Chapter 2: Electrostatics
---- Louis WY LIU
1) There is an electric field pointing to the earth’s surface, and this electric
field strength is approximately 100 N/C. The electron charge is 1.6 x 10-10
C. The mass of an electron is 9.11 x 10 -31 kg. The radius of the earth is
6400 km. Let’s assume that the earth is a conducting sphere with the
majoring of the charge accumulated on the surface of the earth. Answer the
following question:
a) Calculate the electrostatic force on an electron. b) Compare the
electrical and gravitational forces on an electron.
b) Since the electric field has been given, prove that the charge carried by
the earth is approximately 452604 C.
(Note: It has been established that the charge of the earth is approximately
-500,000 C. As a result of this charge, the Earth surface is constantly
experiencing an electric field around 100V/m pointing downwards. As a
result of this electric field, there is always an imbalance. The imbalance is
usually counter-balanced through the wettest air which in turns manifests
as lightning in thunderstorms. )
2) There is an infinite line of charge with linear charge density λ. Use
Gauss’s law, or otherwise, to prove that the electric field strength at a
distance R from this line is
3) A long cylinder has a height l. It carries a charge density that is
proportional to the distance from the axis: λ=ks, where k and s are
respectively a constant and the distance away from the central axis. a)
Prove that the electric field inside the cylinder is given by E=ks2/3 in the
direction of s.
4) A proton of mass 1.67x10-27 kg is moving in the region between parallel
metal plates which are 20 cm apart. Its initial speed is 5x106 m/s. The
electric field between the parallel metal plates is 3x105 V/m, as shown
below. Prove that its final speed is 6x106 m/s.
5) A metal sphere of radius of R has a charge Q. What is the potential of
this metal sphere? Prove that its potential energy is ½ Q times the potential
of the metal sphere.
6) A parallel-plate capacitor has a plate separation of 1 mm has a
capacitance. If we want to make a capacitor of 1 F, what is the area to be
required?
7) This question has two parts:
a) Prove that the capacitance of an isolated sphere of radius R is 4 .
b) Let’s assume that the earth is a conducting sphere. If the radius of the
earth is 6400 km, prove that the capacitance of the earth is 711 uF.
c) Watch the following video and estimate how much the energy is carried
by the earth.
Ref: [Link]
(Note: during the lecture, I have told you the potential of a parallel capacitor
V = Ed, where E is the electric field strength and d is the distance. This E
is uniform. In practice, we cannot assume that E is always uniform.
Instead, you should consider the use of the following formula to calculate
the potential difference between a and b:
= .
8) A spherical capacitor consists of two concentric conducting spheres, as
illustrated in the figure. The inner sphere, of radius R1, has charge +Q,
while the outer shell of radius R2, has charge –Q. Prove its capacitance is
given by
9) Consider a coaxial cable having a central conductor of radius a
surrounded by a cylindrical metal shell of radius b (see the following figure).
Assume that the filling between the central conductor and the cylindrical
metal shell is a dielectric material with relative permittivity . Prove that,
for a length L, the capacitance between the central conductor and the
cylindrical shell is given by
2
=
ln( / )
(a) (b)
Fig. a) Schematic of a coaxial cable. b) practical example
10) Battery is a form of capacitors. Just like a conventional battery, all
capacitor stores energy. This energy is known as electric potential energy.
In Question 5, we have already proven that this energy is 1/2 times the
charge and the square of the potential difference.
In this question, we are going to learn a more formal proof. The work
needed to transfer an infinitesimal charge dq from the negative plate to the
positive plate is
dW = Vdq = q/Cdq.
The total work done to transfer charge Q is