Assignment II

Electricity and Magnetism

5 August 2016
1. Use Gauss's law to find the electric field inside and outside a spherical shell of radius
R, which carries a uniform surface charge density .

2. Use Gauss's law to find the electric field inside a uniformly charged sphere (charge
density ).

3. Find the electric field a distance s from an infinitely long straight wire, which carries a
uniform line charge .

4. Find the electric field inside a sphere which carries a charge density proportional to
the distance from the origin,  = kr, for some constant k. [Hint: This charge density is
not uniform, and you must integrate to get the enclosed charge.]

𝑘
5. A hollow spherical shell carries charge density 𝜌 = in the region 𝑎 ≤ 𝑟 ≤ 𝑏
𝑟2
(shown in figure). Find the electric field in the three regions: (𝑖) 𝑟 < 𝑎, (𝑖𝑖) 𝑎 <
𝑟 < 𝑏, (𝑖𝑖𝑖) 𝑟 > 𝑏. Plot |E| as a function of 𝑟.

6. A long coaxial cable (Figure) carries a uniform volume charge density  on the inner
cylinder (radius 𝑎), and a uniform surface charge density on the outer cylindrical shell
(radius 𝑏). This surface charge is negative and of just the right magnitude so that the
cable as a whole is electrically neutral. Find the electric field in each of the three
regions: (i) inside the inner cylinder (𝑠 < 𝑎), (ii) between the cylinders (𝑎 < 𝑠 <
𝑏), (iii) outside the cable (𝑠 > 𝑏). Plot |E| as a function of 𝑠.
7. An infinite plane slab, of thickness 2𝑑, carries a uniform volume charge density 
(Figure). Find the electric field, as a function of 𝑦, where 𝑦 = 0 at the center. Plot 𝐸
versus 𝑦, calling 𝐸 positive when it points in the +v direction and negative when it
points in the −𝑦 direction.

8. Two spheres, each of radius R and carrying uniform charge densities + and —𝜌,
respectively, are placed so that they partially overlap (Figure). Call the vector from the
positive center to the negative center 𝑑. Show that the field in the region of overlap is
constant, and find its value. [Hint: Use the answer to Problem 2]

9. One of these is an impossible electrostatic field. Which one?

(a) 𝐸 = 𝑘 [𝑥 𝑦 𝑥̂ + 2 𝑦 𝑧 𝑦̂ + 3 𝑥 𝑧 𝑧̂
(b) 𝐸 = 𝑘[𝑦 2 𝑥̂ + (2𝑥𝑦 + 𝑍 2 )𝑦̂ + 2𝑦𝑧𝑧̂ ].
Here k is a constant with the appropriate units. For the possible one, find the potential,
using the origin as your reference point. Check your answer by computing ∇𝑉. [Hint:
You must select a specific path to integrate along. It doesn't matter what path you
choose, since the answer is path-independent, but you simply cannot integrate unless
you have a particular path in mind.]