8.

022 (E&M) - Lecture 1

Gabriella Sciolla
Topics:
How is 8.022 organized?
Brief math recap
Introduction to Electrostatics

Welcome to 8.022!
8.022: advanced electricity and magnetism for freshmen or
electricity and magnetism for advanced freshmen?
Advanced!
Both integral and differential formulation of E&M
Goal: look at Maxwell’s equations

… and be able to tell what they really mean!

Familiar with math and very interested in physics
Fun class but pretty hard: 8.022 or 8.02T?

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 2

 Textbook
E. M. Purcell
Electricity and Magnetism

Volume 2 - Second edition

Advantages:
Bible for introductory E&M

for generations of physicists

Disadvantage:
cgs units!!!

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 5

Problem sets
Posted on the 8.022 web page on Thu night and
due on Thu at 4:30 PM of the following week
Leave them in the 8.022 lockbox at PEO

Exceptions:
Pset 0 (Math assessment) due on Monday Sep. 13
Pset 1 (Electrostatiscs) due on Friday Sep. 17

How to work on psets?

Try to solve them by yourself first
Discuss problems with friends and study group
Write your own solution

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 6

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 Grades
How do we grade 8.022?
Homeworks and Recitations (25%)
Two quizzes (20% each)
Final (35%)
Laboratory (2 out of 3 needed to pass)
NB: You may not pass the course without completing the laboratories!
More info on exams:
Two in-class (26-100) quiz during normal class hours:
Tuesday October 5 (Quiz #1)
Tuesday November 9 (Quiz #2)
Final exam
Tuesday, December 14 (9 AM - 12 Noon), location TBD

All grades are available online through the 8.022 web page
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 7

…Last but not least…

Come and talk to us if you have problems or questions
8.022 course material
I attended class and sections and read the book but I still don’t
understand concept xyz and I am stuck on the pset!
Math
I can’t understand how Taylor expansions work or why I should
care about them…
Curriculum
is 8.022 right for me or should I switch to TEAL?
Physics in general!
Questions about matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe,
elementary constituents of matter (Sciolla) or gravitational waves
(Kats) are welcome!

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 8

 Your best friend in 8.022: math

Math is an essential ingredient in 8.022

Basic knowledge of multivariable calculus is essential
You must be enrolled in 18.02 or 18.022 (or even more advanced)

To be proficient in 8.022, you don’t need an A+ in 18.022

Basic concepts are used!

Assumption: you are familiar with these concepts already

but are a bit rusty…

Let’s review some basic concepts right now!

NB: excellent reference: D. Griffiths, Introduction to electrodynamics, Chapter 1.
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 10

 Derivative
Given a function f(x), what is it’s derivative?
∂f
df = dx
∂x
∂f
The derivative tells us how fast f varies when x varies.
∂x
The derivative is the proportionality factor between a
change in x and a change in f.

What if f=f(x,y,z)?
∂f ∂f ∂f
df = dx + dy + dz
∂x ∂y ∂z
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 11

Gradient
Let’s define the infinitesimal displacement dl = dxxˆ + dyyˆ + dzzˆ

∂f ∂f ∂f ⎛ ∂f ∂f ∂f ⎞
df = dx + dy + dz = ⎜ , , ⎟ • ( dx , dy , dz ) = ∇ f • dl
∂x ∂y ∂z ⎝ ∂x ∂y ∂z ⎠

Definition of Gradient:
∂f ∂f ∂f ⎛ ∂f ∂f ∂f ⎞
grad f ≡ ∇f ≡ xˆ + yˆ + zˆ ≡ ⎜ , , ⎟
∂x ∂y ∂z ⎝ ∂x ∂y ∂z ⎠

Conclusions:
∇f measures how fast f(x,y,z) varies when x, y and z vary
Logical extension of the concept of derivative!
f is a scalar function but ∇f is a vector!
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 12

 The “del” operator

Definition:
⎛ ∂ ∂ ∂ ⎞ ⎛ ∂ ∂ ∂ ⎞
∇≡⎜ xˆ + yˆ + zˆ ⎟ ≡ ⎜ , , ⎟
⎝ ∂x ∂y ∂z ⎠ ⎝ ∂x ∂y ∂z ⎠
Properties:
It looks like a vector
It works like a vector
But it’s not a real vector because it’s meaningless by itself.
It’s an operator.
How it works:
It can act on both scalar and vector functions:
Acting on a scalar function: gradient ∇f (vector)
Acting on a vector function with dot product: divergence ∇ • f (scalar)
Acting on a scalar function with cross product: curl ∇ × f (vector)

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 13

Divergence
Given a vector function v ( x, y, z )
v ( x, y, z ) ≡ vx xˆ + v y yˆ + vz zˆ ≡ (vx , v y , vz )

we define its divergence as:

∂vx ∂v y ∂vz
div v ≡ ∇ • v ≡ + +
∂x ∂y ∂z

Observations:
The divergence is a scalar
Geometrical interpretation: it measures how much the function v ( x, y , z )
“spreads around a point”.

