Find Area/Volume from $d\vec{r}$
- group Scalar Surface and Volume Elements
group Small Group Activity
30 min.
Scalar Surface and Volume Elements
Static Fields 2023 (7 years)Students use known algebraic expressions for length elements \(d\ell\) to determine all simple scalar area \(dA\) and volume elements \(d\tau\) in cylindrical and spherical coordinates.
This activity is identical to Vector Surface and Volume Elements except uses a scalar approach to find surface, and volume elements.
- group Vector Surface and Volume Elements
group Small Group Activity
30 min.
Vector Surface and Volume Elements
Static Fields 2023 (4 years)Students use known algebraic expressions for vector line elements \(d\vec{r}\) to determine all simple vector area \(d\vec{A}\) and volume elements \(d\tau\) in cylindrical and spherical coordinates.
This activity is identical to Scalar Surface and Volume Elements except uses a vector approach to find directed surface and volume elements.
- assignment Gravitational Field and Mass
assignment Homework
Gravitational Field and Mass
Static Fields 2023 (5 years)The gravitational field due to a spherical shell of matter (or equivalently, the electric field due to a spherical shell of charge) is given by: \begin{equation} \vec g = \begin{cases} 0&\textrm{for } r<a\\ -G \,\frac{M}{b^3-a^3}\, \left( r-\frac{a^3}{r^2}\right)\, \hat r & \textrm{for } a<r<b\\ -G\,\frac{M}{r^2}\, \hat r & \textrm{for } r>b \\ \end{cases} \end{equation}
This problem explores the consequences of the divergence theorem for this shell.
- Using the given description of the gravitational field, find the divergence of the gravitational field everywhere in space. You will need to divide this question up into three parts: \(r<a\), \(a<r<b\), and \(r>b\).
- Briefly discuss the physical meaning of the divergence in this particular example.
- For this gravitational field, verify the divergence theorem on a sphere, concentric with the shell, with radius \(Q\), where \(a<Q<b\). ("Verify" the divergence theorem means calculate the integrals from both sides of the divergence theorem and show that they give the same answer.)
- Briefly discuss how this example would change if you were discussing the electric field of a uniformly charged spherical shell.
- assignment Flux through a Plane
assignment Homework
Flux through a Plane
Static Fields 2023 (4 years) Find the upward pointing flux of the vector field \(\boldsymbol{\vec{H}}=2z\,\boldsymbol{\hat{x}} +\frac{1}{x^2+1}\boldsymbol{\hat{y}}+(3+2z)\boldsymbol{\hat{z}}\) through the rectangle \(R\) with one edge along the \(y\) axis and the other in the \(xz\)-plane along the line \(z=x\), with \(0\le y\le2\) and \(0\le x\le3\). - group Static Fields Equation Sheet
- assignment Flux through a Paraboloid
assignment Homework
Flux through a Paraboloid
Static Fields 2021 (5 years)Find the upward pointing flux of the electric field \(\vec E =E_0\, z\, \hat z\) through the part of the surface \(z=-3 s^2 +12\) (cylindrical coordinates) that sits above the \((x, y)\)--plane.
- assignment Cone Surface
assignment Homework
Cone Surface
Static Fields 2023 (6 years)- Find \(dA\) on the surface of an (open) cone in both cylindrical and spherical coordinates. Hint: Be smart about how you coordinatize the cone.
- Using integration, find the surface area of an (open) cone with height \(H\) and radius \(R\). Do this problem in both cylindrical and spherical coordinates.
- assignment Spin Fermi Estimate
assignment Homework
Spin Fermi Estimate
Quantum Fundamentals 2023 (2 years) The following two problems ask you to make Fermi estimates. In a good Fermi estimate, you start from basic scientific facts you already know or quantities that you can reasonably estimate based on your life experiences and then reason your way to estimate a quantity that you would not be able guess. You may look up useful conversion factors or constants. Use words, pictures, and equations to explain your reasoning:- Imagine that you send a pea-sized bead of silver through a Stern-Gerlach device oriented to measure the z-component of intrinsic spin. Estimate the total z-component of the intrinsic spin of the ball you would measure in the HIGHLY improbable case that every atom is spin up.
- Protons, neutrons, and electrons are all spin-1/2 particles. Give a (very crude) order of magnitude estimate of the number of these particles in your body.
- face Compare \& Contrast Kets \& Wavefunctions
face Lecture
30 min.
Compare & Contrast Kets & Wavefunctions
Bra-Ket Notations Wavefunction Notation Completeness Relations Probability Probability Density
In this lecture, the instructor guides a discussion about translating between bra-ket notation and wavefunction notation for quantum systems. - group Generalized Leibniz Notation
group Small Group Activity
10 min.
Generalized Leibniz Notation
Static Fields 2023 (5 years) This short small group activity introduces students to the Leibniz notation used for partial derivatives in thermodynamics; unlike standard Leibniz notation, this notation explicitly specifies constant variables. Students are guided in linking the variables from a contextless Leibniz-notation partial derivative to their proper variable categories. -
Static Fields 2023 (5 years)
Start with \(d\vec{r}\) in rectangular, cylindrical, and spherical coordinates. Use these expressions to write the scalar area elements \(dA\) (for different coordinate equals constant surfaces) and the volume element \(d\tau\). It might help you to think of the following surfaces: The various sides of a rectangular box, a finite cylinder with a top and a bottom, a half cylinder, and a hemisphere with both a curved and a flat side, and a cone.
- Rectangular: \begin{align} dA&=\\ d\tau&= \end{align}
- Cylindrical: \begin{align} dA&=\\ d\tau&= \end{align}
- Spherical: \begin{align} dA&=\\ d\tau&= \end{align}