Electric field at centre of hollow half sphere

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the electric field at the center of a hollow half sphere, a problem situated within the context of electrostatics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the idea of considering the half sphere as composed of infinitely many rings to facilitate the calculation of the electric field. There are questions regarding the correctness of initial assumptions and the limits of integration in the final integral.

Discussion Status

Some participants have pointed out potential issues with notation and variable definitions, suggesting that clarification is needed. There is an ongoing examination of the integral setup, with multiple interpretations being discussed regarding the limits of integration.

Contextual Notes

Participants note confusion regarding the notation used for the radius of the hemisphere and the surface charge density, as well as the limits of integration in the context of the problem statement.

Cocoleia
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Homework Statement


upload_2017-1-25_12-3-58.png


Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


I figured you could consider it as infinitely many rings? Here is what I did so far:
upload_2017-1-25_12-4-55.png


I feel like 0 is the wrong answer. Can anyone help me? Thanks.
 
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Your notation is confusing. The axis of the rings is the z-axis, but you use the symbol ##x## to denote the position of the center of a ring. Also, you appear to initially use the symbol ##R## for the radius of a ring, but then later use ##R## for the radius of the hemisphere. (The problem statement says the radius of the hemisphere is ##a##.) Also, the symbol for the surface charge density as specified in the problem is ##\rho_s##.

Nevertheless, your final integral looks correct except for the upper limit of integration. [Edit: Should your integration variable be ##\theta## or ##\phi## (if these symbols are defined according to the problem statement)?]
 
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Cocoleia said:
I feel like 0 is the wrong answer. Can anyone help me? Thanks.
Everything looks fine except the limits of your final integral. Are you sure Φ varies from 0 to 2π?
Edit: TSny beat me to it while I was typing..
 

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