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DQ4D Solution

This document discusses the application of superposition principle to problems involving conductors. It presents a problem involving two charged insulating plates separated by a distance, and asks the student to calculate the electric potential difference between the plates under different conditions: (1) Just the plates, (2) Plates with an additional point charge, and (3) Plates with a neutral metal slab placed between them. It is explained that while superposition works for non-conductors, it does not directly apply when conductors are involved because conductors redistribute their own charges in response to other charges.

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Ashley Jiang
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286 views

DQ4D Solution

This document discusses the application of superposition principle to problems involving conductors. It presents a problem involving two charged insulating plates separated by a distance, and asks the student to calculate the electric potential difference between the plates under different conditions: (1) Just the plates, (2) Plates with an additional point charge, and (3) Plates with a neutral metal slab placed between them. It is explained that while superposition works for non-conductors, it does not directly apply when conductors are involved because conductors redistribute their own charges in response to other charges.

Uploaded by

Ashley Jiang
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Discussion Question 4D P212, Week 4 Superposition and Conductors As we saw in the last problem, superposition is an extremely useful tool

in potential problems. However, we have to be very careful with superposition when conductors are around lets explore this! Two thin plates of infinite area and made of insulating material are on either side of the origin and a distance d =5 cm away from it. They carry uniformly-distributed surface charges with the values given below. In this problem, we will be concerned with the electric potential difference between the two plates. For convenience, well use the left-hand plate as our reference and set the electric potential to zero there. (This is indicated by the ground symbol in

a = -4 C/m2 b = +2 C/m2 d = 5 cm x

the figure.) (a) What is the electric potential Vb of the right-hand plate? b is constant between the plates. E= a x 2 o
Vb Va = E x dx
d d

b Vb 0 = a 2 o
=

dx

a b 2 d = 3.39 1010 V 2 o (b) Now suppose a positive point charge Q = +5 C is placed at the location (x,y) = (-5 cm, +2 cm). What is the electric potential difference V between the points (x,y) = (d,0) and (-d,0) on the x axis? (Remember, superposition )

Superposition: Add the effect of the point charge to that of the two plates:
Due to Q: Vb Va = kQ (d + 5 cm)2 + 2 cm kQ (d + 5 cm)2 + 2 cm = kQ (2d )2 + 2 cm kQ = 2.11 1012 J/C 2

total Vb Va =

a b kQ kQ d+ = 2.07 1012 J/C 2 2 o 2 (2d ) + 2

uncharged metal slab Now get rid of the point charge. Instead, suppose that an uncharged metal slab of thickness 2 cm is placed parallel to the two plates and centered on the origin. Does superposition still work? YES we just have to be a bit careful.

w = 2 cm

(c) If we considered the uncharged metal slab all on its own, in isolation, what potential difference Vb Va would it cause between the two plates? 0 (produces no fields) (d) If we considered the charged insulating sheets all on their own, in isolation, what potential difference Vb Va would they cause between the two plates? Same as in part (a) Pure superposition would suggest that adding these two contributions together gives the correct net result. But not quite

Va d d

Vb

Va d d

Vb

(e) Calculate the full potential difference Vb Va between the plates: find the electric field everywhere between the plates, and integrate it to find Vb Va. E must = 0 inside the metal slab. The external field induces charge densities L and R on the two surfaces of the slab, and these charges contribute to the potential difference, Vb Va. You could solve for L and R using the techniques you learned last week, but there is a simpler way, using things you already know: L = R, because the slab is electrically neutral. Therefore, outside the slab they cancel and do not affect the electric field outside the slab. E = 0 inside the slab. So, Vb Va = the same integral before, except that Ex is only nonzero over a distance 2d w.
Vb Va =

a b 2d w = 2.71 1010 V 2

(f) Can you explain why adding the results of (c) and (d) together did not work? Conductors respond to the presence of charged objects by internally rearranging their own charges. Thus, when we apply superposition to a collection of objects that includes one or more conductors, we must remember that the conductors are affected by the other objects. If you want to use superposition, you must use the final charge distribution. 2

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