TOPIC 4 - ELECTROSTATICS PROBLEMS

OPLux

Física II

1º Grado en Ingeniería Aeroespacial

Escuela Politécnica Superior. Campus de Leganés

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

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 No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
AEROSPATIAL ENGINEER YEAR 19/20

WEEK No. 4 - Problems

The first three (or four) problems will be solved in class. The remaining ones are given
for you to practice. Try at your leisure!

Electric field: Coulomb’s Law

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1. Let’s consider three charges q1 = 1µC, q2 = −4µC and q3 = 2µC located at
the locations r1 = (−1, 1), r2 = (3, −2) and r3 = (0, 1). Calculate:

• The force that charges q1 and q2 exert on charge q3 .

• The total electric field created at the origin.

Solution:

First, we need the vector ~r3 − ~r1 = (0, 1) − (−1, 1) = (1, 0), that goes from charge q1
to q3 . Its magnitude is |~r3 − ~r1 | = 1, that gives the distance between charges. The
force that q3 feels because of q1 is:

1 × 10−6 · 2 × 10−6
F~1→3 = 9 × 109 × (1, 0)N = 1, 8 × 10−2 (1, 0)N. (1)
(1)3

√ that q2 exerts on q3 we need: ~r3 − ~r2 = (0, 1) − (3, −2) =

Similarly, to get the force
(−3, 3) and |~r3 − ~r2 | = 18. The force felt by q3 due to q2 is:

(−4 × 10−6 ) · 2 × 10−6 √

F~2→3 = 9 × 109 × √
3
(−3, 3)N = −2 2 × 10−3 (−1, 1)N. (2)
( 18)

Finally, applying the superposition principle, the total field at the origin is:

10−6 (−4) × 10−6 2 × 10−6

" #
~ 0) = 9 × 109 1 ×
E(0, √ (1, −1) + √ (−3, 2) + (0, −1) N/C.
( 2)3 ( 13)3 13
(3)

a64b0469ff35958ef4ab887a898bd50bdfbbe91a-2774713
 Z
Z

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dl
dl’ r − r’

E
r’ r

E + E’

Y
θ
r E’

λ dl’

Figure 1: Left: coordinate system for Exercise 2; Right: vanishing of z component of the
integral appearing in Eq. 9.

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2. Compute the electric field created by an infinite, straight cable that
contains an uniform charge distribution λ at any point in the three-
dimensional space.
Help: The following integral may be useful:
Z
dx x
= 2√ 2 . (4)
(x2 2
+a ) 3/2
a x + a2

Solution:

The charge is distributed along a line. The symmetry of the problem is cylindrical
around the axis that contains the cable. Thus, we choose cylindrical coordinates,
with z running along the cable (see Fig. 1). Then, we express the different terms
appearing in Coulomb’s law:

~ r) = K
Z
λ(~r0 )
E(~ dl0 (~r − ~r0 ) . (5)
l |~r − ~r0 |3
That is,
~r = r~ur + z~uz
~r0 = z 0~uz
(6)
~r − ~r0 = (z − z 0 )~uz + r~ur
dl0 = dz 0

Let’s discuss each of them with the help of Fig. 1. First, ~r gives the location at which
the field created by the cable is desired. Since it is an arbitrary point, we must use the
most general expression for the position vector allowed by the cylindrical coordinate
system. ~r0 , on the other hand, gives the location of the length differentials that we

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 use to split the cable. Since the cable runs along z, all the points within in must
have r0 = 0. Thus, ~r0 only has a z component.

Everything is quite simple up to there (it would also have been simple if we had
chosen instead Cartesian coordinates). The importance of choosing the coordinate
system appears when writing out an expression for dl0 , the length differential that
runs along the charge distribution. This differential must be formed using the

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length differentials associated to the three coordinates of the coordinate
system. In the case of Cartesian coordinates, these are: dx0 , dy 0 y dz 0 . For cylindri-
cal coordinates, dr0 , dz 0 and r0 dθ0 . If we have chosen the coordinate system properly,
only one of the coordinates will vary as we move along the charge distribution. In
our case, only dz 0 changes. Thus, cylindrical coordinates are a good choice, and
dl0 = dz 0 .

With all these choices, the integral Ec. 5 becomes:

~ r) = K
Z
λdz 0
E(~ [r~ur + (z − z 0 )~uz ] . (7)
l |(z − z 0 )2 + r2 |3/2

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To conclude, we need to set the limits of integration. The are the limiting values of
z 0 so that the whole distribution is reached. In our case, with an infinite cable, z 0
varies between −∞ and +∞:

~ r) = K
Z ∞
λdz 0
E(~ [r~ur + (z − z 0 )~uz ] . (8)
−∞ |(z − z 0 )2 + r2 |3/2

The rest of the problem is just pure calculus. This integral can be split into two
pieces:

~ r) = Kλ
Z ∞
dz 0 Z ∞
dz 0
E(~ r~
u r + Kλ (z − z 0 )~uz , (9)
−∞ |(z − z 0 )2 + r2 |3/2 −∞ |(z − z 0 )2 + r 2 |3/2

where λ, being constant, can be pulled in front. The second integral vanishes. To
see this, note that we are integrating an odd function in z 0 between symmetric limits
±∞. Physically, we can understand this using the right part of Fig. 1. Since the
cable is infinite, the vertical component of the field created by any length differential
located above P will be compensated by that created by a symmetric length element
below P . Thus, the field must only have a radial component 1 . Thus, the field we
want is:
~ r) = Kr~ur λ
Z ∞
dz 0
E(~ . (10)
−∞ |(z − z 0 )2 + r 2 |3/2

where we have used that r~ur only depends on the point P where we want the field,
and is thus independent of z 0 , so it can be pulled out of the integral.

