Due: 1392/8/25

Engineering Electromagnetics

Homework 6

1-The space between two parallel conducting plates is partially filled with an electret material with permanent
polarization P~ = P0 z as shown in the following figure. The conductors are connected to a battery with potential
V0 . Find the electric field everywhere between the conducting plates. What is the force of attraction (per unit
area) on the top plate?

V0

P~

2-() A conducting sphere of radius a consists of two separate hemispheres in contact with each other. Find
the force with which one hemisphere is repelled from the other if the sphere is given a charge q.
3-A conducting sphere of radius a and mass density floats in a nonconducting liquid with mass density
> 2) and relative dielectric constant r . How much charge should be given to the conducting sphere in order
to make it half submerged in the liquid?
(

4-A capacitor consists of three concentric thin cylindrical shells with radii a, 2a, and 3a. The inner and outer
shells are connected by a wire and are grounded. The middle shell is at potential V0 . Find the charges per unit
length on all three cylinders. Find the capacitance per unit length of the system.
5-Consider a coaxial capacitor with inner radius a and outer radius b. If the outer radius is fixed, what radius
should be chosen for the inner cylindrical conductor in order to be able to store the greatest amount of energy
(per unit length) subject to the constraint that the maximum electric field inside the capacitor may not exceed
Eb (breakdown field). After finding a, determine the maximum energy that can be stored in this capacitor and
also its capacitance (per unit length).
6-Rectangular plates of a capacitor have separation of a at one edge and b at the other. The length of plates
is l and their width is d. Neglecting the edge effects, find the capacitance. Find the force exerted upon the top
plate.
l

V0

depth= d

7-A positive charge q is fixed at distance d above a horizontal conducting plane. An equal negative charge q
is to be located somewhere along the same vertical line that passes through q. Where should we place q so that
the total force on it will be zero? Find the surface charge density on the plane in this case.

q
q
d
h

8-() Point charge q is located at z = d on the z-axis above a conducting spherical boss on a ground plane as
shown in Fig. 1. The radius of the hemisphere is a. Find the force exerted upon the point charge and calculate
the total charge on the hemisphere.

Amir Borji

Sharif University of Technology

Due: 1392/8/25

Engineering Electromagnetics

Homework 6

9-() Two point charges q are placed symmetrically inside a conducting spherical shell at distance c from its
center. The inner and outer radii of the shell are a and b. The conducting sphere carries a net charge Q. What
is the force exerted upon the charge q? If we place another charge q at distance d (d > b) outside the shell, what
will be the force exerted upon q ?
b
a

z
q

d
a

V =0

Figure 1: Problem 8

Figure 2: Problem 9

10-(a) A positive point charge q is located outside an isolated conducting sphere with radius a. The sphere
carries a net charge q. What is the smallest distance of the point charge from the center of sphere for which the
surface charge density on the sphere is positive everywhere?
(b) In part (a) what should be the distance of the point charge from the center of sphere so that it is at
equilibrium?
11-Point charge q is located at z = b on the z-axis inside a conducting hemispherical cavity which is grounded.
For what value of b/a the point charge is at equilibrium?
z
q
b

() Starred problems are not mandatory and will not be marked.

Amir Borji

Sharif University of Technology