166 Classical Electromagnetism

EXERCISES

Problems
1. Consider a cubical volume of 1 cm 3 filled with liquid helium
(density 0.14 g/cm 3). The axes chosen are shown in Figure 8E.1.
An electric field is applied in the z-direction, because of which
the electrons in each atom shift by 0.1 nm opposite the field. Find
(a) the dipole moment induced in each atom, (b) the polarization
vector and (c) the bound charge induced on the surface.

Fig. 8E.1
2 ^
[Ans. (b) (67.2 C/m ) k (c) 6.72 mC on the top surface and –6.72 mC on the bottom surface]
2. A thin slab is uniformly polarized in the direction perpendicular to the faces. The magnitude of the
polarization is P. Find the electric field just outside and just inside the slab due to the polarization.
x 2/a 2 ^
3. The polarization in a material varies in the x-direction and is given by P  Pa e z, where a is a
x 2/a 2
2xP0 e
constant. What is the charge density that appears in the material? [Ans. 2
]
a
4. A dielectric cube is placed with its centre at the origin and edges parallel to the coordinate axes. It
has a polarization P  kr, where k is a constant. Find all the bound charge densities. What is the total
ka
bound charge? [Ans.  b   3k, | b|  on each face]
2
5. The polarization in a dielectric cube of edge length a placed with its centre at the origin is given
by P  0 ^r. Find (a) the bound volume charge density and (b) surface charge density at the point
2 0
(a/2, 0, a/4) . [Ans. (a)  b  ]
5
6. A small spherical cavity is carved out from a large block of a dielectric material. A uniform
P
polarization P exists in the material. Find the electric field inside the cavity. [Ans. ]
30
7. A long cylinder of radius R is kept with its axis along the z-axis. It is uniformly polarized with
^
polarization P  P0 i. Show that the electric field outside the cylinder due to the bound charges can be
2
R
written as 2
[2(P · ^s )  P] .
20 s
8. A long, thin cylindrical cavity is carved out from a big dielectric material with a uniform polarization
P parallel to the length of the cavity. The radius of the cavity is r and the length is L. Find the electric
2
Pr
field at the centre of the cavity. [Ans. 2
]
0 L
 Dielectrics and Polarization 167

9. A short cylinder of radius R and length L has a uniform polarization P parallel to its axis. Find the
PL RSS1  1 VW
electric field at the centre. [Ans. WW]
20 SSL
S
L2  4R 2W
W
T X
10. A cylinder made of a linear dielectric with susceptibility  1.0 has a radius 5.0 mm and height
2
2.0 mm. It is uniformly polarized with the polarization vector 2.0 C/m parallel to the axis. Find the
electric field at a point on the axis of the cylinder at a distance 2.0 m from the cylinder.
r/a
ke
11. The polarization field in a region is given by P  0 for r  a and P  r for r  a in spherical polar
^
r2
k 1 1
2e e e 2 o
coordinates. Find the bound charge contained in the region r  2a. [Ans. ]

12. A dielectric sphere of susceptibility  is placed in an otherwise uniform electric field E. Assume that
the polarization produced in the sphere is uniform. Find the electric field inside the sphere. Justify the
30 E
assumption from your result. [Ans.  ]
3 