To compute the integral we will use the formula:

Z
dx x
= 2√ 2 . (11)
(x2 2
+a ) 3/2
a x + a2
1
If none of these explanations is clear for you, just do the math!

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Changing variables:
z 00 = z − z 0 ; dz 0 = −dz 00 (12)
in Ec.10, and inverting the sign and order of the limits of integration:
#∞
dz 00 z 00
Z ∞ "
~ r) = Kr~ur λ
E(~ = Kr~
u r λ √ = 2Kr~ur λ. (13)
−∞ (z 002 + r2 )3/2 r2 z 002 + r2 −∞

Finally, using that K = 1/4π0 , the field created by the infinite straight cable is:

~ r) = λ
E(~ ~ur . (14)
2π0 r

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a64b0469ff35958ef4ab887a898bd50bdfbbe91a-2774713
 3. Compute the electric field created by a circle of radius R charged uni-
formly, with a constant surface charge density σ at any point on the axis
that goes through its center.
Solution: This problem has rotational symmetry around the axis, perpendicular
to the disk, that crosses its center. Thus, we choose cylindrical coordinates with z
along the symmetry axis. The expression for Coulomb’s law thus becomes,

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~ r) = K
ZZ
σ(~r0 )
E(~ dS 0 (~r − ~r0 ) . (15)
S |~r − ~r0 |3
with the following values for the elements within this formula:

~r = z~uz
~r0 = r0~ur
(16)
~r − ~r0 = z~uz − r0~ur
dS 0 = r0 dθ0 dr0

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r

r − r’

σ
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r’ dS’ Y
r

Figure 2: Sketch of the disk.

The explanation for these choices is as follows (see Fig. 2). First, ~r gives the position
where the field must be computed. It corresponds to a point of the z-axis, thus it
only has a z component. Regarding ~r0 , that gives the position of the surface elements
in which the disk is broken, has z 0 = 0 since all of them are contained in the plane
Z = 0. However, in contrast to the case of the circumference done previously, the
surface elements have different radial locations. Thus, we need to keep 0 ≤ r0 ≤ R.
Finally, the surface differential must be obtained from the three length differentials
associated to the coordinates. That is, dr0 , dz 0 and r0 dθ0 . Again, if coordinates were
properly chosen, only two vary as we moved around the charge distribution. In this
case, r0 and θ0 . Thus, dS 0 is formed by the product of the two associated to them.

The integral giving the field along the z axis becomes:

~ r) = K
Z 2π
0
Z R
σr0 dr0
E(~ dθ [−r0~ur + z~uz ] . (17)
0 0 |z 2 + r02 |3/2
where the limits of integration are chosen so that the full disk is covered. Of the two
integrals, the first vanishes because of symmetry arguments (can you see why?). The

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 second one is very easy to compute if we pull in front everything that is independent
of θ0 :
~
Z R
r0 dr0 Z 2π
E(~r) = Kσz~uz 2 02 3/2
dθ0 , (18)
0 (z + r ) 0

so that the integral piece produces a pre-factor 2π:

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~ r) = 2πKσz~uz
Z R
r0 dr0
E(~ . (19)
0 (z 2 + r02 )3/2

For the radial integral we use that:

Z
xdx 1
= −√ 2 , (20)
(a2 2
+x ) 3/2
a + x2
and the final field becomes:
" #R " #
~ r) = 2πKσz~uz √ −1
E(~ =
σz 1
−√ 2
1
~uz , (21)
z 2 + r02 0
20 |z| z + R2

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where we have used K = 1/4π0 .

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 No se permite la explotación económica ni la transformación de esta obra. Queda permitida la impresión en su totalidad.
4. A total electric charge Q is distributed in of a sphere of radius R, in such
a way that the charge density is:


 ρ0 (R/r) r<R
ρ= (22)


0 r > R.

Compute ρ0 in terms of Q and R.

Solution:

We need to compute the total charge by integranting the charge density, and then

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equate the result to Q in order to get ρ0 . To do so, the easiest 2 is to divide the
solid sphere in small spherical layers of with dr and radius r. The volume of each
of these layers is dV = 4πr2 dr. The charge inside each of the layers is obtained by
multiplying this volume by the value of the charge density at this radius:

dQ = ρ(r) ∗ dV = ρ0 (R/r) ∗ 4πr2 dr. (23)

Then, we add over all layers contained between 0 and R. Or what is the same,
integrating:
Z R Z R
Q
Q= ρ0 (R/r) ∗ 4πr2 dr = 4πρ0 R drr = 2πρ0 R3 → ρ0 = . (24)
0 0 2πR3

2
Strictly speaking, one should calculate the volume integral in Eq. 24 by using the spherical volume
element dV = r2 sin θdrdθdφ, being θ the latitude and φ the longitude on the sphere. The integral limits
should run from 0 to R in r, from 0 to π in latitude and from 0 to 2π in longitude. However, since the
charge density ρ(r) does not depend on latitude or longitude, the angular integrals can be done first and
result in a 4π factor. That is why integrals like this are often done by considering instead dV = 4πr2 dr.
The geometrical interpretation of this choice is, in to consider volume elements as spherical layers of
radius r and width dr.

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