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 14

 Divergence: interpretation
Calculate the divergence for the following functions:
v ( x, y, z ) = xxˆ + yyˆ + zzˆ v ( x , y , z ) = zˆ v ( x, y , z ) = − xxˆ − yyˆ − zzˆ

div v=0 div v = -3 (sink)

div v=3>0 (faucet)
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 15

Does this remind you of anything?

Electric field around a charge has divergence .ne. 0 !

+
-

div E>0 for + charge: faucet div E <0 for – charge: sink
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 16

 Curl
Given a vector function v ( x, y, z )
v ( x, y, z ) ≡ vx xˆ + v y yˆ + vz zˆ ≡ (vx , v y , vz )

we define its curl as: x̂ ŷ ẑ

∂ ∂ ∂
∇×v ≡
∂x ∂y ∂z
vx vy vz
Observations:
The curl is a vector
Geometrical interpretation: it measures how much the function v ( x, y , z )
“curls around a point”.

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 17

Curl: interpretation
Calculate the curl for the following function:
v ( x, y, z ) = − yxˆ + xyˆ
y
xˆ yˆ zˆ
∂ ∂ ∂
∇×v = = 2 kˆ
x ∂x ∂y ∂z
−y x 0

This is a vortex: non zero curl!

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 18

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 Does this sound familiar?
Magnetic filed around a wire :

B
I

∇×B ≠ 0
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 19

An now, our feature presentation:

Electricity and Magnetism

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The electromagnetic force:

Ancient history…
500 B.C. – Ancient Greece
Amber (ελεχτρον=“electron”) attracts light objects
Iron rich rocks from µαγνεσια (Magnesia) attract iron
1730 - C. F. du Fay: Two flavors of charges
Positive and negative
1766-1786 – Priestley/Cavendish/Coulomb
EM interactions follow an inverse square law:
q1q 2
Actual precision better than 2/109! Fem ∝
r2
1800 – Volta
Invention of the electric battery

N.B.: Till now Electricity and Magnetism are disconnected!

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 21

The electromagnetic force:

…History… (cont.)
1820 – Oersted and Ampere
Established first connection between electricity and magnetism
1831 – Faraday
Discovery of magnetic induction
1873 – Maxwell: Maxwell’s equations
The birth of modern Electro-Magnetism
1887 – Hertz
Established connection between EM and radiation
1905 – Einstein
Special relativity makes connection between Electricity and Magnetism
as natural as it can be!

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 22

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The electromagnetic force:
Modern Physics!
The Standard Model of Particle Physics
Elementary constituents: 6 quarks and 6 leptons

νe νµ ντ
u c t electron muon tau

LEPTONS
QUARKS

up charm top neutrino neutrino neutrino

d s b e µ τ
down strange bottom electron muon tau

Four elementary forces mediated by 5 bosons:

Interaction Mediator Relative Strength Range (cm)

Strong Gluon 1037 10-13
Electromagnetic Photon 1035 Infinite
Weak W+/-, Z0 1024 10-15
Gravity Graviton? 1 Infinite

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 23

The electric charge

The EM force acts on charges

2 flavors: positive and negative
Positive: obtained rubbing glass with silk D1, D2, D4
Negative: obtained rubbing resin with fur
Electric charge is quantized (Millikan)
Multiples of the e = elementary charge
e = 1.602 10-19 C (SI), 4.803 10-10 esu (cgs)
Qelectron= -e; Qproton=+e
Electric charge is conserved
In any isolated system, the total charge cannot change
If the total charge of a system changes, then it means the system
is not isolated and charges came in or escaped.

