
a) Potentials are the same across CB
1B
and RB
1B
, and across CB
2B
and RB
2B
. Setting up the
up the equations gives qB
1B
/ CB
1B
=IRB
1B
, and also q/ CB
2B
=IRB
2.B

b) The series resistors make up a voltage divider: VB
A B
=VB
BB
= ERB
2B
/( RB
1+B
RB
2B
), with respect to graound.

6 kO
R

9vB + B
6 kO
R

12 kO
R

cB, r B
CB1
RB2
RB1
CB2
cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
A
B
A B
R

RB1
RB3
RB2
RB4
cB
+
B

-

+ c1
-
B RB1
RB3
RB2
RB4
cB
+
B

-

+ c1
-
B
RB5
10. In the four circuits below R= 3O and E=12V. We assume ideal meters.
a) Simplify the circuit if you can and determine the potentials at A and B
with respect to ground. In the ammeter example A=B and you have two pairs
of parallel resistors in series. The capacitor and voltmeter case are basically
the same because no current flows between A & B.The hardest one to do is
the one with the resistor in the middle because you cannot simplify it and
you have to use Ks rules.However in this case you can simplify the problem
somewhat by using symmetry, the currents in the 2R resistors must be equal
and the currents in the side R resistors must be equal. The current in the center R must be the difference between these two and
you have two unknowns in the Kirchhoffs equations. Answers appear under diagram.
b) In the ammeter example A=B=6v, in all other A>B.
c) I havent done these yet. The ammeter, capacitor, & voltmeter examples are very similar to the previous cases. The one with the
resistor in the middle is very hard to do because you need many equations, best to just set-up the equations and not bother
solving them.









a) VB
AB
=8v; VB
BB
=4v VB
AB
=8v; VB
BB
=4v VB
AB
=6.86v; VB
BB
=5.14v

11.
a) Determine current in each case and use the power formulas. Lots of answers
b) Ditto. 13.8 W, 1.38 W, 0.138 W in the batteries and 1.38 W in the external resistor.
c) This one will require Ks rules as each battery supplies a different fraction of the total current through the external resistor:
0.0154 W, 0.154W, 1.54 W in the batteries and 18.9 W in the external resistor.

12.
a) P=IP
2P
R= c P
2P
R/(r+R)P
2P

A B
R

R
R
2R
2R
CB
cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
R
R
2R
2R
cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
RB
R
R
2R
2R
cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
VB
A B
R

A B
R

R
R
2R
2R
cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
AB
A B

b) Take the derivative of the expression above and set to zero to maximize: dP/dR=0 r=R. This means that when the internal
and external resistances are equal the source is delivering the maximum amount of power to the external resistor. This
however, also means that have the power is being wasted inside the battery itself.
c) When R>r more power in delivered to the external resistance than to the internal one, but there is less overall power
generated. When R<r, more power is generated by the source but most of it is wasted inside the battery.

13.
a) The ammeter shors the resistor IB
4OB
=0 and IB
AB
= 3A.
b) IB
4OB
=1A and VB
vB
= 4 v.
c) You have two resistors in parallel IB
4OB
=0.75A.
d) The capacitor is at first a short then it is an infinite resistance: IB
4OB
=01A
e) Initially the potential across the resistor will be 12 v but eventually the capacitor will fill and become an infinite resistance:
IB
4OB
=3A1A.
f) IB
4OB
=3A

14. The given conditions require that no current flow through EB
3B
even when switch is
closed. This allows you to find the current through the other elements:
I= (c
1B
+ c
2B
)/(RB
1B
+RB
2B
)
a) c
3 B
= c
2B
-IRB
2B
; or c
3 B
= - c
1B
+IRB
1.

b) No, there no potential across the switch whether it is closed or open in this
Situation. Note: Usually there is a potential difference across switches which is why they turn things on or off, but in
this Uspecial caseU the switch serves no function, because there is no potential across those two points.
c) You would end with the same result as above because current would not flow through that branch.
c) c B
3B
.


15. In the illustrated circuit, take c
1B
=6.0V, c B
2B
=1.5V, and c
3B
=4.5V. Also
RB
1B
=270O, RB
2B
=150O, RB
3B
=560O, and RB
4B
=820O.
a) IB
3B
=4.77 mA and is moving downward through EB
2B
.
b) With the same equations as used to solve previous part, state that IB
3B
>0 going up.
Working through the equation gives, c B
2B
>5.49v.

