California Institute of Technology SP 2025

EE 151 Electromagnetic Engineering Issued: 04/01/2025

Problem Set 1 Due: 04/10/2025

Problem Number 1: True or False

For each of the following statements, please determine whether it is true or false. Please provide an expla-
nation for each of your responses.

a) If a conductor is in electrostatic equilibrium, the electric field inside the conductor is zero.
b) A negative point charge experiences a force in the same direction as the electric field lines.
c) The electric field lines near an isolated positive point charge are directed radially inward.
d) The net electric flux through a closed surface that encloses no charge is always zero.
e) The electric field just outside the surface of a conductor is always perpendicular to the surface if the
conductor is in electrostatic equilibrium.
f) The electric potential at any point in space must be a positive value.
g) The potential difference between two points in an electric field depends only on the path taken, not on
the initial or final points.

Solution:

a) True. In electrostatic equilibrium, free charges in a conductor rearrange themselves until the net electric
field inside the conductor is zero.
b) False. A negative charge feels a force opposite to the direction of the electric field lines. Electric field
lines, by convention, point from positive to negative; a negative charge moves opposite to that direction.
c) False. The electric field lines around a positive point charge radiate outward, not inward. They point
away from a positive charge.
d) True. According to Gauss’s law, if no net charge is enclosed by a closed surface, the total electric flux
through that surface is zero.
e) True. For a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium, charges reside on the surface and the electric field
just outside is perpendicular to the surface.
f) False. Electric potential can be positive, negative, or zero, depending on the choice of reference point
and the distribution of charges.
g) False. The potential difference depends only on the initial and final points in a conservative electric field
(electrostatic field), not on the path taken.

Problem Number 2: Infinite Conductor

Consider the figure on the right:

a) Without calculation, what is the E-field at position (0,0)?

b) Find the electric potential as a function of position V(x,y).
c) What is the E-field as a function of position, E(x,y)?

Solution

1
a) Since E-field is a vector and at (0,0) the E field should be perpendicular to both those conductive surfaces,
the only solution is
⃗ =0
E
,which permits the definition of multi-direction.
b) Using the method of image charges, two -Q
charges appear and also the image of two image
charges -Q is given as +Q at (−l1 ,l2 ). We can
check E-fields are perpendicular to the conduc-
tive surface due to the symmetry.
Q 1 1 1 1
V (x, y) = ( + − − )
4πϵ R1 R3 R2 R4
where
1
R1 = [(x − l1 )2 + (y − l2 )2 ] 2
1
R2 = [(x + l1 )2 + (y − l2 )2 ] 2
1
R3 = [(x + l1 )2 + (y + l2 )2 ] 2
1
R4 = [(x − l1 )2 + (y + l2 )2 ] 2

c) In the figure, the Coulumb’s law reads

 
⃗ Q x − l1 x + l1 x + l1 x − l1 y − l2 y + l2 y − l2 y + l2
E(x, y) = [ 3 + 3 − 3 − 3 ]x̂ + [ 3 + 3 − 3 − ]ŷ (1)
4πϵ R1 R3 R2 R4 R1 R3 R2 R43
b) and c) both apply to x > 0, y > 0. Otherwise, the solution for V or E in the conductor is zero.

Problem Number 3: The Octahedron

A charge q sits at the center N of an octahedron, as shown in the figure
to the right. What is the flux of the E-field through triangle AM B?

Solution

2
a) Each of the 8 triangles which make up the surface of this octahedron gets the same flux as every other
one, so:
Z Z
⃗ a= 1
Ed⃗ ⃗ · d⃗a
E
△AM B 8 octahedron

⃗ a= q .
The latter is ϵq0 , by Gauss’s law. Therefore △AM B Ed⃗
R
8ϵ0

Problem Number 4: The Impossible Field

One of these is an impossible electrostatic field. Which one?

