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Applied Physics GSC 113: Week 4

1) The document discusses the electric field due to a continuous line of charge, specifically a uniformly charged ring. 2) It provides the formula for calculating the electric field E at a point P along the central axis of the ring, which is a function of the linear charge density λ, radius R of the ring, and distance z from the plane of the ring. 3) The derivation of the formula involves treating the ring as many differential elements, calculating the electric field contribution from each, and integrating around the circumference of the ring.

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33 views

Applied Physics GSC 113: Week 4

1) The document discusses the electric field due to a continuous line of charge, specifically a uniformly charged ring. 2) It provides the formula for calculating the electric field E at a point P along the central axis of the ring, which is a function of the linear charge density λ, radius R of the ring, and distance z from the plane of the ring. 3) The derivation of the formula involves treating the ring as many differential elements, calculating the electric field contribution from each, and integrating around the circumference of the ring.

Uploaded by

Peace of Heart
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Applied Physics

GSC 113

Week 4

1
Electric Field due to a line of charge
• Charge can be spread along a line, over a surface or within a volume!
• Such distributions are said to be continuous rather than discrete
• Introduction to the concept of
“Charge density” due to continuous
charge distributions
• For a line of charge:
linear charge density
(charge per unit length)
• SI units? Coulomb/meter
A ring of uniform positive charge
• A thin ring with a linear charge density λ =C/m
• Imagine the ring to be made up of plastic or other
insulator! Why?
• So that charges can be regarded as fixed at some
point
• What to find?
• What is the Electric Field E at a point P, a distance z
from the plane of the ring along its central axis.
• Can we apply the following formula?

• How to analyze and solve the given problem?


A ring of uniform positive charge
• Let ds be the (arc) length of any differential element of the ring. Since ƛ is
the charge per unit (arc) length, the element has a charge of magnitude:

• The differential charge sets up a differential Electric


field dE at the point P which is at a distance r from the
element.
• Treating the element as a point charge:

• By Pythagoras theorem:
A ring of uniform positive charge
• dE is at an angle θ to the central axis (we took central
axis as z)
• It can be divided into parallel and perpendicular
components
• The perpendicular components cancel each other.
How?
• The parallel components are therefore added (as they
are always in the same direction)

• Therefore:
A ring of uniform positive charge
• To add the parallel components dE cos θ produced by all the elements, we
integrate the expression around the circumference of the ring, from s=0 to
s= 2πR. Why?
• Solving for s:

• Since ƛ is the charge per length of the ring, the term λ(2πR)=q (total charge
enclose by the ring).
• Therefore:
A ring of uniform positive charge
• If the charges on the ring are negative. Then?
• Assume that the point P is far away from the ring i.e:
z>>R, therefore:

• for a point at the center of the ring z=?,E=?


• Sample problem Page 588, 589

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