44 ENGINEERING ELECTROMAGNETICS

D2.7. Find the equation of that streamline that passes through the point
−8x 4x 2
P(1, 4, −2) in the field E = (a) ax + 2 a y ; (b) 2e5x [y(5x + 1)ax + xa y ].
y y
Ans. x 2 + 2y 2 = 33; y 2 = 15.7 + 0.4x − 0.08 ln(5x + 1)

REFERENCES
1. Boast, W. B. Vector Fields. New York: Harper and Row, 1964. This book contains
numerous examples and sketches of fields.
2. Della Torre, E., and Longo, C. L. The Electromagnetic Field. Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
1969. The authors introduce all of electromagnetic theory with a careful and rigorous
development based on a single experimental law—that of Coulomb. It begins in Chapter 1.
3. Schelkunoff, S. A. Electromagnetic Fields. New York: Blaisdell Publishing Company,
1963. Many of the physical aspects of fields are discussed early in this text without
advanced mathematics.

CHAPTER 2 PROBLEMS
2.1 Three point charges are positioned in the x-y plane as follows: 5 nC at y = 5
cm, −10 nC at y = −5 cm, and 15 nC at x = −5 cm. Find the required x-y
coordinates of a 20-nC fourth charge that will produce a zero electric field at
the origin.
2.2 Point charges of 1 nC and −2 nC are located at (0, 0, 0) and (1, 1, 1),
respectively, in free space. Determine the vector force acting on each charge.
2.3 Point charges of 50 nC each are located at A(1, 0, 0), B(−1, 0, 0), C(0, 1, 0),
and D(0, −1, 0) in free space. Find the total force on the charge at A.
2.4 Eight identical point charges of Q C each are located at the corners of a cube
of side length a, with one charge at the origin, and with the three nearest
charges at (a, 0, 0), (0, a, 0), and (0, 0, a). Find an expression for the total
vector force on the charge at P(a, a, a), assuming free space.
2.5 Let a point charge Q 1 = 25 nC be located at P1 (4, −2, 7) and a charge
Q 2 = 60 nC be at P2 (−3, 4, −2). (a) If ! = !0 , find E at P3 (1, 2, 3). (b) At
what point on the y axis is E x = 0?
2.6 Two point charges of equal magnitude q are positioned at z = ±d/2. (a)
Find the electric field everywhere on the z axis; (b) find the electric field
everywhere on the x axis; (c) repeat parts (a) and (b) if the charge at
z = −d/2 is −q instead of +q.
2.7 A 2-µC point charge is located at A(4, 3, 5) in free space. Find E ρ , E φ , and
E z at P(8, 12, 2).
 CHAPTER 2 Coulomb’s Law and Electric Field Intensity 45

2.8 A crude device for measuring charge consists of two small insulating spheres
of radius a, one of which is fixed in position. The other is movable along the
x axis and is subject to a restraining force kx, where k is a spring constant.
The uncharged spheres are centered at x = 0 and x = d, the latter fixed. If
the spheres are given equal and opposite charges of Q/C, obtain the
expression by which Q may be found as a function of x. Determine the
maximum charge that can be measured in terms of !0 , k, and d, and state
the separation of the spheres then. What happens if a larger charge is applied?
2.9 A 100-nC point charge is located at A(−1, 1, 3) in free space. (a) Find the
locus of all points P(x, y, z) at which E x = 500 V/m. (b) Find y1 if
P(−2, y1 , 3) lies on that locus.
2.10 A charge of −1 nC is located at the origin in free space. What charge must be
located at (2, 0, 0) to cause E x to be zero at (3, 1, 1)?
2.11 A charge Q 0 located at the origin in free space produces a field for which
E z = 1 kV/m at point P(−2, 1, −1). (a) Find Q 0 . Find E at M(1, 6, 5) in
(b) rectangular coordinates; (c) cylindrical coordinates; (d) spherical
coordinates.
2.12 Electrons are in random motion in a fixed region in space. During any 1 µs
interval, the probability of finding an electron in a subregion of volume
10−15 m2 is 0.27. What volume charge density, appropriate for such time
durations, should be assigned to that subregion?
2.13 A uniform volume charge density of 0.2 µC/m3 is present throughout the
spherical shell extending from r = 3 cm to r = 5 cm. If ρν = 0 elsewhere,
find (a) the total charge present throughout the shell, and (b) r1 if half the
total charge is located in the region 3 cm < r < r1 .
2.14 The electron beam in a certain cathode ray tube possesses cylindrical
symmetry, and the charge density is represented by ρv = −0.1/(ρ 2 + 10−8 )
pC/m3 for 0 < ρ < 3 × 10−4 m, and ρv = 0 for ρ > 3 × 10−4 m. (a) Find
the total charge per meter along the length of the beam; (b) if the electron
velocity is 5 × 107 m/s, and with one ampere defined as 1C/s, find the beam
current.
2.15 A spherical volume having a 2-µm radius contains a uniform volume charge
density of 1015 C/m3 . (a) What total charge is enclosed in the spherical
volume? (b) Now assume that a large region contains one of these little
spheres at every corner of a cubical grid 3 mm on a side and that there is no
charge between the spheres. What is the average volume charge density
throughout this large region?
2.16 Within a region of free space, charge density is given as ρν = ρ0 racosθ C/m3 ,
where ρ0 and a are constants. Find the total charge lying within (a) the
sphere, r ≤ a; (b) the cone, r ≤ a, 0 ≤ θ ≤ 0.1π; (c) the region, r ≤ a,
0 ≤ θ ≤ 0.1π, 0 ≤ φ ≤ 0.2π.
46 ENGINEERING ELECTROMAGNETICS

