- #1
Aroldo
- 14
- 0
Hey guys!
The question is related to problem 2.26 from Electrodynamics by Griffiths (3ed).
1. Homework Statement
A conical surface (an empty ice-cream cone) carries a uniform surface charge σ. The height of the cone is h, as the radius of the top. Find the potential difference between points a (the vertex) and b (the center of the top).
Here I will call the potential V.
First of all, I assumed that at the vertex: V(a) = 0. (I can do that because I'm interested in V(b) - V(a), am I right?)
Then I calculated V(b). So:
V(a) - V(b) = - V(b) = -σh/(2ε) * ln (1 + (21/2/2))
But the book's solution didn't consider V(a) = 0, and found:
V(a) - V(b) = σh/(2ε) [1 - ln (1 + (21/2/2))]
Finally, my questions are:
Why is my assumption wrong?
How to calculate it assuming V(b) = 0?
The question is related to problem 2.26 from Electrodynamics by Griffiths (3ed).
1. Homework Statement
A conical surface (an empty ice-cream cone) carries a uniform surface charge σ. The height of the cone is h, as the radius of the top. Find the potential difference between points a (the vertex) and b (the center of the top).
Homework Equations
Here I will call the potential V.
First of all, I assumed that at the vertex: V(a) = 0. (I can do that because I'm interested in V(b) - V(a), am I right?)
Then I calculated V(b). So:
V(a) - V(b) = - V(b) = -σh/(2ε) * ln (1 + (21/2/2))
But the book's solution didn't consider V(a) = 0, and found:
V(a) - V(b) = σh/(2ε) [1 - ln (1 + (21/2/2))]
Finally, my questions are:
Why is my assumption wrong?
How to calculate it assuming V(b) = 0?