Potential of thin ring of charge

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a thin disc with a circular hole and a specified surface charge density. Participants are tasked with finding the electric potential at the center of the hole and determining the ultimate velocity of an electron moving from that center along the axis.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the calculation of electric potential using integration and the relationship between electric field and potential energy. There are attempts to clarify the definitions and factors involved in the equations.

Discussion Status

Some participants have offered corrections and suggestions regarding the calculations, particularly concerning the factors in the equations and the use of conservation of energy. There is ongoing exploration of different methods to approach the problem, including potential energy considerations and relativistic effects.

Contextual Notes

Participants note potential errors in field calculations and the complexity of the equations. There is mention of the need for dimensional analysis and the implications of relativistic speeds in the context of the electron's velocity.

Buffu
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Homework Statement



A thin disc, radius 3 cm, has a circular hole of radius 1 cm in the middle. There is a surface charge of -4 esu/##cm^2## on the disc.

a) what is the potential at the centre of the hole ?

b) An electron starting from rest at centre of the hole moves out along the axis. What is the ultimate velocity it gains ?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution



For (a) :
path4206.png

##R = \sqrt{y^2 + s^2}## and ## dq = 2\pi s\sigma ds##

I did not drew ##\theta## but it is the angle between radius vector ##r## and ##y## axis.

Then,
##\displaystyle \phi(0,y,0) = \int^3_1 {dq \over R} = \int^3_1 {2\pi \sigma s ds \over \sqrt{y^2 + s^2}} =2\pi \sigma (\sqrt{y^2 + 9} - \sqrt{y^2 + 1})##

For centre, ##\phi = 2\pi\sigma##

For (b):-

Since ##\cos \theta = \dfrac{y}{\sqrt{y^2 + s^2}}##

##\displaystyle E = \int^3_1 {dq \over R^2} \cos \theta = \int^3_1 {2\pi \sigma s y \over (y^2 + s^2)^{3/2}} ds =\sigma\left( \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 1}} - \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 9}}\right)##

##eE = ma = m y^{\prime\prime} = m v\dfrac{dv}{ dy}##

##\displaystyle {e\sigma \over m} \int_0^{\infty} \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 1}} - \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 9}} dy = \frac{v^2}{2}##

Hence ##v = \sqrt{\dfrac{2e \sigma \ln 3}{m}}##Is this correct ? I think the second answer is not correct as I get ##2.16 \times 10^{7} m/s## as the answer, which is very huge.
 
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Buffu said:

Homework Statement



A thin disc, radius 3 cm, has a circular hole of radius 1 cm in the middle. There is a surface charge of -4 esu/##cm^2## on the disc.

a) what is the potential at the centre of the hole ?

b) An electron starting from rest at centre of the hole moves out along the axis. What is the ultimate velocity it gains ?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution



For (a) :
View attachment 203388
##R = \sqrt{y^2 + s^2}## and ## dq = 2\pi s\sigma ds##

I did not drew ##\theta## but it is the angle between radius vector ##r## and ##y## axis.

Then,
##\displaystyle \phi(0,y,0) = \int^3_1 {dq \over R} = \int^3_1 {2\pi \sigma s ds \over \sqrt{y^2 + s^2}} =2\pi \sigma (\sqrt{y^2 + 9} - \sqrt{y^2 + 1})##
You dropped a factor of 2, it seems, but it otherwise looks right.

For centre, ##\phi = 2\pi\sigma##
I'm not sure what this means. What ##\phi## supposed to represent?

For (b):-

Since ##\cos \theta = \dfrac{y}{\sqrt{y^2 + s^2}}##

##\displaystyle E = \int^3_1 {dq \over R^2} \cos \theta = \int^3_1 {2\pi \sigma s y \over (y^2 + s^2)^{3/2}} ds =\sigma\left( \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 1}} - \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 9}}\right)##

##eE = ma = m y^{\prime\prime} = m v\dfrac{dv}{ dy}##

##\displaystyle {e\sigma \over m} \int_0^{\infty} \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 1}} - \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 9}} dy = \frac{v^2}{2}##

Hence ##v = \sqrt{\dfrac{2e \sigma \ln 3}{m}}##Is this correct ? I think the second answer is not correct as I get ##2.16 \times 10^{7} m/s## as the answer, which is very huge.
You seem to be making this part unnecessarily complicated. Use conservation of energy. What's the potential energy of a charge at the center in terms of the electric potential at the center?
 
vela said:
You dropped a factor of 2, it seems, but it otherwise looks right.

##\displaystyle \int {s\over \sqrt(y^2 + s^2)} = \sqrt{s^2 + y^2}## ?

vela said:
I'm not sure what this means. What ##\phi ## supposed to represent?

I am sorry, this was vague.

