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Kolahal Bhattacharya
Jun7-06, 09:27 AM
A conicalsurface(an empty ice cream cone) carries a uniform surface charge density sigma.The height & radius of the cone are h & R.Find potential difference between apex & centre of the top

Hootenanny
Jun7-06, 09:30 AM
Hi Kolahal and welcome to PF,

Could please show your thoughts and what you have attempted thus far?

HINT: Get your calculus books out. :wink:

Kolahal Bhattacharya
Jun7-06, 10:00 AM
I have started the problem considering a ring ll to circular base.Expressed its radius in terms of its height,R,h.Then, I used the integral(Griffiths:2.30):-(1/4 pi epsilon not) integral over (sigma/curly r)da
sigma= surface charge density,curly r=lr-r'l,da=area element

Reshma
Jun7-06, 10:24 AM
I have started the problem considering a ring ll to circular base.Expressed its radius in terms of its height,R,h.Then, I used the integral(Griffiths:2.30):-(1/4 pi epsilon not) :rofl: integral over (sigma/curly r)da
sigma= surface charge density,curly r=lr-r'l,da=area element

OK, you mean this:
V(r) = \frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_0}\int \frac{\sigma}{r}da
Just a few hints:
Express da in terms of "r" and evaluate the electric potential at two points, viz. the apex and the centre of its surface.

Hootenanny
Jun7-06, 10:28 AM
So you have (just so I can see it more clearly);

V = \frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}} \int \frac{\sigma}{|r-r'|} \; da

You need to express you change in area (dA) in terms of radii.

Edit: Rashma got there before me.