ELECTROMAGNETISM II: John March-Russell

PROBLEM SET 1: MAINLY REVISION QUESTIONS ON 1st YR EM MATERIAL

(Thanks due to Prof. Julia Yeomans and previous lecturers of EM2 for these.)

Recommended texts:
A) Edward Purcell & David Morin Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd ed. The best and most
pedagogical introductory/elementary textbook on E&M ever written. Purcell was an exceptional
Nobel Prize winning Harvard experimentalist, and his many profound insights in to EM and how
to teach the subject shine through. The 1st & 2nd editions used CGS (or Gaussian) units which,
while they have advantages and are still used by many physicists, will be unfamiliar to you and
many equations will look different by factors of 40 , 0 and/or c. The revised 3rd edition by
Morin based on Purcells original text now uses SI units so will be easier for you to read. Your
college library may only have copies of the earlier editions, but despite the fact the system of
units is different, Purcells beautiful and exceptionally physical explanations are the same in all
editions and very worth reading. Ill follow his logic and style of presentation more than any
other text. Ill cover some material not in this book, and conversely the book covers a few topics
that I dont. Finally, the book is also superb on the material of the first year E&M course, while
the 3rd edition has many new and very good problems with solutions (in fact 150 pages of detailed
solutions of roughly half the problems see Chapter 12, a subset of which would make a very
good basis for revision).
B) David Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics, 3rd ed. A good & careful modern text
though less physical than I consider ideal and a bit flat in places. My discussion of, especially,
EM radiation and scattering will significantly differ from this text and get almost as far with much
less mathematical gymnastics. Nevertheless a very good textbook for you to use as a resource,
particularly because it has many excellent worked examples. Ill cover some material not in this
book. It contains many interesting & more advanced topics that I wont have time to discuss.
C) Richard Feynman, Feynman Lectures on Physics, Vol 2. A famous Caltech lecture course by
the even more renowned Nobel Prize winner. About the correct level for this course and full of
deep insights, and, especially, discussions that help you think like a physicist. Doesnt have perfect
overlap with the material Ill lecture as there are both additional topics discussed as well as some
omissions, and there are no problems. An inspiring book that you should read sometime.

REVISION QUESTIONS A: ELECTROSTATICS

1. (a) Calculate the electric field a distance r0 above the midpoint of a straight line segment of
length 2L which carries a charge density .
(b) Check the limits of your expressions for r0  L and r0  L and explain why they are
sensible.
(c) For r0  L rederive the result for the electric field using Gauss theorem.

2. (a) The electric potential of a spherically symmetric charge distribution (r) is

V (r) = A exp (r).
Calculate (i) the electric field, (ii) (r).
(b) For a charge distribution (r) = 0 A

2
r

exp (r) calculate (without any reference to

part (a)) (i) the electric field, (ii) the electric potential.

3. A metal sphere of radius r1 is surrounded by a thick concentric metal shell of inner and
outer radii r2 and r3 . The sphere carries charge q and the shell is uncharged.
(a) Find the surface charge density at r1 , r2 and r3 .
(b) Find the potential at the centre, relative to infinity.
(c) The outer surface is grounded. How do the answers to (a) and (b) change?

REVISION QUESTIONS B: STEADY CURRENTS AND MAGNETISM

1. A particle moves in a region of space where there is a magnetic field B in the x-direction and
an electric field E in the z-direction. At time t = 0 it is at the origin with velocity
(a) ~v = (0, E/B, 0),
(b) ~v = (0, E/2B, 0),
(c) ~v = (0, E/B, E/B).
Find, and sketch, its trajectory for each initial condition.

2.

A long thin wire carries a current I1 in the positive z-direction along the axis of a

cylindrical co-ordinate system. A thin, rectangular loop of wire lies in a plane containing the axis.
2

The loop contains the region 0 z b, R a r R + a and carries a current I2 which has
the direction of I1 on the side nearer the axis. Find the vector force on each side of the loop which
results from the current I1 and the resultant force on the loop.

3. A loop of wire is formed by two semicircles, r = a, 0 < < and r = b, 0 < < , joined
by radial line segments at = 0 and = . Find the magnetic field at the origin when the wire
carries a current I anticlockwise.

4.

(a) Show that the magnitude of the magnetic field on the axis of a solenoid closely

wound with n turns per unit length and carrying a current I is

1
B = 0 nI(cos 1 cos 2 ).
2
Use a diagram to define 1 and 2 and to show the direction of the field.
(b) Hence show that the magnetic field on the axis of a long solenoid at the ends is half the value
at any point within an infinite solenoid with the same n and I.

5.

Consider a round straight wire carrying a current density J throughout, except for a

round cylindrical hole parallel to the wire axis of constant cross section. Call the radius of the
wire R, the radius of the hole RH and the distance of the centre of the hole from the centre of the
~ as a
wire a. Take RH < a < R and RH < R a. Calculate and sketch the magnetic field B
function of position along a radial line through the centre of the hole.

REVISION QUESTIONS C: MAXWELLS EQUATIONS AND OTHER FUNDAMENTALS

1. Carefully explain the meaning and usefulness of the superposition principle for solutions of
Maxwells equations. How is the classical optical phenomenon of interferencein particular for
the intensity fringes in Youngs double slit experimentconsistent with this principle?
2. Derive the wave equations for the E and B fields from the source-free vacuum Maxwell
equations (obtained by dropping the terms with and J). For such a wave solution derive the
conditions that must be satisfied by the magnitudes of the electric and magnetic fields and their
directions relative to each other and the wavevector k. How many independent polarization states
of such a vacuum EM wave are there and why?
3

3. Suppose particles carrying magnetic charge (magnetic monopoles) existed. Suggest how the
form of Maxwells equations and the Lorentz force law would be modified (dont worry about
extra constants that might appear, but do make sure that the equations imply that magnetic charge
satisfies a local conservation law as does electric charge). Describe at least one possible experimental method for searching for such a magnetically charged particle.