PHYS 102 – General Physics II Midterm Exam

Duration: 90 minutes Saturday, 14 October 2023; 13:30

1. A uniformly charged rod of length 2𝑑 and total charge 𝑄 lies along the 𝑦 axis between 𝑦 = −𝑑 and 𝑦 = 𝑑 as shown
in the figure. A point charge of magnitude 𝑄 is fixed on the 𝑥 axis at 𝑥 = −𝑑.
𝑦
(a) (20 Pts.) Find the electric field on the 𝑥 axis for 𝑥 > 0. 𝑑
(b) (15 Pts.) Find the force on the rod.
𝑄 𝑑 𝑄 𝑥
𝑂
Solution: (a) Linear charge density on the rod is 𝜆 = 𝑄 ⁄2𝑑. To find the electric
field created by the line charge, we consider an infinitesimal piece 𝑑𝑦′ of the line −𝑑
charge at position 𝑦′ with charge 𝑑𝑄 = 𝜆𝑑𝑦 ′ = 𝑄𝑑𝑦′⁄2𝑑. The magnitude of the
electric field created by this infinitesimal piece at a point on the x axis is
1 𝑑𝑄 𝜆 𝑑𝑦′
𝑦
𝑑𝐸 = 2 ′2
= . 𝑑𝑄 = 𝜆𝑑𝑦′
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑥 + 𝑦 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑥 + 𝑦 ′2
2
𝑑𝑦′
𝑦′ 𝜃 𝑥
Because of the symmetry of the charge configuration, the electric field on the x axis 𝑂 𝑥 ⃗
𝑑𝐄
has x component only, and
−𝑑
𝑑
𝜆 𝑥 𝑑𝑦′ 𝜆𝑥 𝑑𝑦′
𝑑𝐸𝑥 = 𝑑𝐸 cos 𝜃 = 2 ′2 3/2
→ 𝐸𝑥 = ∫ .
4𝜋𝜖0 (𝑥 + 𝑦 ) 4𝜋𝜖0 −𝑑 (𝑥 + 𝑦 ′2 )3/2
2

The integral can be evaluated by using the substitution 𝑦 ′ = 𝑥 tan 𝜃. The result is
𝑄 1
𝐸𝑥 = .
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑥 √𝑥 2 + 𝑑2

The total electric field created by the line charge and the point charge on the positive x axis is
𝑄 1 1
⃗ (𝑥) =
𝐄 [ + ] 𝐢̂ .
4𝜋𝜖0 (𝑥 + 𝑑)2
𝑥 √𝑥 2 + 𝑑2

(b) According to Newton’s third law the force on the rod by the point charge is equal in magnitude and opposite in
direction to the force on the point charge by the rod. Force on the point charge 𝑄 is

−𝑄 2 𝐢̂ 𝑄 2 𝐢̂
⃗ rod (𝑑) =
𝐅𝑄 = 𝑄 𝐄 → 𝐅rod = .
4√2𝜋𝜖0 𝑑2 4√2𝜋𝜖0 𝑑2
2. A chargeless rod of length √3 𝐿 has one edge at the origin and the other edge at point 𝑥 = 𝑦 = 𝑧 = 𝐿 . The rod forms
the body diagonal of a cube with side L as shown in the figure. Two equal point
charges of magnitude 𝑄 are symmetrically fixed on the rod such that the distance
𝑧
between the charges and the distances of the charges to the two near corners of
the cube are √3𝐿⁄3.
(a) (7 Pts.) What is the flux of the electric field through the cube?
𝑄 𝑄
(b) (7 Pts.) What is the flux of the electric field through the left side surface of 𝑦
the cube? (i.e., the square formed by points (0,0,0), (𝐿, 0,0), (𝐿, 0, 𝐿), (0,0, 𝐿).)
𝑂
(c) (7 Pts.) What is the electric potential at the origin 𝑂?
𝐿
(d) (7 Pts.) What is the electric potential at the point (0, 𝐿, 𝐿) ? 𝑥
(e) (7 Pts.) What is the potential energy of the charge configuration?
⃗ ∙ 𝑑𝑨
Solution: (a) Gauss’s law: Φ𝐸 = ∮ 𝐄 ⃗ = 𝑄enc ⁄𝜖0 → Φ𝐸 = 2𝑄⁄𝜖0 .

