PHYS 102 – General Physics II Midterm Exam 2

Duration: 120 minutes Saturday, 26 November 2022; 13:30

1. Consider the circuit given. Initially, switch S is open, the capacitor 2𝐶 has charge 𝑄0 , and the capacitor 𝐶 is
uncharged. The switch S is closed at time 𝑡 = 0.
(a) (5 Pts) What is the charge on each capacitor after a very long time.
2𝐶 +𝑄0
(b) (15 Pts.) What is the current in the loop as a function of time for 𝑡 > 0?
(c) (5 Pts.) What is the total energy dissipated in the resistor?
𝑆 𝑅
Solution:
(a) After the switch is closed some charge will flow from the charged capacitor
𝐶
to the uncharged capacitor until the potential differences on the two capacitors
are equal.
𝑄2𝐶 𝑄𝐶
𝑉2𝐶 = , 𝑉𝐶 = , 𝑉2𝐶 = 𝑉𝐶 → 𝑄2𝐶 = 2𝑄𝐶 .
2𝐶 𝐶

Total charge on the two capacitors will be equal to the initial charge.
𝑄0 2𝑄0
𝑄2𝐶 + 𝑄𝐶 = 𝑄0 → 3𝑄𝐶 = 𝑄0 → 𝑄𝐶 = , 𝑄2𝐶 = .
3 3

(b) Writing the loop equation, and noting that at any time 𝑞2𝐶 (𝑡) + 𝑞2 (𝑡) = 𝑄0 , we have
𝑞2𝐶 𝑞𝐶 𝑄0 3
𝑉2𝐶 − 𝑅𝑖 − 𝑉𝐶 = 0 , − 𝑅𝑖 − =0 → − 𝑅𝑖 − 𝑞 =0.
2𝐶 𝐶 2𝐶 2𝐶 𝐶

Since 𝑖 = 𝑑𝑞𝐶 ⁄𝑑𝑡, above result can be rearranged as

𝑞 𝑡
𝑑𝑞𝐶 3 𝑑𝑞𝐶 3 𝑄0
=− 𝑑𝑡 → ∫ =− ∫ 𝑑𝑡 ′ → 𝑞(𝑡) = (1 − 𝑒 −3𝑡⁄2𝑅𝐶 ) .
𝑞𝐶 − 𝑄0 ⁄3 2𝑅𝐶 0 𝑞𝐶 − 𝑄0 ⁄3 2𝑅𝐶 0 3

𝑑𝑞 𝑄0 −3𝑡⁄2𝑅𝐶
𝑖(𝑡) = → 𝑖(𝑡) = 𝑒 .
𝑑𝑡 2𝑅𝐶

(c) Total energy dissipated in the resistor can be calculated in two different ways. One can integrate the power
∞
𝑄02 ∞
𝑄02
𝑈 = ∫ 𝑅𝑖 2 𝑑𝑡 = ∫ 𝑒 −3𝑡⁄𝑅𝐶 𝑑𝑡 → 𝑈= ,
0 4𝑅𝐶 2 0 12𝐶

or one can calculate the difference in the energy stored in the capacitors

(𝑄0 ⁄3)2 (2𝑄0 ⁄3)2 𝑄02 𝑄02

∆𝑈 = 𝑈𝑓 − 𝑈𝑖 = + − → ∆𝑈 = −
𝐶 2𝐶 4𝐶 12𝐶
2. A rigid conductor consists of a semi-circular part of radius R carrying a
current I, a straight part along a diameter carrying a current I, and two
⃗𝐁⃗ 𝐼
straight segments of length D carrying a current 2𝐼, in directions indicated
in the figure. The conductor is placed inside a uniform magnetic field of
magnitude B whose direction is perpendicular to the plane of the conductor, 𝑅
into the plane of the figure. Find the total force on the conductor. Use the
coordinate system given in the figure.
𝐼
𝐷 2𝐼 2𝐼 𝐷
Solution: 𝑦

𝑥
⃗⃗ × ⃗𝐁⃗.
Force on the straight segments can be found using 𝐅⃗ = 𝐼𝓵

⃗⃗
𝐁 𝐼
The force on the semicircular segment can be found by integration.

𝑑𝐅⃗ ⃗⃗
𝑑𝓵
𝐼𝐵(2𝑅) 𝑑𝐹𝑥 = −𝐼𝑅𝐵 cos 𝛼 𝑑𝛼 ,
𝐼 𝑑𝛼
𝑑𝐹𝑦 = 𝐼𝑅𝐵 sin 𝛼 𝑑𝛼 .
2𝐼 α
2𝐼 2𝐼𝐵𝐷 𝜋
2𝐼𝐵𝐷 𝐹𝑥 = −𝐼𝑅𝐵 ∫ cos 𝛼 𝑑𝛼 = 0 ,
0
𝜋
𝐹𝑦 = 𝐼𝑅𝐵 ∫ sin 𝛼 𝑑𝛼 = 2𝐼𝑅𝐵 .
0

