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Problem Sheet 3B

The document presents problems from a physics problem sheet focusing on vector potentials and magnetic fields related to current-carrying wires. It includes tasks to rewrite equations in Cartesian coordinates, analyze the vector potential for finite and infinite wires, and calculate the magnetic field for a slab with a volume and surface current density. The problems require verification of fundamental equations and understanding of magnetic field behavior in different geometries.

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7 views2 pages

Problem Sheet 3B

The document presents problems from a physics problem sheet focusing on vector potentials and magnetic fields related to current-carrying wires. It includes tasks to rewrite equations in Cartesian coordinates, analyze the vector potential for finite and infinite wires, and calculate the magnetic field for a slab with a volume and surface current density. The problems require verification of fundamental equations and understanding of magnetic field behavior in different geometries.

Uploaded by

bztmautgfyxrfbkqlt
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Problem sheet 3B

Problem 6.4 (Purcell): Vector Potential for a Wire

Consider the example in Section 6.3, concerning the vector potential for a long
straight wire. Rewrite Eqs. (6.33) and (6.34) in terms of Cartesian coordinates,
and verify that ∇ × A = B.

Problem 6.5 (Purcell): Vector Potential for a Finite Wire

(a) Recall the example in Section 6.3 dealing with a thin infinite wire carrying
current I. We showed that the vector potential A given in Eq. (6.34), or equiv-
alently in Eq. (12.272) in the solution to Problem 6.4, correctly produced the
desired magnetic field B. However, although these expressions for A success-
fully produced B, there is something fundamentally wrong with them. What is
it? (The infinities at r = 0 and r = ∞ are technically fine.)

(b) As mentioned at the end of Section 6.3, if you use Eq. (6.44) to calculate
A for an infinite wire, you will obtain an infinite result. Your task here is
instead to calculate A for a finite wire of length 2L (ignore the return path for
the current), at a distance r from the center. You can then find an approximate
expression for A for large L (is the issue from part (a) fixed?), and then take
the curl to obtain B, and then take the L → ∞ limit to obtain the B field for
a truly infinite wire.

1
Problem 6.20 (Purcell): A Slab and a Sheet

A volume current density J = J ẑ exists in a slab between the infinite planes


at x = −b and x = b. (So the current is coming out of the page in Fig. 6.37.)
Additionally, a surface current density J = 2bJ points in the −ẑ direction on
the plane at x = b.

(a) Find the magnetic field as a function of x, both inside and outside the
slab.

(b) Verify that ∇ × B = µ0 J inside the slab. (Don’t worry about the
boundaries.)

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