Home Assignment: 4

Department of Physics IISER Bhopal

Electromagnetism ( PHY-102)

Due date:
Duration:..... 100 Marks

Instructions

Answer all the questions

1. Find the potential a distance s from an infinitely long straight wire that carries a uniform line charge
λ. Compute the gradient of your potential, and check that it yields the correct field.

2. For the configuration as shown in figure, find the potential difference between a point on the axis
and a point on the outer cylinder.

3. Two infinitely long wires running parallel to the x axis carry uniform charge densities +λ and−λ.
(a) Find the potential at any point (x, y, z), using the origin as your reference.
(b) Show that the equipotential surfaces are circular cylinders, and locate the axis and radius of the
cylinder corresponding to a given potential Va .

4. Show that, E = (2xy + z 3 )x̂+x2 ŷ+3xz 2 ẑ is conservative i.e. ∇ × E = 0. Therefore, the vector ∇ · E
can be written as gradient of a scalar ∇ · E = ∇φ. Find φ.

5. One of these is an impossible electrostatic field. Which one?

(a) E = k [xyx̂+2yz ŷ+3xz ẑ].
(b) E = k [y 2 x̂+(2xy + x2 )ŷ+2yz ẑ].

6. Find the electrostatic energy of a uniformly charged spherical shell of total charge q and radius R.

7. Calculate the capacitance of two concentric spherical metal shells, with radii a and b.

1
 8. Find the capacitance per unit length of two coaxial metal cylindrical tubes of radii a and b.

9. The electric potential of some configuration is given by,

e−λr
V (r) = α ,
r
where α and λ are constants. Find the electric field E(r), the charge density ρ(r) and the total
charge.

10. A hollow spherical shell carries charge density ρ = k/r2 in the region a ≤ r ≤ b . Find the electric
potential in the three regions: (i) r < a, (ii) a < r < b, (iii) r > b. Plot potential as a function of r.