Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 1 of 5

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS #1 to #16: 1) We defined the electric field to be a force field acting on the intrinsic property of charge, with the force exerted by the field being proportional to the excess charge (net charge) on an object (answer 1 E).

2) According to Coulomb's Law, the force between two charged particles scales linearly with the excess charge of a particle and scales inversely quadratic with the separation. Here, one charge doubles (hence, F doubles), and separation doubles (F reduced to 25%), both combined result in 50% of the original F (answer 2 B).

3) For the electric field to compensate the force of the downwards oriented gravitational field, it must exert an upwards directed force onto the particle. I.e. the lower, positively charged plate must repel the particle, and the upper, negatively charged plate must attract it. This is the case for a positively charged particle (answer 3 A).

4) For equilibrium conditions between gravitational and electric fields, the electric field force must equal the gravitational one, which is F = ma, with acceleration a here being the gravitational constant on the earth g (answer 4 A). If, at constant gravitational force, the electric force started to decrease, the particle would start to move downwards (answers 4 C and 4 D are incorrect).

5) Excess charge Q = CV, hence V = 1/C Q. Therefore, the slope of the line in the V-Q-graph is 1/Capacitance. Here, C= 20 C / 50 V= 0.4 F (answer 5 C).

6) The actual charge on a plate Q P =

V is now changed by r increasing from 1 to 2 with d 0, A, d, and V being constant. QP therefore doubles, from Q = 20 C (see part 5) to 40 C (answer 6 D).

r 0 A

7) The energy stored in the electric field between the plates of a capacitor is given by
W= 1 Q V . With Q = 40 C (see part 6) and V = 50 V (see part 7), W = 1 mJ (answer 7 C) 2

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 2 of 5

8) The voltage of point A with respect to point B" is represented by VAB, with the conditions at point A being the end conditions (answer 8 A).

9) The electric field line must be perpendicular on the equipotential contour at point A and all other intersections with equipotential contours. The equipotential lines are (slightly) curved lines and not completely parallel to each other, therefore the field line must be bent (answer 9 E).

10) VAB is given to be negative (potential decreases when going from point B to point A). Field lines point from higher to lower electric potential. This field line must therefore point in the direction going from the intersection of the field line and energy contour B to the intersection of the field line and energy contour A, generally down to the left (answer 10 E).

11) VAC is the potential difference going down four 3V-steps: VAC = -12 V = -12 Nm/C = -1200 Ncm/C (answer 11 H).

12) to 15) Point D is in the middle between two equipotential lines that are measured to be 2.3 m apart (length of a bent field line between the 2 energy levels, answer 12 D). The force at point D can be approximated using an average force between the two neighboring equipotential lines, since the average force experienced by an object moved along this field line between the contours neighboring point D is approximately the magnitude of the force at D (answer 13 B): FD Fave = W / x (work W required to move -5 C of charge from one of the contours neighboring D to the other)

x is measured (and scaled) to be approximately 2.3 m.

With W = V Q (V = 3 V = 3 J/C between two electric field lines; Q = -5 C) FD V Q / x = (3 J/C) 5 C / (2.3 m) = 6.52 J/m = 6.52 Nm/m = 6.52 N. (answer 14 B, answer 15 B)

16) The electric potential never varies on that equipotential path, and the field component in the direction along the path is therefore always zero (answer 16 D).

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 3 of 5

QUESTION 23: a) Find the magnitude of the force between charge Qt and charge Q1: Q1 Qt Coulombs Law: F = , here r2 with = 8.99109 Nm2/C2, Q1 = 20 mC = 0.02 C = 210-2 C, Qt = 1010-6 C, r = 6 m
2 F1 = 8.99 10 9 Nm

( 2 10

C2

C )( 1 10 5 C ) F1 = 49.9 N repulsive: straight down (6 m )2

b) In part a), we found the force vector between charge Qt and charge Q1 (F1 = 49.9 N, straight down) Now, we find the force vector between charge Qt and charge Q2, and then superpose the results by adding the vectors. All charges are positive repulsive forces (like charges repel) Q2 Qt , here Coulombs Law: F = r2 with = 8.99109 Nm2/C2, Q2 = 40 mC = 410-2 C, Qt =1010-6 C = 110-5 C, r = 8 m
2 F2 = 8.99 10 9 Nm

( 4 10
C
2

C )( 1 10 5 C ) = 56.19 N repulsive: straight to the left (8 m )2

Ftotal = Fx2 + Fy2 = F22 + F12 = with tan = Fy =

(56.19 N )2 + (49.9 N )2

= 75.15 N

F1 49.9 = = 0.888 = arctan 0.888 = 41.6 Fx F2 56.19 (Note: If result in this part is incorrect only because a wrong result from part a) was applied, do still allocate full points in this part.)

