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-   -   Can someone verify a computational result for me? (http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=672772)

 cowmoo32 Feb18-13 06:43 PM

Can someone verify a computational result for me?

This is for a computational physics class, but isn't a homework question, per se. My friend and I have two different sets of code trying to achieve the same thing and we're getting vastly different answers, orders of magnitude apart. We haven't covered this sort of problem in our intro E&M class yet so we aren't able to confirm a result by hand.

Using a λ0 value of 1e-6 and L = 0.5m I'm getting V = ~0.0995 and he's getting 10,596.

Write a Python code that computes the electrostatic potential of a finite segment of charged wire of length 2L, at a height H=L above the center of the wire. The charge density along the wire varies as λ=λ0cos$\frac{Pi*x}{2L}$
http://moodle.wolfware.ncsu.edu/file...son12/wire.png

 willem2 Feb19-13 01:58 AM

Re: Can someone verify a computational result for me?

Isn't that charge distribution antisymmetric, so the charge density at the point L-x along the wire is the negative of the charge density at the point L+x? Since the distance of these points to the point at a distance L in the middle of the wire is the same, the the contributions to the potential of these points cancels.

 Ryoko Feb19-13 03:55 PM

Re: Can someone verify a computational result for me?

-delete- I did it wrong.

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