Dear BozoBoy,
I know phsyics, but I didn't know how Google-Answers works. Here's the
answer. I typed it up before I realized that one had to be a
reseracher ]to be paid. If you like my work, do please consider paying
me anyway. I will gladly send you contact info!
Thanks!
-Brain_Child
a) Check that the Curl of E = 0.
For E = 100 (-y,-x) in vector notation. Take the cross products of
the vectors: (d/dx, d/dy, d/dz) and (-y, -x, 0), where d/dx etc are
partial derivatives.
-dx/dx +dy/dy = -1 + 1 = 0.
Thus the equation of electrostatics in free space is satisfied.
b) Assume that the conductors extend to infinity in the z direction.
We will compute the charge density first and then find the total
charge.
Find the electric potential, phi:
phi = - Integral[ E*ds ] = - 100 Integral[-y*dx] - 100 Integral[-x*dy]
= 200xy + Vo
Where Vo is a constant.
We employ the method of conformal mapping, as described on p.737 of
Riley, Hobson and Bence, ?Mathematical Methods for Physics and
Engineering,? 2nd Edition Cambridge University Press, 2003. Since
conformal mapping preserves the orthoganality of field lines and
potentials, it allows us to transform or unfurl the problem into a
simple parallel-plate capacitor problem. In this new transformed space
we can easily solve for the charge and the voltage.
We want an analytic function of the complex plane w = x + i*y whose
real part is phi, namely: f(w)= phi + i*psi
This is our complex potential.
To find the complex potential we need find psi, so we use the
Cauchy-Riemann relations:
dpsi/dy = dphi/dx = 200y
dpsi/dx = -dphi/dy = -200x
Integrating,
psi = 100y^2 =100x^2 + constant
Letting Vo absorb our integration constant, we plug psi and phi into f(w):
f(w)= Vo + 200xy + 100i[y^2-x^2]
Written in terms of w, (recall w=x+iy) our complex potential simplifies to:
f(w) = -i*100w^2
Apply the conformal map, m=w^(1/2) This unfolds our L-shaped
conductor into a straight line along the x-axis, straightening the
curved conductor as well.
Let F(m) be the complex potential in our conformed space:
F(m)= f(w) = -i*100m + Vo
Let PHI be our electric potential in our conformed space:
PHI = Re[ F(w) ] = Re[ -i*100(x+iy)+ Vo ] = 100y + Vo
Now we find the electric field in our conformed space, E?:
E? = - grad(PHI) = -100 * y_hat
In our conformed space, we have a constant electric field directly
above our now-straight conductor. Pretty nifty!
We compute the charge density, sigma, by using the equation which
governs an infinite conducting sheet of charge. This is a good
approximation, since the length of the conductors is large compared to
the distance between them.
E? = sigma / epsilon0
sigma = E? *epsilon0 = -100 * epsilon0 coulombs / meter^2
Since charge is conserved, even under conformal mapping, the total
charge Q on the L-shaped plates extended 1 meter in z is:
Q= 1 meter * 1 meter * sigma = -100 * epsilon0 coulombs of charge.
Epsilon0= 8.854 *10^-12
So the total charge: Q ~= -8.854 * 10 ^-10 Coulombs
c) We will take the line integral in the conformed space. First we
note that in the original space, the conductor which lies along the
curve xy = .04 rests upon an equipotential line:
phi = 8 + Vo Volts
In the conformed space, our conductor will still lie on the
transformed equipotent line whose value is 8 + Vo Volts.
phi = Phi <=> 8 + Vo = 100y + Vo
In the new space the conductor lies on y =.08
The formerly curvy conductor is now a straight line too!
The potential difference is the line integral between the two conductors:
PHI = -Integral[E*dy] for y=0 to y=.08 = 8 Volts
d) Using the equation for a capacitor:
C = Q/(delta V)
Capacitance is C = -100 * epsilon0 / 8 Farads
C ~= 1.1 *10 ^-10 Farads |