##\phi(0,y,0)## is electrostatic potential which is ##2\pi \sigma (\sqrt{y^2 + 9} - \sqrt{y^2 + 1})##.

The question to find the potential at the centre of the disc which is at ##y =0##

So, ##\phi(0,0,0) = 2\pi \sigma (3 - 1) = 4 \pi\sigma##

You seem to be making this part unnecessarily complicated. Use conservation of energy. What's the potential energy of a charge at the center in terms of the electric potential at the center?
.

Let me get first part correct because I can use that to find energy.
 
Buffu said:
##\displaystyle \int {s\over \sqrt(y^2 + s^2)} = \sqrt{s^2 + y^2}## ?
Sorry, you were right. I messed up the factor of 2.
 
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vela said:
Sorry, you were right. I messed up the factor of 2.
Is everything else correct ?
 
Buffu said:
Is everything else correct ?
I think there are some errors in the field calculations.
(It would be easier to follow if you had left the radii as variables instead of plugging in the values 1 and 3. That would have allowed the use of dimensional analysis to sanity-check the equations.)
E should be obtainable by differentiating φ wrt y. If I do that there seems to be a missing factor 2πy.
I certainly don't think you should be getting ln() terms in there when they do not turn up using the energy approach.

As for the magnitude of the answer, I think you are in the right ballpark, but maybe that means you need to use relativistic equations.
 
haruspex said:
I think there are some errors in the field calculations.
(It would be easier to follow if you had left the radii as variables instead of plugging in the values 1 and 3. That would have allowed the use of dimensional analysis to sanity-check the equations.)
E should be obtainable by differentiating φ wrt y. If I do that there seems to be a missing factor 2πy.
I certainly don't think you should be getting ln() terms in there when they do not turn up using the energy approach.

As for the magnitude of the answer, I think you are in the right ballpark, but maybe that means you need to use relativistic equations.

Yes you are correct.

Then ##\displaystyle E = {2\pi y \sigma}\left({1\over \sqrt{1+y^2}} - {1\over \sqrt{9 + y^2}} \right)##

and
##\displaystyle {e\sigma \over m} \int_0^{\infty} \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 1}} - \frac1{\sqrt{y^2 + 9}} dy = \frac{v^2}{2}##

is
##\displaystyle {e\sigma \over m} \int_0^{\infty} {2\pi y }\left({1\over \sqrt{1+y^2}} - {1\over \sqrt{9 + y^2}}\right) dy = \frac{v^2}{2}##

I got the improper integral as ##2##,

So ##\displaystyle v = \sqrt{8\pi e \sigma \over m}## which is ##7.38 \times 10^7 m/s##
 
Buffu said:
Yes you are correct.

Then ##\displaystyle E = {2\pi y \sigma}\left({1\over \sqrt{1+y^2}} - {1\over \sqrt{9 + y^2}} \right)##

andis
##\displaystyle {e\sigma \over m} \int_0^{\infty} {2\pi y }\left({1\over \sqrt{1+y^2}} - {1\over \sqrt{9 + y^2}}\right) dy = \frac{v^2}{2}##

I got the improper integral as ##2##,

So ##\displaystyle v = \sqrt{8\pi e \sigma \over m}## which is ##7.38 \times 10^7 m/s##
That's what I got by considering energy. But that is a quarter light speed, no? Doesn't that mean you need to use the relativistic formula for KE?
 
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haruspex said:
That's what I got by considering energy. But that is a quarter light speed, no? Doesn't that mean you need to use the relativistic formula for KE?

Yes I guess you are correct but I don't know special relativity ;).
 
  • #10
Buffu said:
Yes I guess you are correct but I don't know special relativity ;).
The equation is not complicated. See e.g. https://www.boundless.com/physics/textbooks/boundless-physics-textbook/special-relativity-27/relativistic-quantities-180/relativistic-kinetic-energy-662-6210/
 
  • #11
haruspex said:
The equation is not complicated. See e.g. https://www.boundless.com/physics/textbooks/boundless-physics-textbook/special-relativity-27/relativistic-quantities-180/relativistic-kinetic-energy-662-6210/

I get the simplified solution as ##\displaystyle c\sqrt{4\pi e \sigma \over 4\pi e \sigma + mc^2} = v## is this correct ? Which is ##5.10 * 10^7 m/s##.
 
  • #12
Buffu said:
I get the simplified solution as ##\displaystyle c\sqrt{4\pi e \sigma \over 4\pi e \sigma + mc^2} = v## is this correct ? Which is ##5.10 * 10^7 m/s##.
I get ##\frac{v^2}{c^2}=1-\left(\frac{mc^2}{E+mc^2}\right)^2##.
If v' is the velocity you calculated by Newtonian principles, E=mv'2/2.
But looks like it's not quite fast enough to worry about. If e.g. v' is c/4 then v≈ 0.238c
 
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