PHYS 253 Final Exam

Practice Exam
Instructor: Christophe Grova

NAME:
Student ID:
1. No books, or electronic devices are allowed (except your formula sheet).
2. 2 sides of a regular formula sheet is allowed
3. Ensure that your full name and student number appear on this page and on the 1rst page of the exam booklet
4. Read the questions carefully before starting to work.
5. Justify your answers. Show all your work. Drawings are encouraged
6. Each problem should be solved in a separate page of the exam booklet.
7. The maximum mark for this exam is 100 points.
8. Choose 5 out of the 7 problems
Note: some additional theoretical multiple choices questions will be added on the exam

1. Calculate from first principle the electric potential along the z-axis due to a uniformly charged disc of
radius R and charge density  places on the xy-plane center at the origin.

2 A spherical capacitor consists of two spherical conducting shells as shown.

There is no charge in the region a ≤ r ≤ b . Solve the Laplace equation in the r=b
space between the shells subject to the boundary condition given in the
diagram. You may set V (a) = 0 for convenience. It is obvious that you should r=a
use Laplace Equation in spherical coordinates (one variable only) for this
problem.

+
V0

3. Consider the following geometry. Two infinite grounded (V=0) metal plates lie parallel the xz-plane, one at y = 0
and the other one at y = a. On the left side, at x = 0, two infinite metal stripes are closing the system, one at x=0
from y = 0 to a/2 is set at a potential V0 and second, also at x=0, from y=a/2 to a, is set at the potential –V0.

Assume no other charges are present, solve Poisson equation (using separation of variables in 2D) within the
space 0 ≤ x ≤ +∞ and 0 ≤ y ≤ a, for any z.

1
4. (a) Solve Poisson Equation between the two cylinders and outside the two cylinders, to find the electrical
potential V (s ) (in cylindrical coordinates and in one-dimension only), assuming a uniform surface charge density
on each cylinder (σa and σb), assuming the potentials on each cylinder to be Va and Vb.

(b) Using Gauss theorem, compute the Electric Field and then the electric potential for s between the two
cylinders and outside the two cylinders. Compare with the general solution found by solving Poisson equation
(mention explicitly your Gauss surfaces in a drawing)

s=b
s=a
s=0
empty
s

5. A non-conducting spherical shell of radius R has a surface potential given by V ( R,θ ) = Vo cos2 θ , where Vo is a
constant. There is no charge inside or outside the sphere.
∞
⎛ n Bn ⎞
(a) From the "off the shelves" solution, V (r ,θ ) = ∑ ⎜⎝ A r n + ⎟ Pn (cosθ ) , find the potential function V (r ,θ ) in
n =0 r n +1 ⎠
the region r ≤ R.
(b) Determine the electric field ( Er , Eθ ) inside the sphere.

6. Given 3 point charges on the x–z plane as shown in the diagram with q1 = +Q, q2 = −2Q, & q3 = +Q.
Determine the approximate potential V (r,θ ), at large distance away from the z
charges.
(a) The net charge q1 + q2 + q3 = 0 , find the dipole moment and hence Vdipole (r, θ )
(0,0,b) q1 r
on the x–z plane.
(b) Find the quad-potential at the same location (r , θ ) as in (a)

q3
q2 x
(a,0,0)

7. The interior of a circular cylinder x 2 + y 2 = R 2 is filled with a polarized (permanent) material. Given
( )
P = xˆ a x3 + b x + c xy + a + yˆ ( h x ) , where a, b, c, h are constants. There is no z dependence. Find the bound
volume charge density ρb ( x, y ) and the surface bound charge density σ b ( x, y ) .

