Problems for Electrodynamics 2

December 24, 2006

1 Electrostatics of conductors

Problem 1.1. Find the force acting on the charge q which is inside a spherical void
in a conductor. The radius of the void is a, the distance from the charge to the center b.

Problem 1.2. The center of a conducting sphere of the radius a is in the coordinate
origin. The total charge of the sphere is zero. The plane z = 0 outside the sphere,
x2 + y 2 > a2 , is charged with the uniform surface charge density σ. Find the potential.

Problem 1.3. Find the equilibrium positions of a point charge inside a semi-spherical
void in a conductor.

Problem 1.4. Two mirror symmetric conductors of an arbitrary shape make a capac-
itor of the capacity C. What is the potential difference between the two if one of them
is charged with the charge q an the other is not charged ?

Problem 1.5. Given an infinite cylindrical conducting surface r = a. The coaxial

infinite non-conducting cylinder r = b < a is charged with the surface charge density
σ = σ0 cos nϕ. Find the potential for b < r < a.

Problem 1.6. Given two concentric uncharged conducting spheres of the radii a and
b. A point charge q is at the distance c from the center. Find the potential difference
between spheres.

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2 Electrostatics of dielectrics

Problem 2.1. A point charge is at the distance r from the center of a spherical
dielectric shell with the inner and outer radii a and b, respectively, and dielectric constant
ε. Find the potential in the center.

Problem 2.2. A gas consists of spherical conducting molecules of the radius a. The
density of the molecules is n, na3  1. Find the dielectric constant of the gas.

Problem 2.3. A conducting sphere of the radius a and coated with a dielectric shell
of the thickness d and dielectric constant ε is inserted in the originally uniform electric
field E0 . Find the potential.

Problem 2.4. Find the induced dipole momentum in the external field E of the a)
thin rod of the length l and radius a oriented at the angle θ to the direction of the field,
b) thin disc of the radius d and thickness d oriented at the angle θ to the direction of the
field. The dielectric constant is ε.

Problem 2.5. Two point charges +q and −q are at the opposite poles of the solid
dielectric sphere of the radius a and dielectric constant ε. Find the potential at large
distances r  a.

Problem 2.6. Find the capacity of a spherical capacitors with the radii a and b.
The space between the plates is filled with the dielectric of the dielectric constant: a)
ε = ε(r), b) ε = ε(θ), c) ε = ε1 (r)ε2 (θ).

Problem 2.7. Find the electric field of a point charge q residing in the coordinate
origin if the dielectric constant is a) ε = ε(r), b) ε = ε(θ), c) ε = ε(θ, ϕ), d) ε =
ε1 (r)ε2 (θ, ϕ).

Problem 2.8. A body of an arbitrary shape, volume V and dielectric constant ε,

ε − 1  1, in inserted into an originally uniform field. Find perturbations of the field at
large distances from the body.

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3 Magnetostatics of magnetics and superconductors

Problem 3.1. Linear current flows z axis. Find the magnetic field if a) µ = µ(z), b)
µ = µ(r), c) µ = µ(ϕ), d) µ = µ1 (r)µ2 (ϕ).

Problem 3.2. A circular current (I) loop of the radius a is placed on the surface of a
solid sphere of the radius b > a and magnetic constant µ. Find magnetic field far from
the sphere.

Problem 3.3. Find the magnetic field produced by a solid sphere of the radius a,
uniformly magnetized with the magnetization M .

Problem 3.4. Find the magnetic moment of a solid sphere of the radius a, inserted
into the external uniform magnetic field H0 , if the sphere is made of a) ferromagnetic
with µ  1, b) superconductor.

Problem 3.5. A superconducting solid sphere of the radius as is coated with a fer-
romagnetic layer with the width d and µ  1. The body is inserted into the external
uniform magnetic field H0 . Find the field.

Problem 3.6. Find the distribution of the magnetic pressure on the surface of a
spherical superconductor in an originally uniform magnetic field.

Problem 3.7. A small magnetized rod of the mass M and magnetic moment m should
be put above the surface of a superconductor so that it will be in a stable equilibrium.
At what height it should be put and how it should be oriented ?

Problem 3.8. Analyze stability of the equilibrium of a small solid sphere in an ar-
bitrarily inhomogeneous magnetostatic field, for the cases a) µ < 1, b) µ > 1, c) the
sphere is superconducting.

Problem 3.9. An infinite straight wire of the radius a and magnetic constant µ1 is
in the external uniform H0 which is perpendicular to the wire. The magnetic constant
of the ambient medium is µ2 . The wire carries a constant current I. Find the magnetic
field outside and inside the wire.

Problem 3.10. An infinite straight wire with the current I is inside a cylindrical hole
made inside a medium with the magnetic constant µ. The radius of the hole is a, the
wire is parallel to the axis of the hole and is at the distance b < a from it. Find the force

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acting on the unit length of the wire.

Problem 3.11. A superconducting solid sphere of the radius a is inserted into a

uniform H0 . Find the distribution of the currents in the superconductor and the magnetic
field everywhere. Do not neglect l.

Problem 3.12. An infinite straight superconducting wire of the radius a carries a

current I. Find the distribution of the currents inside and the magnetic field everywhere.

4 Quasistationary fields

Problem 4.1. Find the law of relaxation of the magnetic field with the initial profile
Hy = H0 sin kx in a conductor with the conductivity σ.

Problem 4.2. The conductivity in space is given by σ = 0 for x > a, σ = σ0 for

|x| < a, and σ = ∞ for x < −a. Given Ey ∝ e−iωt and |Ey |(x = a) = E0 find the
electric and magnetic fields.

Problem 4.3. An infinite solenoid of the radius a and number of loops per unit length
n is given. The current in the solenoid I = I0 sin ωt, ωa  c. Find the electric field
inside the solenoid.

Problem 4.4. A point charge q moves with the constant velocity v  c towards a
plane boundary of an ideal conductor. Find the magnetic field and surface current.

Problem 4.5. A thin ring of the length l and cross section s, s  l2 , is made of a
dielectric with ε. Find the magnetic moment of the ring induced by the magnetic field
H0 e−iωt perpendicular to the plane of the ring.

Problem 4.6. A solid sphere of the radius a with the conductivity σ and magnetic
constant µ is in the magnetic field H = H0 e−iωt , ωa  c. Find the distribution of the
eddy currents in the lowest nonzero order.

Problem 4.7. An infinite hollow cylinder with the radius a and wall thickness h,
h  a, is in an uniform magnetic field H = H0 e−iωt . The field is parallel to the axis.
Find the field inside the cylinder. The cylinder is made of a conductor σ.

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5 Electrodynamics of simple media

Problem 5.1. An artificial dielectric consists of identical ideally conducting spheres

of the radius a. The spheres are distributed randomly with the number of spheres per
unit volume n. Find ε, µ, and the speed of light in this dielectric.

Problem 5.2. A medium has µ = 1 and εij in the form: εxx = εyy = ε1 , εxy =
−εyx = iε2 , εzz = ε3 . Find the phase velocities of the waves propagating along z.

Problem 5.3. Same as above but ε ↔ µ.