Proprietary of Prof.

Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

Problems for Chapter 4

4-1 Given that a current density J  0.3 ay  0.4 az [A/cm2 ] , find the total current crossing a cylindrical surface
defined by   a  2[cm] , 0     and 0  z  b  2[cm] , as shown in Fig. 4-8.

Fig. 4-8 A cylindrical surface(Problem 4-1)

ANS
0.3  ay  a  d dz
 z 2
I  
S
J  ds   
 0 z 0
 z 2
  
 0 z 0
0.6 sin d dz
 2.4[A]

2
4-2 The current density is given as J  20e 10 az [A/m2 ] in cylindrical coordinates( in units of meters). Find
the total current passing through a spherical surface defined by R  0.4[m] and 0    50o as shown in
Fig. 4-9.

Fig. 4-9 A spherical surface (Problem 4-2)

ANS

Problems chapter 4 |1
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

 50o  2 
   20e 10  az  aR  R 2 sin d d 
2
I  J  ds 
S  0  0

 50o  2 
   cos  0.16 sin d d 
2
 20e 1.6sin 
 0  0

2 50o
 2 e 1.6 sin 
 0

 3.83[A]

4-3 With reference to the spherical surface( R  0.4[m] and   50o ) shown in Fig. 4-9, for a current density of
J  6 cos(2 ) az [A/m2 ] in cylindrical coordinates( in units of meters), find the total current through the
surface.
[Hint: Equation of continuity].

ANS
The current through the spherical surface is equal to the current through the base disc of radius R sin 
residing in the z  R cos  plane, because of the equation of continuity.
 R sin   2 
I   J  ds    6 cos(2 )  az  az  d d 
S  0  0

 0.4 sin 50o

 2  6 cos(2 )d 
 0
 0.4 sin 0.87
 6 sin(2 )
 0

 1.76[A]

4-4 A heated cathode residing in the z  0 plane induces thermionic emission of electrons of a density N
[electrons/m2  sec] . An anode residing in the z  d plane is at a higher potential than the cathode by
Vo [V] and accelerates the electrons in the z-direction. Electron mass is m and charge is e. Find, as a
function of position,
(a) velocity of the electrons
(b) volume charge density
(c) current density between the electrodes.

ANS
(a) Acceleration of an electron between two electrodes is
eE e Vo
a 
m m d

Velocity of an electron between two electrodes is

e Vo
v  at  t (1)
m d

Travel distance of the electron is

t 1 e Vo 2
z   v dt '  t (2)
t '0 2m d

Rewriting (2), we have

2mdz
t (3)
e Vo

Inserting (3) into (1), we have

Problems chapter 4 |2
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

2 e Vo z
v (4)
md

(b) During a time t ,

total charge crossing a unit area in the z  z1 plane : Q  eN t
travel distance : z  v t
volume occupied by Q : V  z

Volume charge density of electrons is

Q e N t
v   (5)
V z

Inserting (4) into (5), noting that v  z / t

e md
v  N (6)
2Vo z

(c) The current density is

J  v v  v (v az ) (7)

Inserting (4) and (6) into (7)

Je N

4-5 A straight wire of radius a is made of a conducting material(   1 ) and coated with another conducting
material(   2 ). Determine the outer radius of the coated wire that carries the same current in the core and
the coating when the electric field is uniform in the cross section.

ANS
For a uniform electric field in the cross section of the coated wire,
total current in the core is
I 1  a 2 1E

Let the outer radius be b. The total current in the coating is

I 2   b 2  a 2   2 E

To have I 1  I 2 , the outer radius should be

1  2
b a
2

4-6 A silicon bar with a rectangular cross section 4[mm]  2[mm] is 10[mm] long. For intrinsic silicon,
e  0.14[m2 /V  s] , h  0.045[m2 /V  s] and n e  nh  1.0  1016 [m-3 ] at 300K . When the voltage
drop along the length of the bar is 5[V], find
(a) conductivity
(b) total current
(c) resistance
(d) power dissipated in the silicon bar.