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 24

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Coulomb’s law

q1q 2
F2 = k rˆ2 1
| r2 1 | 2

Where:
F 2 is the force that the charge q2 feels due to q1
rˆ2 1 is the unit vector going from q1 to q2
Consequences:
Newton’s third law: F 2 = − F 1
Like signs repel, opposite signs attract
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 25

Units: cgs vs SI
Units in cgs and SI (Sisteme Internationale)
cgs SI
Length cm m
Mass g Kg
Time s s
Charge electrostatic units (e.s.u.) Coulomb (C)
Current e.s.u./s Ampere (A)

In cgs the esu is defined so that k=1 in Coulomb’s law

1 dyne =
(1esu) 2
→ 1 esu = cm dyne
(1cm) 2
In SI, the Ampere is a fundamental constant
k=1/(4πε0)=8.99 109 N C-2 m2
ε0=8.8x10-12 C2 N-1 m-2 is the permittivity of free space
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 26

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Practical info: cgs - SI conversion table

“3”=2.9979… =c

FAQ: why do we use cgs?

Honest answer: because Purcell does…
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 27

The superposition principle: discrete charges

q1 qN
q2

Q
q3
q4
q5

The force on the charge Q due to all the other charges is equal to
the vector sum of the forces created by the individual charges:
i= N
q1Q q Q q Q qiQ
FQ =
| r1 |
rˆ + 2 2 rˆ2 + ... + N 2 rˆN =
2 1
| r2 | | rN |
∑
i =1 | ri | 2
rˆi

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 28

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The superposition principle:

continuous distribution of charges
What happens when the distribution of charges is continuous?
Take the limit for qi dq and Σ integral:

qi
r

V Q

i= N
qi Q dq Q ρ dV Q
FQ = ∑
i= 1 |ri | 2
rˆi → ∫ V |r| 2
rˆ = ∫ V |r| 2
rˆ

where ρ = charge per unit volume: “volume charge density”

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 29

The superposition principle:

continuous distribution of charges (cont.)
Charges are distributed inside a volume V:
ρ dV Q
FQ = ∫ V |r| 2
r̂

Charges are distributed on a surface A:

σ da Q
FQ = ∫ A |r| 2
r̂

Charges are distributed on a line L:

λ dl Q
FQ = ∫ L |r| 2
r̂
Where:
ρ = charge per unit volume: “volume charge density”
σ = charge per unit area: “surface charge density”
λ = charge per unit length: “line charge density”
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 30

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Application: charged rod

P: A rod of length L has a charge Q uniformly spread over it. A test charge q is positioned at a
distance a from the rod’s midpoint.
Q: What is the force F that the rod exerts on the charge q?

Qq
Answer: F= 2
yˆ
⎛L⎞
a a +⎜ ⎟
2

⎝2⎠
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 31

Solution: charged rod

Look at the symmetry of the problem and choose appropriate coordinate system: rod on x
axis, symmetric wrt x=0; a on y axis:

q
r a
L/2 θ L/2
x
dq=λdx
Symmetry of the problem: F // y axis; define λ=Q/L linear charge density
Trigonometric relations: x/a=tgθ; a=r cosθ dx=dθ/cos2θ; r=a/cosθ
Consider the infinitesimal charge dFy produced by the element dx:
adθ
λ dx λq
q cos θ = λ q cos2 θ cos θ =
2
dFy = dF cos θ = cos θ dθ
r2 a a
cos 2 θ

Now integrate between –L/2 and L/2:

L/2
λq Qq
F = yˆ ∫ a
cos θ dθ = 2
yˆ
−L/ 2 ⎛L⎞
a a +⎜ ⎟
2

⎝2⎠
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 32

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Infinite rod? Taylor expansion!

Q: What if the rod length is infinite?
P: What does “infinite” mean? For all practical purposes, infinite means >> than the other distances
in the problem: L>>a:
Qq
Let’s look at the solution: F= 2
yˆ
⎛L⎞
a a2 + ⎜ ⎟
⎝2⎠

Taylor expand using (2a/L)2 as expansion coefficient remembering that

nx n(n − 1) x 2
(1 ± x)n = 1 ± + ± ... for x 2 <1
1! 2!
and
nx n(n + 1) x 2
(1 ± x) − n = 1 ∓ + ∓ ... for x 2 <1
1! 2!

λ Lq −
1

λq ⎛ ⎞ λq ⎛ ⎞ λq
2 2
⎛ 2a ⎞ 1 ⎛ 2a ⎞
2
F= a = ⎜⎜1 + ⎜ ⎟ ⎟⎟ = ⎜⎜ 1 − ⎜ ⎟ + ... ⎟⎟ ~
⎝ ⎝ L ⎠ 2a ⎝ 2 ⎝ L ⎠
1
L ⎛ 2a ⎞ 2 2 a ⎠ ⎠ 2a
⎜1 + ⎟
2⎝ L ⎠
September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 33

Rusty about Taylor expansions?

Here are some useful reminders…

September 8, 2004 8.022 – Lecture 1 34

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