Integral/ electrostatic difficulty

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the challenges faced in solving undergraduate-level electrostatic problems involving volume or surface integrals, particularly when normal vectors and vector fields, such as electric fields, are involved. The user specifically struggles with calculating the electric field for a charged hemisphere of radius R without employing Gauss's law. Recommendations include exploring "Engineering Electromagnetics" by William Hayt as a more explicit resource compared to Griffiths and introductory E+M textbooks.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatics principles
  • Familiarity with vector calculus, including dot products
  • Knowledge of surface and volume integrals
  • Basic concepts of electric fields and charge distributions
NEXT STEPS
  • Study "Engineering Electromagnetics" by William Hayt for clearer explanations
  • Practice solving electrostatic problems involving surface integrals
  • Review vector calculus techniques relevant to electrostatics
  • Explore advanced electrostatics resources or textbooks for deeper insights
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for undergraduate physics students, educators in electromagnetism, and anyone seeking to enhance their problem-solving skills in electrostatics, particularly in relation to integrals and vector fields.

pbeierle
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
I have a little trouble solving Electrostatic problems (at undergraduate level) that involve volume or surface integrals when there are normal vectors involved, and one must (normally) dot this with a vector field (such as electric field) when one cannot use Gauss's law.

one such example I can recall which I cannot solve well is a hemisphere of radius R that has a charge, and one must calculate the electric field everywhere.

Can anyone give me any pointers, or direct me to some reading source so that I can improve on such problems? (I don't find Griffiths very helpful, as it is not explicit enough, nor my introductory E+M book, which only covers the simpler ones).
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Maybe try engineering electromagnetics by William hayt
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
1K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
  • · Replies 69 ·
3
Replies
69
Views
7K