Problems chapter 4 |3
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

ANS
(a)
  ne e e  nh e h  1.0  1016 1.6  1019   0.14  0.045 
 2.96  104 [S/m]

 5 
(b) J   E  (2.96  104 )    148 aE [mA/m ]
2

 0.01 
I   4  2  106 148  103   1.18[A]

V 5
(c) R   4.24[MΩ]
I 1.18  106

P  I 2R  1.18  10 6   4.24  10   5.90[W]

2 6
(d)

4-7 When an intrinsic silicon is doped with a small amount of donors, the electron density is increased by 10% at
300K. How much is the conductivity increased due to the doping?[Hint: use typical values of the mobilities]

ANS
doped 1.1  n e e e  nh e h 1.1  0.14  0.045
   1.076
intrinsic n e e e  n h e h 0.14  0.045

The answer is 7.6%

4-8 Two concentric, perfectly conducting cylindrical surfaces of radii a  5[cm] and b  6[cm] are 10[cm]
long. The space in between is filled with graphite of a conductivity   7  104 [S/m] . Ignoring the edge
effects, find the resistance between two conductors.

ANS
Ignoring the edge effects, V depends only on . Laplace’s equation in cylindrical coordinates reduces to
1   V 
 0
    

A general solution
V  c1 ln   c 2

By applying boundary condition, V  V1 at   a and V  V2 at   b , we obtain

V1  V2
c1 
ln a / b 
V2 ln a  V1 ln b
c2 
ln a / b 

Electric potential in the gap is therefore

V1  V2 V ln a  V1 ln b V1 ln  / b   V2 ln a /  
V  ln   2 
ln a / b  ln a / b  ln a / b 

Electric field in the region in between is

Problems chapter 4 |4
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

V V2  V1
E  V   a  a
  ln a / b 

Current density is
V2  V1
J  E   a
 ln a / b 

Total current is
V2  V1
I   J  ds    ln a / b  2L

The resistance is
V2  V1 ln a / b  ln  5 / 6 
R    4.15[]
I 2L 7  104  2  0.1

4-9 An ohmic medium of conductivity  fills the gap between two concentric hemispheres of radii a and b as
shown in Fig. 4-10. Ignoring the edge effects, find the resistance.

Fig. 4-10 Concentric hemispheres filled with an ohmic medium(Problem 4-9)

ANS
We assume V  Vo at R  a and V  0 at R  b .
Ignoring the edge effects, Laplace’s equation in spherical coordinates is
1   2 V 
2V  R 0
R 2 R  R 

A general solution
c1
V   c2
R

Applying the boundary conditions

c1
Vo   c2
a
c
0  1  c2
b

Solving them for c1 and c 2

Problems chapter 4 |5
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

ab
c1  Vo
b a
a
c 2  Vo
b a

a b 
Electric potential in the region a  R  b : V  Vo   1 [V]
b a  R 
a  b 
Electric field in the gap : E  V  Vo  R 2  aR [V/m]
b a  
a  b 
Current density : J  E  Vo 
2
 aR [A/m ]
b  a  R2 
2a 3  b 
Total current off the hemispherical surface at R  a : I  2a 2 J R a  Vo   [A]
b  a  a2 
The resistance
Vo 1 1 1
R     []
I 2  a b 

1
4-10 The conductivity of copper depends of temperature as   o 1   T  To   , where T is temperature in
degrees Celsius , o  5.8  107 [S/m] at To  20o C and the temperature coefficient   0.0039 [o C 1 ] .
Determine the resistance of a 10[m]-long copper wire of diameter 0.2[mm] at temperature (a)
T  30o C (b) T  40o C .

