PHYC30016 Electrodynamics

2018 Assignment 1 Due: 5 pm Wednesday 11 April

Submission instructions
 Hand assignments directly to the lecturer or place completed assignments in the labelled pigeonhole
in the Physics Podium. Do not post under office doors or give to reception.
 Assignments should be accompanied by a completed cover sheet. The cover sheet includes a
statement that the work submitted is entirely your own. For more information about expectations,
please read the document found via the Assignments link on your LMS page.
 Penalties for late submission, in accordance with University policy, apply. Please submit an
application for extension to the lecturer if you are unable to submit by the due date as a result of
serious and unforeseen circumstances that are outside your control.
Other information
 Answer all questions.
 Marks will be allocated for appropriate justification of answers.
 This assignment counts 10% toward your final result in this subject.

1. Using the fact that we can write the vector cross-product in the form:  A  B i   ijk A j Bk ,
where ijk is the Levi-Civita (permutation) tensor, carefully show that:
  A  B   A    B   B     A   A    B   B    A ,
where A and B are vector functions.

Justify all steps.

[8 marks]

2. A wedge-shaped region is located between two semi- y

infinite, flat conducting surfaces with an angle 
between them as shown in the figure at right.

(a) Show that if the conducting surfaces are held 

at a fixed, static potential, V0, a valid solution
x
for the potential is of the form:
⁄
Φ(𝜌, 𝜑) = 𝑉 + 𝐴𝜌 sin(𝜋𝜑⁄𝛼),

where A is a constant, 𝜌 = 𝑥 + 𝑦 and 𝜑 = tan (𝑦⁄𝑥 ).

(b) Hence, show that the electric field in this region is of the form:
𝜋
𝑬(𝜌, 𝜑) = −𝐴 𝜌( ⁄ ) [sin(𝜋𝜑
⁄𝛼)𝝆 + cos(𝜋𝜑⁄𝛼)𝝋].
𝛼

(c) Sketch field lines and equipotentials in the three cases:

(i)  = /4
(ii)  = /2
(iii)  = 3/2
(d) Discuss the differences between your sketches in (c) and, more generally, on the
behaviour of the magnitude of the electric field near protruding sharp corners in
conducting materials.
[12 marks]

ASSIGNMENT 1
3. Two concentric spheres of radii a and b (a > b) are centred on the origin. The region between
them is filled with air. The outer sphere is grounded and the inner sphere is kept, via insulated
electrodes, at a static potential 𝑉 𝑐𝑜𝑠(𝜃) where 𝜃 is the polar angle in spherical coordinates.
(a) Find the potential everywhere in the region between the spheres.
(b) What is the electric field everywhere in the region between the spheres?
(c) What is the surface charge density on the inner surface of the outer sphere?
Express your answers in terms of parameters provided and fundamental constants.
[12 marks]
4. An infinitely long line of charge carrying a line charge density 𝜆 is located in vacuum a distance
d from a semi-infinite slab of homogeneous, isotropic, dielectric material with relative electric
permittivity, 𝜀 . The line of charge is parallel to the surface of the slab and can be taken to be
parallel to the z-axis. The slab is located in the region x < 0.
(a) Show that the electric field, 𝑬, in the region x > 0, (i.e. in vacuum) can be found by introducing
an infinite line of charge, 𝜆′, a distance d from the dielectric-vacuum boundary in the region
x < 0, and the field in the region x < 0 (i.e. in the dielectric) can be found by replacing the real
line of charge, , by another at the same location carrying a line charge density 𝜆′′.
In the process of answering this question, write down expressions for 𝜆 and 𝜆′′.
(b) What is the electric polarisation, 𝑷, in the dielectric?
(c) What is the bound surface charge density, 𝜎 induced on the dielectric-vacuum interface?
(d) What is the force per unit length between the dielectric and the line of charge?
[16 marks]

5. A very long, very thin conducting sheet having a width b carries a constant current I in the
direction of its length.
(a) Write down an expression for a vector potential, A, outside the sheet assuming the surrounding
material is air.
(b) Show that if the sheet is assumed to lie in the x-z plane with the z-axis (the direction of the
current) along its centreline, the magnetic field about the strip is given by:

I  1  b 2  x  1  b 2  x  
Hx    tan    tan  
2 b   y   y 

I   b 2  x 2  y 2 
Hy  ln  
4 b   b 2  x 2  y 2 
 

(c) Show that if x 2  y 2  b , i.e. at points that are close to the strip, the fields reduce to those
resulting from an infinite, uniform sheet of current.
[Hints: For (a) start from the expression for the fields due to a long straight wire carrying a
current I found using Ampere’s law and you may find it easier in (b) to use the intermediate
expression from (a) prior to performing the required integration].

[12 marks]

ASSIGNMENT 1