⃗ 1 = k[xx̂ + 2yz ŷ + 3xzẑ]
a) E
⃗ 2 = k[y 2 x̂ + (2xy + z 2 )ŷ + 2yzẑ]
b) E
Here, k is a constant with the appropriate units. For the possible one, find the potential using the origin as
a reference point. Check your answer by computing ∇V . (Hint: You must select a path to integrate along -
it is not particularly important which one.)

Solution:

a)
x̂ ŷ ẑ
∇ × E⃗1 = k ∂
∂x
∂
∂y
∂
∂z ̸= 0,
x 2yz 3xz
so E1 is an impossible electrostactic field.

b)
x̂ ŷ ẑ
∇ × E⃗2 = k ∂
∂x
∂
∂y
∂
∂z = k[x̂(2z − 2z) − ŷ(0 − 0) + ẑ(2y − 2y)] = 0,
2 2
y 2xy + z 2yz
so E⃗2 is a possible electrostatic field. Now, let’s verify −∇V = E
⃗ and go by the indicated path (I →
II → III):
⃗ · d⃗l = (y 2 dx + (2xy + z 2 )dy + 2yzdz)k
E
Step I: y = z = 0; dy = dz = 0. E ⃗ · d⃗l = ky 2 dx = 0.
Step II: x = x0 , y ∈ [0, y0 ], z = 0. dx = dz = 0.
⃗ · d⃗l = k(2xy + z 2 )dy = 2kx0 ydy.
E
Z Z y0
⃗ ⃗
E · dl = 2kx0 ydy = kx0 y0 2 .
0
II

3
 Step III: x = x0 , y = y0 , z ∈ [0, z0 ]; dx = dy = 0.
⃗ · d⃗l = 2kyzdz = 2ky0 zdz.
E
Z Z z0
⃗ ⃗
E · dl = 2y0 k zdz = ky0 z0 2 .
0
III
(x0Z
,y0 ,z0 )

v(x0 , y0 , z0 ) = − ⃗ · d⃗l = −k(x0 y0 2 + y0 z0 2 ),

E
0

or V (x, y, z) = −k(xy 2 + yz 2 ) .

Check:
∂
−∇V = k[ ∂x (xy 2 + yz 2 )x̂ + ∂
∂y (xy
2
+ yz 2 )ŷ + ∂
∂z (xy
2
+ yz 2 )ẑ] = k[y 2 x̂ + (2xy + z 2 )ŷ + 2yzẑ] = E⃗2 ✓

Problem Number 5: Charged Disk

A thin disk of radius a is uniformly charged over its surface with a total
charge Q.
a) Determine the electric field strength along the disk axis normal to its
plane and plot your result.
b) What do you expect the expression for the electric field to become at
large distances from the disk?
c) What do you expect the expression to become if the radius of the disk
increases infinitely, and the surface charge density is kept constant?

Solution:

a) Due to symmetry, only Ez should be considered and Ex = Ey = 0. For the ring, the E field is

1 Q z
dEz = 2πrdr · 2 ·
4πϵ0 πa (r2 + z 2 ) 32

Integrate both sides,

Z a
Q z
Ez = dr2
2 2 3
0 2πa ϵ0 2(r + z ) 2
2

Q −z a
= 2 1
2πϵ0 a (r2 + z 2 ) 2 0
Q z
= (1 − √ )
2πϵa2 a2 + z 2

b) Using Taylor expansion, we have

z 1 a Q
z ≫ a, √ ≈ 1 − ( )2 ⇒ Ez ≈
a2 + z 2 2 z 4πϵ0 z 2

It becomes Coulomb’s law and the disk can be treated as a point charge when z ≫ a.

4
 ⃗ along the disk axis normal to its plane.
Figure 1: E

c)
z Q ρ Q
a ≫ z, √ →0 ⇒ Ez = 2
= ,where ρ = .
a2+ z2 2πϵ0 a 2ϵ0 πa2
It can be interpreted with Gauss’s law. At the center of the disk, when a ≫ z, we can assume on the
cylinder surface, only Ez on the top and the bottom surface contribute flux and the Gauss’s law reads,
ρ ρ
2Ez S = ·S ⇒ Ez =
ϵ 2ϵ0