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Exam 1 8.022

This document is an exam for a course on electrostatics. It contains 4 questions covering various topics: 1) A charge distribution problem involving a spherical charge distribution with electric field and potential calculations. 2) A parallel plate capacitor problem involving calculations of electric field, surface charge, potential difference, and capacitance for a system of 3 parallel plates. 3) A multiple choice question about electric field lines around a uniformly polarized sphere. 4) A question asking about stable mechanical equilibriums for point charges and possible configurations.

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Abhik Sarkar
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127 views3 pages

Exam 1 8.022

This document is an exam for a course on electrostatics. It contains 4 questions covering various topics: 1) A charge distribution problem involving a spherical charge distribution with electric field and potential calculations. 2) A parallel plate capacitor problem involving calculations of electric field, surface charge, potential difference, and capacitance for a system of 3 parallel plates. 3) A multiple choice question about electric field lines around a uniformly polarized sphere. 4) A question asking about stable mechanical equilibriums for point charges and possible configurations.

Uploaded by

Abhik Sarkar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ESG 8.

022 Fall 2006 Exam 1


Instructor: Michael Shaw

Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 @ 1:00PM

1 Spherical Charge Distribution (35 points)


Consider the following charge distribution in 3-dimensional Euclidean space.

c1 r r r1
r1 2
= (r) =


c2 (r r2 ) r r > r1
r2

where r is the usual spherical polar coordinate and r1 < r2 .

a. What are the units of c1 and c2 ?

b. Find the electric eld for r < r1

c. Find the electric eld for r1 < r < r2

d. Find the electric eld for r > r2

e. Graph the electric eld as a function of r. Is the electric eld continuous everywhere?
Is this ok?

f. Find the electric potential in all space. Graph the electric potential as a function of r.

g. Is the electric potential continuous everywhere? Is this ok?

h. Find 0 so that the total charge is Q.

8.022 Fall 2006 Exam 1 Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 @ 1:00PM

2 A Parallel Plate Capacitor (35 points)

Two at, square metal plates have sides of length L, and thickness s/2, are arranged
parallel to each other with a separation of s, where s << l so you may ignore fringing elds.
A charge Q is moved from the upper plate to the lower plate. Now a force is applied to a
third uncharged conducting plate of the same thickness so that it lies between the other two
plates to a depth x, maintaining the same spacing s/4 between its surface and the surfaces
of the other two.
a. Find the electric eld Ew in the wide region.

b. Find the electric eld En in the narrow region.

c. Find the surface charge in the wide region, w and in the narrow region, n .

d. What is the potential dierence between the upper and lower plates?

e. Find the capacitance of the system.

f. What is the energy stored in the electric eld?

g. What force (magnitude and direction) must be exerted on the middle plate to keep it
from moving?

h. If the force is no longer applied, in which direction does the middle plate move?

2
8.022 Fall 2006 Exam 1 Wednesday, October 11th, 2006 @ 1:00PM

3 Multiple Choice Question (10 points)

3. A sphere is uniformly polarized as shown in the diagram above. Circle the case below
that shows the correct electric field lines.

4 Electrostatic Equilibrium (20 points)


When can a point charge be in stable mechanical equilibrium in the electric eld of other
charges? That is, is there some arrangement of point charges so that if we x all but one
of them, the other one is in a stable equilibrium? If so, what congurations are possible?
Please show sucient reasoning for your answer.
Note 1: A mathematical proof is sucient reasoning. So is a good proof by example. So
is a sound physical argument. So is any other technique that shows you have a good grasp
of the concept at hand.
Note 2: A stable equilibrium is one where if we move the charge in any direction, there
is a restoring force directed opposite to the displacement.
Hint: Use Gausss Law.

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