Chapter 6

Electrostatic Boundary-Value
Problems

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 1

 Objectives

1. To define Poisson’s Equation and Laplace’s

Equation
2. To use Poisson and Laplace’s equations to find
the electric potentials and electric fields for
special cases.
3. To define the resistance and capacitance, and
calculating the energy density for various
capacitor systems.

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 2

 Chapter 6: Electrostatic Boundary-Value Problems

6.1 Introduction
6.2 Poisson’s and Laplace’s Equations
6.3 Uniqueness Theorem
6.4 General Procedure for solving
Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations
6.5 Resistance and Capacitor

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 3

 6.1 Introduction
Electric field intensity E can be determined by using
Coulomb's law
Gauss' s law
Scalar Potential V, E  V
Laplace or Poisson' s Equation
Image Method.
The last two methods are known as special method or
Boundary - value Problems

Laplace ' s Equation  can be used to derive resistance

and capacitance of the system

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 4

6.2 Poisson’s and Laplace’s Equations
Can be derived from Gauss' s Law.
For a linear materials.
i).   D   v , D  E
ii).   E   v Siméon Denis Poisson
Born: 21 June 1781 in

iii). E    V Pithiviers, France

Died: 25 April 1840 in
Sceaux (near Paris), France
v
     V    v   2V   , Poisson' s equation

if  v  0   2 V  0 , Laplace's equation

Pierre-Simon Laplace
Born: 23 March 1749 in
Beaumont-en-Auge,
Normandy, France
Died: 5 March 1827 in
Paris, France Boundary – Value Problems
PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic 5
  
   V   v This is Poisson equation for inhomogeneous medium
where  is a function of coordinate system.
For homogeneous medium,  is a constant, Poisson equation is written as

 2V    v / 

For the cases where the charge density,  v  0 the Laplace equations
are respectively written as

   V  0  for inhomogeneous medium
 2V  0 for homogeneous medium

Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 6
 6.3 Uniqueness Theorem
Two methods for solving Laplaces’s
equation

1. Direct integration/coordinates
2. Method of Images

Both methods are unique

Procedure for solving Laplace' s equation

Theorem I
If 1 , 2 ...............n are the solution for Laplace' s equation
then   C11  C2 2  .........Cn n is also the solution of the
Laplace' s equation. Where C1 ,C2 ,.......Cn are constants.

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 7

 Prove (theorem I)

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 8

 6.4 General Procedure for solving
Poisson’s and Laplace’s Equations

1. Solve Laplace's or Poisson' s equation using either

(a) direct integration, if V is a function of one variable.
(b) separated integration, if V is a function more than one variable.

2. Apply boundary condition to determine a unique solution.

3. Having obtained V, find E, D and J.

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 9

 a ). Potential V as a function of one variable.
write V  ? and E  ? for the region between
two conductors as shown in Fig..

Laplace' s equation in cylindrical coordinate

1 d 2V
V 2
2
0
 d 2

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 10

 d 2V
The air gap is small,  0................( i )
d 2

the solution of (i) is V  A  B

boundary condition, V  0, when   0 (given)
V  V1 when   /2

  V1
V1  A   A  , B 0
2  / 2
therefore the final solution
V
V  1  .................. ii 
 /2 

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 11

 V1
V  .................. ii 
 /2 
Then the electric field can be determined as
1 dV
E  - V  - â
 d
V1
E - â
(  / 2 )

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 12

 Example
 , r  a
a sphere, v   
 0, ra
Vo  r  , r  a
V  r   ,
V1  r  , r  a
a is the radius of sphere.

Determine the scalar potential Vo  r  and V1  r 

using Laplace and Poisson' s equation.

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 13

 Solution.
 2Vo  r   0 , r  a .............. i 
 2V1  r    /  o , r  a.............. ii 
1 d  2 dVo 
from  i   Vo  r   2
2
r 0
r dr  dr 
B
Vo  r   A 
r
r   , Vo     0 , A  0
B
Vo  r   ............................ iii 
r

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 14

 For r  a
 2V1  r    /  o
d  2 dV1  r  
  (  /  o )r
2
r
dr  dr 
r 2 D
 V1  r    C 
6 o r
at the centre of the sphere, it is asmused that
there is no a point charge, therefore D  0

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 15

 at r  a, V is continous.
Vo  r  a   V1  r  a 
B  a 2
  C
a 6 o
 2 2 B
 V1  r  
6 o
 a r 
a
at r  a, En  Er
 -  V1  r  a     Vo  r  a 

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 16

 a 3
B
3 o
Substitute all the constants.

 a 3 
 , r  a
3 r 
V r   o 
   3a 2  r 2  , r  a
 6  o 

The result we obtain here, however can also be obtained

using Gauss' s law.

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 17

 Example 1; Sadiku 3/prob 6.43/Laplace equation.

A spherical capacitor has inner radius a and

outer radius b and filled with an Inhomogeneous dielectric,
   o k / r 2 . If the inner and outer electrodes are respectively
conneted ground and potential Vo , show that
the potential between electrode can be written as

Vo
V  r  a ,
 b - a
r is the radius of the spherical system

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 18

 Solution
We write Laplace equation for this case as
    V   0 inhomogeneous medium
thus
1 d  2  o k dV 
2 r 2 0
r dr  r dr 
dV
 ok  A'
dr
dV
A
dr
V  Ar  B
using boundary value, V  r  a   0 and V  r  b   Vo
V
we obtain B  - Aa and A  o
 b - a
Vo
therefore V  r  a
 b - a 19
PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems
 6.5 Resistance and Capacitor
The resistance and capacitor of any system
can be calculated if V and I are known.
note;

V
R 
 E  dl   E  d l
I  J  dS  E  dS
the value of R for conductor with a non - uniform
cross section can also be solved using boundar - value condition.

Capacitor.
Q   E  dS
C 
V

E  dl

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 20

 a). Parallel Plate Capacitor
Q
s 
S
if d  S  edge effect can be neglegible
D  -  s â x
s
E   âx    Q â x
 S

Electric potential
1 d
- Q  Qd
V    E  dl    E  dl    â x   dxâ x 
2 0 
S  S
Q S d
 C  , and R 
V d S
Energy stored in the capacitor
1 1 Q2
WE  CV  QV 
2

2 2 2C
PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 21
 b). Co-axial Capacitor

Q
E â
2L
1
V  -  E  dl
2

a Q 
 -  â   dâ
b 2L
 
Q a
 ln
2L b
then
Q 2L V ln b / a 
C  and R   L
V a I 2
ln 
b

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 22

 c). Spherical Capacitor

Q
E â
2 r
4r
1
V  -  E .dl
2

 Q
a 
 -  â r   dr âr
b 4r 2
 
Q 1 1
   
4  a b 
1
Q  1 1
Capacitance C   4   
V a b
V  1 1
Resistance R       4 
1

I a b

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems

Selected problems
23 ##
 End of Lecture
Chapter 6

PHY3401- Chapter 6 – Electrostatic Boundary – Value Problems 24