ELECTROMAGNETICS

Lecture 7
Dr. Ahmed Said Eltrass
Electrical Engineering Department
Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
Fall 2015
Office hours: Sunday (10:00 to 12:00 a.m )
4th floor, Electrical Engineering Building

Chapter 4
Energy and Potential (continued)
Recall: For Point Charge Q

Q
4r

Absolute Potential due to Multiple Point Charges

V p V1 V2 V3 ........... VN
Q3
QN
Q1
Q2
Vp

.........
(Scalar addition)
4R1 4R2 4R3
4RN
P

r1
Q1

r2
Q2

r3

rN
QN

Q3

Absolute Potential due to a distributed charge

If the charge is distributed over a line or a surface or a volume and the required
is to calculate V at certain point, we will make the following steps:

1 - Choose an element from the charged body (dl , ds, dv)

2 - Find the charge of this element (consider it as a point charge)
dQ dl
(Line charge)

3 - dV

dQ s dS

(Surface Charge)

dQ v dV

(Volume Charge)

dQ
4r

4 V dV

This is only a single integration because V is scalar

Charged Body

5 - You can get the electric field E V

P
Observation point
dQ

Examples:
4- Find the absolute potential at the
point P(0,0,b) due to the uniformly
charged ring shown in the figure.
Deduce the electric field intensity.

5- Find the absolute potential at the

point (0,0,b) due to the uniformly
charged disc shown in the figure.
Deduce the electric field intensity.

(0,0,b)

6 - For the shown finite line charge with density l , find

the absolute potential at a point P(0 ,0 ,z0 )
z

b
P(0 , 0 ,z0 )

a
y
x

Ideas
a- Uniform surface charge distributions of 6, 4, and 2 nC/m2 are present
at r = 2, 4, and 6 cm, respectively, in free space. Assuming V = 0 at
infinity, calculate V at r = 1, 3, 5, and 7 cm.

Ideas
b- Using Gausss Law, find the electric flux density everywhere.
Then find the absolute potential for each surface.
z

v1 is uniform

1
v2 , a r b
r
s1 is uniform at r a

b
x

Ideas
c- Given the two infinite cylinders shown, find Vab
z

Uniform s at a
a

Uniform - s at b

Notes
1- You can find E by finding first the potential (V) by a single
integration because V is scalar. Then

E V

2- Recall

given in exams

Examples:

7 - Given the potential field, V 2 x 2 y 5 z , and a point P(-4,3,6 )

Find : the potential V, the electric field density E , the direction of E ,

the electric flux density D, and the volume charge density v

8 - The electric dipole shown consists of charges Q and Q separated

by distance d . Find : E and V at point P(r, , ) with r d

Energy
1- The energy stored (work done) in a system of N point
charges:

Example:
9- Four 0.8 nC point charges are located in free space at the corners

of a square 4 cm on a side. Find the total potential energy stored.

2- The energy density stored in a region of continuous

charge distribution:

1
WE 0 E 2 dv
2 vol

J/m3

Example:
10 - Find the energy stored in the electrostatic field of a section of a coaxial cable
a s
of length L, where E
a , a b