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 4 of 5

c) Distances: Q1 to point (-4, 2): r1 42 = 6 m Q1 to point A: r1A = (6 m ) + (3 m ) = 6.7 m Q2 to point (-4, 2): r2 42 = 8 m Q2 to point A: r2A = 5 m
2 2

Moving Qt from (-4, 2) to A: increasing the distance from Q1 (r1A > r1 42) mover does negative work in pushing a positive test charge further away from positive charge Q1 decreasing the distance from Q2 (r2A < r2 42) mover does positive work in pushing a positive test charge closer to positive charge Q2. With equations V = Q here: W1 = Q1 Qt = -31.3 J W2 = + Q2 Qt = +269.7 J total work W = W1 + W2 = -31.3 J + 269.7 J = 238.4 J to be done by the mover. 1 rend 1 rstart and V = W W = Q Qt 1 rend 1 rstart

Qt

Nm 2 1 1 1 1 = 8.99 10 9 (2 10 2 C ) (1 10 5 C ) 2 C 6.7 m 6 m r1 A r1 42

Nm 2 1 1 1 1 = + 8.99 10 9 (4 10 2 C ) (1 10 5 C ) 2 C 5m 8m r2 A r2 42

d) Positive work (compare part c) ) is done when moving positive charges (as given) from lower to higher potential The potential at the end (point A) must be higher than at the starting point (-4, 2). The potential at point (-4, 2) is lower than at point A.

e) Distances and signs as in part c): With equation V = Q here: V1 = Q1 1 1 r1 A r1 42 1 rend 1 rstart

= 8.99 10 9

Nm 2 1 1 (2 10 2 C ) 2 C 6.7 m 6 m

= -3.13106 V
2 1 1 1 1 9 Nm = + 8.99 10 (4 10 2 C ) V2 = + Q2 2 C 5m 8m r2 A r2 42

= 26.97106 V total voltage VA

4,8

= V1 + V2 = 2.384107 V.

Note : This is the electric potential at point A (end point) with respect to point (-4, 2) (start point) and therefore has the opposite sign compared to V-4,2 A in part d) !
Name: ___________________________________________________________ Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 5 of 5

Shorter solution: Use the work required to move the test charge from point (-4, 2) (start point) to point A (end point), calculated to be +238.4 J (see part c)), and calculate the corresponding voltage:
V = 238.4 J W = = 2.384 107 V Qt 10 10 6 C

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 6 of 5

COMMON MISTAKES COMMENTS FROM THE MARKER General units are occasionally mixed up and given incorrectly, even in the final results. Checking the units might have made aware of mistakes in the equations applied. E.g., energy is not represented by V! We tend to honor the understanding of a problem and tend to give at least partial points even if the results (number values) are wrong due to some minor calculation errors. However, if the units are incorrect, that shows that the underlying concept is not understood, and points are not awarded. Basic math skills are inevitable. The following is NOT true and will therefore always deliver wrong results: 1 1 1 This is incorrect. = A B A B Yet, a few students did such a calculation in this midterm! Also, an equation cannot be extended on the right side without modifying the left. E.g., while 32 = 6 is correct, 32 = 6 + 1 = 7 is incorrect. You cannot save time by falsifying equations like that. Yet, quite a few of you did. We often attribute partial points for using correct equations. If you abuse an equation in the above manner, you will (or should) lose all of your points!

Question 23: b) Forces are vectors, not scalars. Keep that in mind when adding or multiplying vectors. If Ftotal = F1 + F2 is needed, in most cases this is NOT simply = F1 + F2 . Instead, you need to look at the square root of the sum of the squared components. b) The direction of the total force is determined by the magnitude and direction of the individual forces making up the total force at a certain point. The geometry of the point charges setting up the electric field in this question (originally determining the orientation of the individual forces) is completely irrelevant. I.e., the angle of the total force cannot be found by calculating inverse tan of (6/8) where 6 and 8 represent the distance between the point charges in y and x direction. c) Forces are NOT constant in this field set up by point charges. Work and voltage therefore need to be calculated using integration (or the equations we 1 1 derived in class as simple solutions of these integrations, e.g. V = Q ), rend rstart but NOT simply W = Fd with applying a constant force value! d) As stated on an ongoing basis, we require you to show the work in finding a final solution to verify you understood how to solve the problem. Therefore, here you need to explain why the potential is higher or lower. This can be done either explicitly adding a short explanation, or implicitly if you correctly developed the answer to the preceding sub-question (which implies you understood the sign-related issues).

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________

Mar, 5th, 2012

PHYS 155.3 Midterm Exam

page 7 of 5

Question 24: a) Most students got this part right. Some tried to combine other resistor as well however. b) This part was poorly done. A number of students were combining resistors that were not in parallel. The concept of parallel resistances and how to recognize them should be well known at this stage of the class. c) This question was relatively well done. Most students recognized the 2 source transformations (one at each end of the circuit). Note that since there were source transformations available this might have give them the hint that this would be a good approach in taking to solve the question. Superposition must be used at some point but when you get around to doing it the circuit is quite simple. d) Relatively poorly done. A number of students got the component of the current due to the current source correct but the component due to the voltage source was not determined correctly. Use of CDR and VDR was mostly done correctly. e) This question was relatively well done, but I suspect that a number of students guessed at the direction (using knowledge of the circuit and how current flows through the resistors). f) This question was very poorly done. Considering that the value(s) could be calculated when doing part d) and e) I would have hoped for more correct answers. Superposition continues to be a technique that is difficult for the students to do.

Some students did not show complete work for their answers. Due to the longer than expected examination length I allowed this on this examination since it was possible to make educated guesses. On the final examination answers with work showing how they were obtained will be marked 0 even if they are correct.

Name: ___________________________________________________________

Student Number: ________________________