Physics 1C Lecture 3, Spring 2014

Midterm Examination 1
October 24, 2014

Exam rules: Please do not forget to write your name and student ID on the
front of the exam! No electronic gadgets of any kind, and the exam is closed book and
closed notes. Any numerical answers may be given using one or more significant figures.
For example, 4 = 10 is acceptable. If a definite integral appears in an answer, but which
you do not know how to solve, then continue on with the rest of the question, assigning an
arbitrary constant to take the place of the unsolved integral.

Problem 1.

Magnetic fields and magnetic forces (12 points total)

a. Write down the Lorentz Force Law, as applied to a particle of charge q. (2 points)
~
F~ = q~v B

b. A particle of charge q, travelling at velocity ~v = v

x as shown, enters a region of uniform
~
magnetic field B = B z, with x, z unit vectors in the x, z direction, respectively. The
particle begins to move in a circular trajectory. What is the plane of the circular orbit,
and what is the radius of the circle, in terms of q, v, B, and the particles mass m?
Hint: Recall that for uniform motion on a circle, the magnitude of the acceleration is
v 2 /R, with v the speed, and R the radius of the motion. (4 points)
mv 2
= qvB,
R
so
R=

mv
.
qB

trajectory for q>0

y

y=R=mv/qB
is circle center

q
v

c. Consider that the particle enters the region of nonzero magnetic field at the origin
x = y = z = 0. Then, B 6= 0 for everywhere x > 0. What are the coordinates (x,y,z)
of the circle center? Make a rough sketch of the trajectory using the figure provided.
How much time elapses between the initial and final crossings of the y-axis? (4 points)
Trajectory is sketched into figure above, and presumes that the charge q0. It takes a
semicircular path, with center at (x, y, z) = (0, R, 0) with R from part (a), with the
sign dependent on the sign of q.
The time elapsed between y-axis crossings can be obtained by first evaluating period
of circular motion, T . Then the time elapsed between crossings of the y-axis is T /2.
Then, the speed is constant, and given by v = 2R/T , so
T =

2R
2 mv
=
.
v
v qB

Eliminating v from numerator and denominator gives

T =

2m
.
qB

The answer for time elapsed is t=T /2.

d. Write down an expression for Gauss Law for magnetism and explain (no more than
ONE sentence!) its meaning. (2 points)
I

~ dA
~ = 0.
B

The result identically zero means that there cannot be isolated magnetic charges, which
would serve as source or sink of magnetic field lines.

Problem 2.

Sources of magnetic fields. (12 points total)

a. Write down an integral expression for Amperes Law, and use it to find the magnetic
field of a long, straight wire. Make sure to define the direction of the magnetic field.
(4 points)
I

~ d~ = 0 Ienc .
B

So the field produced by a long straight wire carrying current I is

B=

0 I
,
2r

with r the distance from point of measurement to the wire. The field is azimuthally
directed, meaning perpendicular to both the z-axis (along which the current flows),
and the radial direction measured out from the wire.
b. Consider the long, current carrying wire segments in the figure. They are carrying
current I, but in opposite directions, and they are supported by guidewires, each of
length . The conducting segments are in static equilibrium (stable position), and
separated by distance d. What is the magnetic force of interaction per unit length fB
between the two segments? You should assume that the limiting case applies, that the
length of the segments L d. (4 points)
The force on a segment length L carrying current I and in a magnetic field B is
~ B.
~ Here, L
~ and B
~ are perpendicular, so
F~ = I L
FB = ILB.
Then

0 I 2
fB = IB =
2d
in this case. The force is repulsive.

support beam
guidewires
2
I

current-carrying conductors

c. Taking the forces (per length) acting on each of the bars to be fB and the gravitational
force fG = g, write down the ratio fB /fG in terms of the angle . is the mass per
length of each rod.(2 points)
The geometry is such that the guidewires make an angle from vertical. The tension
T~ in the wires provides a force equal and opposite to f~B + f~G , with fB horizontal, and
fG vertical. This is shown in the figure added below. Thus,
tan =

fB
.
fG

T
fB

d/2

fG

d. Show that

fB
d
= 2
.
2
[fB + fG2 ]1/2

Hint: Following the previous part, use what you know about the geometry of the
problem, and how it relates to the forces acting on the conductors. (2 points)
Using the same geometry as in (c), d/(2) = sin , and the answer follows.

Problem 3.

Faradays Law (16 points total)

a. Write down Faradays Law, and define each of the terms appearing in your expression.
(3 points)
E =
with
E=

dB
,
dt
~ d~,
E

B magnetic flux passing through a surface S, with S bounded by the curve C.

E is called the induced emf around the loop C.

I(t)

b. In the figure above is a long straight wire, carrying current that varies with time, I(t).
Adjacent to it is a conducting loop of cross-section A = ab and total resistance around
the loop R. Find the magnetic flux passing through the loop as a function of the
distance d. Verify that the flux tends to zero in the limit of large d(4 points)
The magnetic field is given by the distance from the current I, B = 0 I(t)/(2r).
Thus, the flux inside the square loop is
B =

0 I(t) Z d+a dr
b
.
2
r
d

The result is
B (t) =

0 bI(t) d + a
ln
.
2
d

As d , (d + a)/d 1, and ln(1) = 0.

c. Use Faradays Law to find the induced emf in the loop. In what direction is the
resulting current flowing and evaluate it in terms of given parameters. (Note that the

sign of the derivative, I = dI/dt, is not specified in whats written above.) In the
exam period, we assumed that I(t) > 0, dI/dt > 0(3 points)
The induced current is counterclockwise, to oppose the change. The induced emf is
just
E=

0 b d + a dI
ln
.
2
d dt

d. Write down an expression for the induced dipole moment of the loop in terms of the
induced current and dimensions of the loop. Is there a torque on the induced dipole
moment? Is there a force on it? Explain your answer (ONE sentence!), and if there is
a torque or force, give the direction. (6 points)
m
~ = Iind ab
n=

E
ab
n,
R

with n
directed out of the page for dI/dt > 0.
There is no torque on m,
~ since the field and the moment are antiparallel. (This assumes
that I > 0, directed upward as in the figure.)
There is a force, since the moment is located in a spatially-varying field. The moment
~ is
and the field are directed opposite for this case, so the potential energy U = m
~ B
positive. Thus, the potential energy will be lowered on moving the square loop towards
a smaller field, away from the wire (to the right in the figure).