(b) Charges are situated such that all six faces of the cube are equivalent. Therefore, flux through any face is
1 𝑄
Φ𝑓 = Φ𝐸 = .
6 3𝜖0

(c) Distances between the charges and the origin are 𝐿⁄√3 and 2𝐿⁄√3. Therefore, the potential at the origin is

√3 𝑄 √3 𝑄 3√3 𝑄
𝑉(0) = + → 𝑉(0) = .
4𝜋𝜖0 𝐿 4𝜋𝜖0 (2𝐿) 2 4𝜋𝜖0 𝐿

̂ )⁄√3. Therefore,
̂ = (𝐢̂ + 𝐣̂ + 𝐤
(d) The unit normal in the direction of the body diagonal of the cube at the origin is 𝐧
position vectors of the two charges are
𝐿 𝐿 2𝐿 2𝐿
𝐫1 = 𝐧 ̂ ), and 𝐫2 =
̂ = (𝐢̂ + 𝐣̂ + 𝐤 ̂=
𝐧 ̂ ).
(𝐢̂ + 𝐣̂ + 𝐤
√3 3 √3 3
̂ ). Therefore, we have
Position vector of the point (0, 𝐿, 𝐿) is 𝐫 = 𝐿(𝐣̂ + 𝐤
𝐿 2𝐿 2𝐿 2𝐿 𝐿 𝐿
𝐫 − 𝐫1 = − 𝐢̂ + 𝐣̂ + ̂ , and 𝐫 − 𝐫2 = −
𝐤 𝐢̂ + 𝐣̂ + 𝐤̂ .
3 3 3 3 3 3
Since |𝐫 − 𝐫1 | = 𝐿, and |𝐫 − 𝐫2 | = √2𝐿⁄√3, the poential at the point (0, 𝐿, 𝐿) is

𝑄 √3𝑄 (1 + √3⁄2)𝑄
𝑉(0, 𝐿, 𝐿) = + = .
4𝜋𝜖0 𝐿 4√2𝜋𝜖0 𝐿 4𝜋𝜖0 𝐿

(e)

√3𝑄 2
𝑈= .
4𝜋𝜖0 𝐿
3. Two capacitors of equal capacitance 𝐶 are connected as shown. Initially the switch
S is open, and the left capacitor is charged with charge 𝑄, while the other capacitor is
uncharged. At time 𝑡 = 0 the switch is closed. 𝑄
(a) (7 Pts.) Find the charge on the left capacitor after charge equilibrium is reached.
(b) (7 Pts.) How much energy is lost when the capacitors are connected?
𝐶 𝐶

Now, a material with dielectric constant 𝐾 is inserted to completely fill the left capacitor. The two capacitors remain
connected while the material is filled.
(c) (8 Pts.) What is the final charge 𝑄′ on the left capacitor? 𝑄′
(d) (8 Pts.) What is the total final energy stored in both capacitors?
𝐶 𝐶

Solution:
(a) When the switch is closed charge flows from the charged capacitor to the uncharged capacitor until their voltages
become equal. Since the capacitors are of equal capacitance 𝑄𝑓 = 𝑄 ⁄2.

(b) İnitially 𝑈𝑖 = 𝑄 2 ⁄2𝐶 . At the final stage 𝑈𝑓 = 𝑄 2 ⁄4𝐶 . Therefore, Δ𝑈 = 𝑈𝑓 − 𝑈𝑖 = − 𝑄 2 ⁄4𝐶 .

(c) When a material with dielectric constant 𝐾 is inserted to completely fill the left capacitor its capacitance increases to
𝐶 ′ = 𝐾𝐶, hence the voltage across it decreases. So more charge must flow to make the voltages equal. This means

𝑄′ 𝑄 − 𝑄′ 𝐾𝑄
𝑉= = → 𝑄′ = .
𝐾𝐶 𝐶 1+𝐾

(d)
𝑄 ′2 (𝑄 − 𝑄 ′ )2 𝑄2
𝑈𝑓′ = + → 𝑈𝑓′ = .
2𝐾𝐶 2𝐶 2(1 + 𝐾)𝐶