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Spring 2012
Physics 2 (PHYN002)
Classroom Assignment 3

1. What potential difference is needed to stop an electron that has an initial velocity v = 5.0x10
5
m/s?
Ans.( -0.71 V)

2. How much work does the electric field do in moving a proton from a point with a potential of + 185 V
to a point where it is - 55 V?
Ans.( 3.84x10
-17
J)

3. An electron acquires 5.25x10
-16
J of kinetic energy when it is accelerated by an electric field from
plate A to plate B. What is the potential difference between the plates, and which plate is at the higher
potential?
Ans.( 3280 V, plate B)

4. The work done by an external force to move a -9.10 C charge from point a to point b is 7.00x10
-4
J.
If the charge was started from rest and had 2.10 x 10
-4
J of kinetic energy when it reached point b, what
must be the potential difference between a and b?
Ans.(V
a
-V
b
=53.8 V)

8. What is the magnitude of the electric field between two parallel plates 4.0 mm apart if the potential
difference between them is 110 V?
Ans.(E=2.8x10
4
V/m)

11. A uniform electric field E = -4.20 N/C i points in the negative x direction as shown in Fig. 23-25.
The x and y coordinates of points A, B, and C are given on the diagram (in meters). Determine the
differences in potential (a) V
BA
, (b) V
CB
, and (c) V
CA

Ans.( V
BA
=0, V
CB
= -29.4 V and V
CA
= -29.4 V)


12. The electric potential of a very large isolated flat metal plate is
V
o
. It carries a uniform distribution of charge of surface density o
(C/m
2
), or o/2 on each surface. Determine V at a distance x from
the plate. Consider the point x to be far from the edges and assume
x is much smaller than the plate dimensions.
Ans ( ()

o
c

)


13. (II) The Earth produces an inwardly directed electric field of magnitude 150 V/m near its surface. (a)
What is the potential of the Earth's surface relative to V = 0 at r = ? (b) If the potential of the Earth is
chosen to be zero, what is the potential at infinity? (Ignore the fact that positive charge in the ionosphere
approximately cancels the Earth's net charge; how would this affect your answer?)
Ans.( a) V= -0.96 GV, b) V()=0.96 GV)

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16. Determine the difference in potential between two points that are distances R
a
and R
b
from a very
long (>> R
a
or R
b
) straight wire carrying a uniform charge per unit length .
Ans.(

tc

)

19. A nonconducting sphere of radius r
o
carries a total charge Q distributed uniformly throughout its
volume. Determine the electric potential as a function of the distance r from the center of the sphere for
(a) r> r
o
and (b) r < r
o
Take V = 0 at r = . (c) Plot V versus rand E versus r.
Ans.( (

) tc

) (

)tc

)

22. A hollow spherical conductor, carrying a net charge +Q, has inner radius r
1
and
outer radius r
2
= 2r
1
(Fig. 23-26). At the center of the sphere is a point charge +Q/2.
(a) Write the electric field strength E in all three regions as a function of r. Then
determine the potential as a function of r, the distance from the center, for (b) r > r
2
,
(c) r
1
< r< r
2
, and (d) 0 < r < r
1
(e) Plot both V and E as a function of r from r = 0 to
r = 2r
2

Ans.(
(

) tc

)
tc

) (

)tc

)

26. Two point charges, 3.4 C and -2.0 C, are placed 5.0 cm apart on the x axis. At what points along
the x axis is (a) the electric field zero and (b) the potential zero? Let V = 0 at r = .
Ans ( a) 16 cm left of q
2
,

b) 1.9 cm from ve charge towards the +ve charge and 7.1 cm from the
ve charge away from the +ve charge.)

34. Three point charges are arranged at the corners of a square of side l as
shown in Fig.. What is the potential at the fourth corner (point A), taking V =
0 at a great distance?
Ans.( )




35. A flat ring of inner radius R
1
and outer radius R
2
, Fig., carries a
uniform surface charge density o. Determine the electric potential at
points along the axis (the x axis). [Hint: Try substituting variables.]
Ans.( (
o
c

) (

))




36. A total charge Q is uniformly distributed on a thread of length L.
The thread forms a semicircle. What is the potential at the center?
(Assume V = 0 at large distances.)
Ans.( ( c

))

(1 1/ 2) / 4
o
V Q tc = +
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38. A thin rod of length 2l is centered on the x axis as shown in Fig. 23-31. The rod carries a uniformly
distributed charge Q. Determine the potential V as a function of y for points along the y axis. Let V = 0
at infinity.

Ans.( )

49. The electric potential between two parallel plates is given by V(x) = (8.0 V/m) x + 5.0 V, with x = 0
taken
at one of the plates and x positive in the direction toward the other plate. What is the charge density on
the plates?
Ans. ( 7.1x10
-11
C/m
2
)

50. The electric potential in a region of space varies as V = by/(a
2
+ y
2
). Determine the electric field .
Ans (
( )
( )
2 2
2
2 2

y a b
a y

=
+
E j )
51. In a certain region of space, the electric potential is given by V = y
2
+ 2.5xy - 3.5xyz. Determine the
electric field vector, E, in this region.
Ans (E= (-2.5y+3.5yz) i +(-2y-2.5x+3.5xz)j +(3.5 xy) k)

54. How much work must be done to bring three electrons from a great distance apart to within 1.0 x 10
-
10
m from one another (at the corners of an equilateral triangle)?
Ans (43 eV).

83. A Geiger counter is used to detect charged particles emitted by radioactive
nuclei. It consists of a thin, positively charged central wire of radius R
a

surrounded by a concentric conducting cylinder of radius R
b
with an equal
negative charge (Fig. 23-40). The charge per unit length on the inner wire is
(units C/m). The interior space between wire and cylinder is filled with low-
pressure inert gas. Charged particles ionize some of these gas atoms; the resulting
free electrons are attracted toward the positive central wire. If the radial electric
field is strong enough, the freed electrons gain enough energy to ionize other
atoms, causing an "avalanche" of electrons to strike the central wire, generating an electric "signal."
Find the expression for the electric field between the wire and the cylinder, and show that the potential
difference between R
a
and R
b
is



ln( )
2
b
a b
o a
R
V V
R

tc
=
2 2
2 2
( )(ln[ ])
8
o
y Q
V
y
tc
+ +
=
+