Static Fields: Fall-2025
HW 07: Due W4 D3

  1. Flux Through a Cone Find the flux through a cone (with no cap!) of height \(H\) and radius \(R\) due to the vector field \(\vec{F} = C\,z\,\hat{z}\). The cone has its vertex at the origin, opens upward symmetrically around the z-axis. Orient your area elements so that upward pointing fields contribute positive flux.
  2. Gauss's Law on a Cylindrical Shell

    Consider an infinite positively charged (dielectric) cylindrical shell of inner radius \(a\) and outer radius \(b\) with a cylindrically symmetric internal charge density \(\rho(\vec r)=\alpha\, e^{(ks)^2}\).

    Answer each of the following questions:

    1. Use Gauss's Law and symmetry arguments to find the electric field at each of the three radii below:
      1. \(s>b\)
      2. \(a<s<b\)
      3. \(s<a\)
    2. What dimensions do \(\alpha\) and \(k\) have?
    3. For \(\alpha=1\), \(k=1\), sketch the magnitude of the electric field as a function of \(s\).

  3. Spherical Shell Step Functions

    One way to write volume charge densities without using piecewise functions is to use step \((\Theta)\) or delta (\(\delta\)) functions. Consider a spherical shell with charge density \[\rho (\vec{r})=\alpha3e^{(k r)^3} \]

    between the inner radius \(a\) and the outer radius \(b\). The charge density is zero everywhere else.

    1. What are the dimensions of the constants \(\alpha\) and \(k\)?
    2. By hand, sketch a graph the charge density as a function of \(r\) for \(\alpha > 0\) and \(k>0\) .
    3. Use step functions to write this charge density as a single function valid everywhere in space.

  4. Mass of a Slab

    Determine the total mass of each of the slabs below.

    1. A square slab of side length \(L\) with thickness \(h\), resting on a table top at \(z=0\), whose mass density is given by \begin{equation*} \rho=A\pi\sin\left[\tfrac{\pi z}h\right]. \end{equation*}
    2. A square slab of side length \(L\) with thickness \(h\), resting on a table top at \(z=0\), whose mass density is given by \begin{equation*} \rho = 2A \Big[\Theta(z)-\Theta(z-h) \Big] \end{equation*}
    3. An infinitesimally thin square sheet of side length \(L\), resting on a table top at \(z=0\), whose surface density is given by \(\sigma=2Ah\).
    4. An infinitesimally thin square sheet of side length \(L\), resting on a table top at \(z=0\), whose mass density is given by \(\rho=2Ah\,\delta(z)\).
    5. What are the dimensions of \(A\)?
    6. Write several sentences comparing your answers to the different cases above.