2
Gradient:
∂f ∂f ∂f
Rectangular: ∇f = xˆ + yˆ + zˆ
∂x ∂y ∂z
∂f 1 ∂f ∂f
Cylindrical: ∇f = sˆ + φˆ + zˆ
∂r s ∂φ ∂z
∂f 1 ∂f 1 ∂f
Spherical: ∇f = rˆ + θˆ + φˆ
∂r r ∂θ r sin θ ∂φ
Divergence:
∂Ax ∂Ay ∂Az
Cartesian: ∇•A = + +
∂x ∂y ∂z
1 ⎡ ∂ ⎤ 1 ∂Aφ ∂Az
Cylindrical: ∇ • A = ⎢ ( sAs )⎥ + +
s ⎣ ∂ s ⎦ s ∂φ ∂z
1 ⎡ ∂ 2 1 ⎡ ∂ 1 ⎡ ∂Aφ ⎤
Spherical: ∇ • A = 2 ⎢
r ⎣ ∂ r
(
r Ar )⎤⎥ +
r sin θ ⎣ ∂ θ
⎤
⎢ (sin θ Aθ )⎥ +
r sin θ
⎢ ⎥
⎦ ⎦ ⎣ ∂φ ⎦
Curl:
⎛ ∂A ∂Ay ⎞ ⎛ ∂A ∂A ⎞ ⎛ ∂A ∂A ⎞
Cartesian: ∇ × A = xˆ ⎜⎜ z − ⎟⎟ + yˆ ⎜⎜ x − z ⎟⎟ + zˆ⎜⎜ y − x ⎟⎟
⎝ ∂ y ∂ z ⎠ ⎝ ∂ z ∂ x ⎠ ⎝ ∂ x ∂ y ⎠
⎡ 1 ∂Az ∂ Aφ ⎤ ⎡ ∂ A ∂A ⎤ zˆ ⎡ ∂ ∂A ⎤
Cylindrical: ∇ × A = sˆ ⎢ − ⎥ + φˆ ⎢ s − z ⎥ + ⎢ ( )
sAφ − s ⎥
⎣ s ∂φ ∂ z ⎦ ⎣ ∂ z ∂ s ⎦ s ⎣ ∂ s ∂φ ⎦
Spherical:
rˆ ⎡ ∂ ∂A ⎤ θˆ ⎡ 1 ∂Ar ∂ ⎤ φˆ ⎡ ∂ ∂Ar ⎤
∇× A = ⎢
r sin θ ⎣ ∂θ
( )
sin θ Aφ − θ ⎥ +
∂φ ⎦
⎢ −
r ⎣ sin θ ∂φ ∂ r
rAφ ⎥ + ( )
⎢ ( rAθ ) −
r ⎣ ∂ r
⎥
∂θ ⎦
⎦

Laplacian:
∂2 f ∂2 f ∂2 f
Cartesian: ∇2 f = + +
∂x 2 ∂y 2 ∂z 2
1 ∂ ⎛ ∂ f ⎞ 1 ∂2 f ∂2 f
Cylindrical: ∇2 f = ⎜ s ⎟ + +
s ∂ s ⎝ ∂ s ⎠ s 2 ∂φ 2 ∂z 2
1 ∂ ⎛ 2 ∂ f ⎞ 1 ∂ ⎛ ∂ f ⎞ 1 ⎛ ∂ 2 f ⎞
Spherical: ∇2 f = ⎜ r ⎟ + ⎜ sin θ ⎟ + ⎜ ⎟
r 2 ∂ r ⎝ ∂ r ⎠ r 2 sin θ ∂θ ⎝ ∂θ ⎠ r 2 sin 2 θ ⎝ ∂φ 2 ⎠
Legendre Polynomials:

P0 (cosθ) P1 (cosθ) P2 (cosθ) P3 (cosθ) P4 (cosθ)

1 cosθ

Vector Identities:

( ) ( )
∇ • f A = f ∇ • A + A • (∇f )
∇ × ( f A ) = f (∇ × A ) − A × (∇f )
∇ • (A × B ) = B • (∇ × A ) − A • (∇ × B )
∇ × (A × B ) = (B • ∇ )A − (A • ∇ )B + A (∇ • B ) − B • (∇ • A )
A • (B × C ) = B • (C × A ) − C • (A × B )
A × (B × C ) = B (A • C ) − C • (A • B )