15.5. (a) 0.113 ohm; (b) 6592 ohms

16.Measuremenst are rough: a) the source voltage=about 6.5v b) time constant=about 1 ms , and c) the capacitance =about 2 F.
RB1B
R

cB1 + -
B
cB3 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
RB2B
R

cB2 + -
B
cB3 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
RB3B
R

RB2
RB1
RB4
cB1 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
cB2 +
B
-

+ c1
-
B

17. a) This was done in class: t/t=ln100= 4.6
b) Starting with the expression for V= c (1-eP
-t/tP
) (dV/dt)= c (eP
-t/tP
/t). At t=0, (dV/dt)= c /t= E /RC, and if this rate didnt
change c /RC=AV/At At =RC.

18. A 2.0F capacitor is charged to 150 V. It is then connected to an uncharged 1.0F capacitor through a 4.0 kO resistor by closing
the switch. Find the total energy in the resistor as
the circuit comes to equilibrium. You can do this in two different ways.

a) Recall that UB
CB
=VP
2P
C/2. Determine the initial U, then determine the final V and
final U, the difference must be the energy lost to heat at the resistor. AU= 7.5 mJ.
b) The power in the resistor is P=iP
2P
R. Here the current decays exponentially according to the formula:
i=IB
oB
(eP
-t/tP
). The heat generated can be determined by integrating the power from 0 to infinity: Heat=SPdt = S IB
oPB
2P
(eP
-
2t/tP
)dt= IB
oPB
2P
Rt/2. You can show that this is the same as the answer to (a) once you establish that IB
oB
=VB
oB
/R and that the
time constant here is = RCB
1B
CB
2B
/( CB
1B
+CB
2B
) since the capacitors behave like a series combination while the current flows.
To derive the current formula start with loop rule around the circuit : q
1
/C
1
iR- q
1
/C
1
= 0. You can turn this into a differential
equation with respect to i by taking the derivative of this loop equation and using the fact that i= -dq
1
/dt= + dq
2
/dt.

19. a) Will be done in class. The general method is to integrate the power expression for the battery over time from t=0 to t=infinity
c idt). Then do the same thing for the resistor ( iP
2P
Rdt) and compare the results. The work done by the battery will always be
equally divided between the energy stored in the capacitor and the heat generated in the resistor.

20. Here the plate separation d is also the length L of the resistor created by the insulator.
a) RC= (d/A) (cB
oB
kA/d) = cB
oB
k.
b) T=RCln2=1.6x10P
5P
sec= 1.8 days.
c) The previous assignment had a similar problem in which it was assumed that the rate of the leak didnt change. That
assumption was incorrect and the correct solution is that it would take an infinite amount of time to completely discharge
the capacitor.

21. In the circuit illustrated the switch is initially open and both capacitors are initially uncharged. All the resistors have the same
value R.

a) CB
1 B
shorts RB
2B
so the current through it is zero.
b) Initially RB
3B
is shorted too but as the voltage in CB
1B
increases,
Current the current through it increases. But this current eventually
Fills CB
2B
and the current drops to zero.

RB1
RB2B
cB +
CB
RB1
RB2B
R

cB +
B
-

+ c1
-
B
CB
1
RB3B
C2B
RB1
CB2
CB
1

22. This will be discussed in class:
a) Initally the capacitor shorts RB
2 B
and the current passes only through
RB
1 B
(IB
oB
= c /RB
1B
). After a long time the capacitor will be nearly
completely full and the current will pass through RB
2B
[IB
ooB
= c /(RB
1B
+ RB
2B
)].
b) IB
1B
goes from (c /RB
1B
) to c /(RB
1B
+ RB
2B
); IB
2B
goes from 0 to c /(RB
1B
+ RB
2B
);
IB
capB
goes from (c /RB
1B
) to 0; all functions are exponentials.
c) Point rule: IB
1B
=IB
2B
+IB
cap B
; loop rules: c - IB
1B
RB
1 B
- IB
2B
RB
2B
=0 ; c - IB
1B
RB
1 B
q/C=0 ; and IB
capB
=dq/dt. These
equations can be manipulated to generate one differential equation with one variable and the solution gives the given
time constant.
d) This version is actually a lot easier that the above problem. The two parallel branches are essentially independent of each
other. The current in RB
2B
will remain constant while the current in RB
1B
decreases exponentially over time as the
capacitor fills up.