ANS
(a) At T  30o C
1
  5.8  107 1  0.0039  30  20    7.21  107 [S/m]

Resistance is
L 10
R   4.42 []
S 7.21  107    104 2 
 

(b) At T  40o C
1
  5.8  107 1  0.0039  40  20    5.38  107 [S/m]

Resistance is
L 10
R   5.92 []
S 5.38  107    104 2 
 

4-11 Consider two concentric, perfectly conducting spheres of radii a and b as shown in Fig. 4-11. The space in
between is filled with a lossy dielectric of conductivity  and permittivity . This lossy capacitor has been
charged to Qo [C] and, at time t  0 , disconnected from the source. Find the current density in the gap for
t  0 , ignoring the electromagnetic induction that may be caused by the time-varying current.

Problems chapter 4 |6
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

Fig. 4-11 Two concentric spheres filled with a lossy dielectric(Problem 4-11)

ANS
Charges are uniform on the spheres, having spherical symmetry. The electric field in the gap is
Q t 
E aR a  R  b 
4R 2

Current density is
Q t 
J  E  aR (1)
4R 2

v
From the equation of continuity,   J   , we have
t
Q t 

S
J  ds  
t
(2)

Inserting (1) into (2)

Q(t ) Q t  
4R 2
 4R 2    Qt(t ) 
t


Q t 

The solution for Q(t ) is

  
Q t   Qo exp   t  (3)
  

Inserting (3) in (1)

Qo et /
J aR
4R 2

4-12 A cylindrical capacitor of length L consists of two concentric, perfectly conducting cylindrical surfaces of
radii a and c as shown in Fig. 4-12. The gap is filled with two different lossy dielectrics: ( 1 and 1 ) for
a    b and ( 2 and 2 ) for b    c . It is connected to a voltage source of Vo [V] . Find (a) current
density (b) resistance between two conductors.

Problems chapter 4 |7
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

Fig. 4-12 Cylindrical capacitor filled with two different materials(Problems 4-12, 4-13)

ANS
(a) Ignoring the edge effects, the system has cylindrical symmetry, and translational symmetry in the z-direction:
V is independent of  and z. Laplace’s equation reduces to
1   V 
 0
    

By solving Laplace’s equation in each region, we get

V  c1 ln   c 2 (a    b )
V  c1 ln   c 2 (b    c )

Electric fields are

c1
E1  V   a (a    b )

c1
E2   a (b    c )


Current density in each region is

c1
J1  1E1  1 a (a    b ) (1)

c
J2  2 E 2  2 1 a (b    c ) (2)


At the interface at   b , the boundary condition for J is J1  J2 .

From (1) and (2), we get
1c1  2c1 (3)

Potential difference between two conductors is

a b
Vo    E1  dl   E 2  dl  c1 ln a / b   c1 ln b / c  (4)
b c

From (3) and (4) we get

Problems chapter 4 |8
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

Vo
c1 
ln a / b   ( 1 / 2 ) ln b / c 

( 1 / 2 )Vo
c1 
ln a / b   ( 1 / 2 ) ln b / c 

Current densities are

1Vo 1
J1  1E1   a (a    b )
ln a / b   ( 1 / 2 ) ln b / c  
1Vo 1
J 2  2 E 2   a (b    c )
ln a / b   ( 1 / 2 ) ln b / c  

(b) Total current at   a is

2L 1Vo
I  J1 2a L =  [ A]
ln a / b   (1 / 2 ) ln b / c 

The resistance is
V ln b / a  ln c / b 
R o   [ ]
I 21L 22L

4-13 When the cylindrical capacitor shown in Fig. 4-12 was disconnected from the source at time t  to , a net
charge of Qo [C] was observed on the inner conductor. Find the current density between two conductors for
t  to .

