PHY103 RM/TKG

Department of Physics, IIT Kanpur

Problem Set #03

Problem 1
A capacitor C has been charged up to potential V0 ; at time t = 0, it is connected to a resistor
R, and begins to discharge (see Fig. 1a).

Figure 1:

(a) Determine the charge on the capacitor as a function of time, Q(t). What is the current
through the resistor, I(t)?

(b) What was the original energy stored in the capacitor? Confirm that the heat delivered
to the resistor is equal to the energy lost by the capacitor.
Now imagine charging up the capacitor by connecting it (and the resistor) to a battery
of voltage V0 at time t = 0 (Fig. 1b).

(c) Again, determine Q(t) and I(t).

Problem 2
A battery of emf E and internal resistance r is hooked up to a variable “load” resistance R.
If you want to deliver the maximum possible power to the load, what resistance R should
you choose? (You can’t change E and r, of course.)

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Problem 3
A metal bar of mass m slides frictionlessly on two parallel conducting rails a distance l apart
(see Fig. 2). A resistor R is connected across the rails, and a uniform magnetic field B,
pointing into the page, fills the entire region.

Figure 2:

(a) If the bar moves to the right at speed v, what is the current in the resistor? In what
direction does it flow?

(b) What is the magnetic force on the bar? In what direction?

(c) If the bar starts out with speed v0 at time t = 0, and is left to slide, what is its speed
at a later time t?

(d) The initial kinetic energy of the bar was 21 mv02 . Check that the energy delivered to the
resistor is exactly 12 mv02 .

Problem 4
An infinite number of different surfaces can be fit to a given boundary line, and yet, in
defining the magnetic flux through a loop,
Z
Φ = B · da,

no specific surface is mentioned. Justify this apparent oversight.

Problem 5
A square loop (side a) is mounted on a vertical shaft and rotated at angular velocity ω (see
Fig. 3). A uniform magnetic field B points to the right. Find the E(t) for this alternating
current generator.

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Figure 3:

Problem 6
A long solenoid with radius a and n turns per unit length carries a time-dependent current
I(t) in the ϕ̂ direction. Find the electric field (magnitude and direction) at a distance s from
the axis (both inside and outside the solenoid), in the quasistatic approximation.

Problem 7
A long cable carries current in one direction uniformly distributed over its circular cross
section. The return current flows along the surface (separated by a thin insulating sheath).
Find the self-inductance per unit length.

Problem 8
Assuming Coulomb’s law for magnetic charges qm is:
µ0 qm1 qm2
F= r̂,
4π r2
work out the force law for a monopole qm moving with velocity v through fields E and B.

Problem 9
The current in a long solenoid is increasing linearly with time, so the flux is proportional to t:
Φ = αt. Two voltmeters are connected to diametrically opposite points (A and B), together

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with resistors (R1 and R2 ), as shown in Fig. 4. What is the reading on each voltmeter?
Assume that these are ideal voltmeters that draw negligible current (they have huge internal
Rb
⃗ · d⃗l between the terminals and through the
resistance), and that a voltmeter registers − a E
meter.

Figure 4:

Problem 10
An infinite wire runs along the z axis; it carries a current I(z) that is a function of z (but
not of t), and a charge density λ(t) that is a function of t (but not of z).

(a) By examining the charge flowing into a segment dz in a time dt, show that

dλ dI
=− .
dt dz
If we stipulate that λ(0) = 0 and I(0) = 0, show that

λ(t) = kt, I(z) = −kz,

where k is a constant.

(b) Assume for a moment that the process is quasistatic, so the fields are given by:

⃗ t) = λ(t) ŝ,
E(s, ⃗ z) = µ0 I(z) ϕ̂
B(s,
2πϵ0 s 2πs

Show that these are in fact the exact fields, by confirming that all four of Maxwell’s
equations are satisfied.