2.17 A uniform line charge of 16 nC/m is located along the line defined by y =
−2, z = 5. If ! = !0 : (a) find E at P(1, 2, 3). (b) find E at that point in the
z = 0 plane where the direction of E is given by (1/3)a y − (2/3)az .
2.18 (a) Find E in the plane z = 0 that is produced by a uniform line charge, ρ L ,
extending along the z axis over the range −L < z < L in a cylindrical
coordinate system. (b) If the finite line charge is approximated by an infinite
line charge (L → ∞), by what percentage is E ρ in error if ρ = 0.5L? (c)
Repeat (b) with ρ = 0.1L.
2.19 A uniform line charge of 2 µC/m is located on the z axis. Find E in
rectangular coordinates at P(1, 2, 3) if the charge exists from (a) −∞ <
z < ∞; (b) −4 ≤ z ≤ 4.
2.20 A line charge of uniform charge density ρ0 C/m and of length ' is oriented
along the z axis at −'/2 < z < '/2. (a) Find the electric field strength, E, in
magnitude and direction at any position along the x axis. (b) With the given
line charge in position, find the force acting on an identical line charge that is
oriented along the x axis at '/2 < x < 3'/2.
2.21 Two identical uniform line charges, with ρl = 75 nC/m, are located in free
space at x = 0, y = ±0.4 m. What force per unit length does each line
charge exert on the other?
2.22 Two identical uniform sheet charges with ρs = 100 nC/m2 are located in free
space at z = ±2.0 cm. What force per unit area does each sheet exert on the
other?
2.23 Given the surface charge density, ρs = 2 µC/m2 , existing in the region ρ <
0.2 m, z = 0, find E at (a) PA (ρ = 0, z = 0.5); (b) PB (ρ = 0, z = −0.5).
Show that (c) the field along the z axis reduces to that of an infinite sheet
charge at small values of z; (d) the z axis field reduces to that of a point
charge at large values of z.
2.24 (a) Find the electric field on the z axis produced by an annular ring of
uniform surface charge density ρs in free space. The ring occupies the region
z = 0, a ≤ ρ ≤ b, 0 ≤ φ ≤ 2π in cylindrical coordinates. (b) From your part
(a) result, obtain the field of an infinite uniform sheet charge by taking
appropriate limits.
2.25 Find E at the origin if the following charge distributions are present in free
space: point charge, 12 nC, at P(2, 0, 6); uniform line charge density, 3 nC/m,
at x = −2, y = 3; uniform surface charge density, 0.2 nC/m2 at x = 2.
2.26 A radially dependent surface charge is distributed on an infinite flat sheet in
the x-y plane and is characterized in cylindrical coordinates by surface
density ρs = ρ0 /ρ, where ρ0 is a constant. Determine the electric field
strength, E, everywhere on the z axis.
 CHAPTER 2 Coulomb’s Law and Electric Field Intensity 47

2.27 Given the electric field E = (4x − 2y)ax − (2x + 4y)a y , find (a) the equation
of the streamline that passes through the point P(2, 3, −4); (b) a unit vector
specifying the direction of E at Q(3, −2, 5).
2.28 An electric dipole (discussed in detail in Section 4.7) consists of two point
charges of equal and opposite magnitude ±Q spaced by distance d. With the
charges along the z axis at positions z = ±d/2 (with the positive charge at
the positive z location), the electric field in spherical coordinates is given
by E(r, θ ) = [Qd/(4π!0r 3 )][2 cos θar + sin θaθ ], where r >> d. Using
rectangular coordinates, determine expressions for the vector force on a point
charge of magnitude q (a) at (0, 0, z); (b) at (0, y, 0).
2.29 If E = 20e−5y (cos 5xax − sin 5xa y ), find (a) |E| at P(π/6, 0.1, 2); (b) a unit
vector in the direction of E at P; (c) the equation of the direction line passing
through P.
2.30 For fields that do not vary with z in cylindrical coordinates, the equations of
the streamlines are obtained by solving the differential equation E p /E φ =
dρ/(ρdφ). Find the equation of the line passing through the point (2, 30◦ , 0)
for the field E = ρ cos 2φaρ − ρ sin 2φaφ .