The net force on the conductor is

𝐅⃗ = 4𝐼𝐵𝑅 𝐣̂ .
3. Assume that a beam of protons (elementary particles of mass m and charge e) forms a very long cylinder of radius R
and uniform charge density 𝜌. Assume that all the protons are moving along the cylinder's axis with the same velocity
𝐯⃗⃗0. You can regard the beam as infinitely long.
(a) (5 Pts.) What is the electrical current carried
by the beam? 𝐯⃗⃗0 𝑅
(b) (5 Pts.) What is the magnitude of the magnetic 𝜌
field on the surface of the beam?
(c) (5 Pts.) What is the magnitude of the electric
field on the surface of the beam?
(d) (5 Pts.) Find the electrical force (direction and magnitude) and the magnetic force (direction and magnitude) acting
on a proton of the beam, which is on the surface of the cylinder.
(e) (5 Pts.) Calculate the speed of the beam 𝑣0 so that the two forces cancel each other and the radius of the beam does
not expand with time.

Solution: (a)

𝐼 = 𝐉⃗ ∙ 𝐀
⃗⃗ = (𝜌𝑣0 )(𝜋𝑅 2 ) = 𝜋𝜌𝑅 2 𝑣0 .

(b) Magnetic field on the surface of the beam can be found using Ampère’s law.
𝜇0 𝐼 1
𝐵(𝑅) = → 𝐵(𝑅) = 𝜇0 𝜌𝑅𝑣0 .
2𝜋𝑅 2

(c) Electric field on the surface of the beam can be found using Gauss’s law.
𝜆 𝜌𝐴 𝜌𝜋𝑅 2 𝜌𝑅
𝐸(𝑅) = → 𝐸(𝑅) = = → 𝐸(𝑅) = .
2𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2𝜖0

(d) Electrical force on a proton at the surface of the beam is radially outward with magnitude
𝑒𝜌𝑅
𝐹𝐸 = 𝑒𝐸(𝑅) → 𝐹𝐸 = .
2𝜖0
Magnetic force on a proton at the surface of the beam is radially inward with magnitude
1
𝐹𝐵 = 𝑒𝑣0 𝐵(𝑅) → 𝐹𝐵 = 𝜇0 𝜌𝑒𝑅𝑣02 .
2

(e)
𝑒𝜌𝑅 1 1 1
𝐹𝐸 = 𝐹𝐵 → = 𝜇 𝜌𝑒𝑅𝑣02 → 𝜇0 𝑣02 = → 𝑣0 = =𝑐.
2𝜖0 2 0 𝜖0 √𝜇0 𝜖0
4. A very long straight wire carrying a current 𝐼(𝑡) and a small rectangular wire loop of resistance 𝑅 lie in the same
plane as shown in the figure.
(a) (8 Pts.) Find the magnetic flux through the loop.
(b) (9 Pts.) If the current through the long straight wire changes in time according to
𝑑𝐼
= 𝛼 (𝛼 > 0), what current will be induced in the rectangular loop? Is the induced current
𝑑𝑡
clockwise of counter clockwise?
(c) (8 Pts.) What will be net force on the rectangular loop? Is the force attractive or
repulsive? Explain why.
Solution:

𝑟 𝑑𝑟

(a) The magnetic field created by the long straight wire is perpendicular to the plane of the
⃗⃗
𝐁 loop and is directed inward. Magnitude of the magnetic field depends on the perpendicular
distance 𝑟 measured from the line as
𝜇0 𝐼
𝐵(𝑟) = .
2𝜋𝑟
Magnetic flux through the shaded strip of infinitesimal width 𝑑𝑟 at a distance 𝑟 is

𝜇0 𝐼𝑤 𝑑𝑟 𝜇0 𝐼𝑤 ℓ2 𝑑𝑟 𝜇0 𝐼𝑤 ℓ2
𝑑Φ = 𝐵(𝑟)𝑤𝑑𝑟 → 𝑑Φ = → Φ= ∫ → Φ= ln ( ) .
2𝜋 𝑟 2𝜋 ℓ1 𝑟 2𝜋 ℓ1

(b) Since the magnetic field strength is increasing, in accordance with Lenz’s law, the induced current should be
counter clockwise to oppose the increase. Its magnitude is found as

|ℰind | 𝑑Φ 𝜇0 𝑤 ℓ2 𝑑I 𝜇0 𝑤𝛼 ℓ2
𝐼ind = , |ℰind | = = ln ( ) → 𝐼ind = ln ( ) .
𝑅 𝑑𝑡 2𝜋 ℓ1 𝑑𝑡 2𝜋𝑅 ℓ1

(c) Net force on the top and bottom segments of the loop is zero. For the side segments the magnitude of the net force
is
𝜇0 𝐼𝐼ind 𝑤 𝜇0 𝐼𝐼ind 𝑤 𝜇0 𝐼𝐼ind 𝑤 1 1
𝐹= − = ( − ),
2𝜋ℓ1 2𝜋ℓ2 2𝜋 ℓ1 ℓ2

𝜇0 2 𝑤 2 𝛼𝐼 ℓ2 − ℓ1 ℓ2
𝐹= 2
( ) ln ( ) ,
4𝜋 𝑅 ℓ1 ℓ2 ℓ1

repelling the loop.