ANS
Assume that the surface charge densities a t  at   a and b t  at   b are uniform at all times

(a) (A) In the region a    b

From Gauss’s law
aa
21E1  2a a  E1 
1

Current density is
1aa
J1  1E1  a (1)
1

From the equation of continuity

 2  z L d  2  z L
 0 z 0
J1  ad dz  
dt 
 0 
z 0
a ad dz (2)

Inserting (1) into (2)

1aa d d 
2 L  2a L a  a   1 a (3)
1 dt dt 1

Solving (3)
  1 /1 t Qo
e  1 1
  / t
a (t )  oe  [C/m2 ] (4)
2 a L

Inserting (4) into (1)

Problems chapter 4 |9
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

1 Qo
e  1 1  a
  / t
J1  [A/m2 ]
1 2L

(B) In the region b    c

From Gauss’s law
a a  bb
22E 2  2a a  2bb  E2 
 2

Current density is
a a  bb
J 2  2 E 2  2 a (5)
 2

From the equation of continuity

d  2  z L
 bd dz 
 2  z L  2  z  L
 0 
z 0
J2  ad dz  
dt 
  0 z  0
a ad dz  
 0 z  0 b 
(6)

Inserting (5) into (6)

a a  bb d
2   a a  bb  (7)
2 dt

Rewriting (7), with the aid of (4),

d b     Qo
e  1 1
  / t
b  b 2 b  a  2  1  (8)
dt 2 
 2 1  2  a L

A general solution of (8)

Qo
b t   c1e
  2 /2 t
e  1 1
  / t

2 b L

Applying the initial condition, b t  0   0

Qo
b t   e   2 /2 t  e   1/1 t  [C/m2 ] (9)
2 b L  

Using (4) and (9) into (5), the current density is

 2 Qo
e  2 2  a
  / t
J2  [A/m 2 ]
2 2L

4-14 Two parallel conducting plates of an area S coincide with the z  d and z  0 planes. Two plates are
maintained at potentials V  Vo and V  0 , respectively, and the gap in between is filled with an
inhomogeneous material of conductivity   o 1   z / d  . Ignoring the edge effects, find
(a) current density
(b) electric field
(c) resistance between two conductors

ANS
Current is continuous through the gap. Let J  J o az , where J o is constant.
Electric field in the gap is

P r o b l e m s c h a p t e r 4 | 10
 Proprietary of Prof. Lee, Yeon Ho, 2014

J Jo
E  az
 o 1   z / d 

Potential difference between two conductors

z d z d Jo
Vo    E  dl   dz
z 0 z 0
o 1   z / d 
z d


2dJ o
o
1  z / d  
2dJ o
o
 2 1 
z 0

Thus
o
J o  Vo
2d  2 1 
oVo
Current density in the gap : J az [ A / m 2 ]
0.83d
J Vo
Electric field intensity in the gap : E  az [V / m ]
 0.83d 1   z / d 
oVo S
Total current : I   J  ds  
0.83d
[A]

V 0.83d
Resistance : R o  [ ]
I o S

4-15 The z  0 plane is an interface between two lossy dielectrics: ( 1 and 1 ) for z  0 and ( 2 and 2 ) for
z  0 . A uniform current density J1  2 ay  3 az [A/m 2 ] exists in the region z  0 . Find
(a) J2 in the region z  0
(b) electric fields in both regions
(c) surface charge density at the interface

ANS
(a) From the boundary condition for J
J2n  J1n  3
J 2t J 2 2
 1t   J 2t  2
2 1 1 1

Thus
2
J2  2 ay  3 az [A/m2 ]
1

J1 1
(b) E1  
1 1
2 ay  3 az  [V/m]
J2 2 3
E2   ay  az [V/m]
2 1 2

  
(c) s  D2n  D1n  3  2  1  [C/m2 ]
 2 1 

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4-16 A parallel-plate capacitor has two conducting plates of an area S, which are separated by a lossy dielectric of
thickness d, conductivity  and permittivity . The capacitor has been fully charged to a voltage V  Vo by a
voltage source, which is then disconnected at time t  0 . Find, for t  0 ,
(a) charge density on the conductor
(b) power dissipated in the dielectric
(c) Show that the total energy expended in the dielectric equals the total energy stored in the capacitor at
t  0.

ANS
(a) At t  0 ,
Vo
Electric field in the gap : E az
d
Vo
Surface charge density on the conductor : s  Dn   (1)
d

For t  0 , s decreases with time

s (t )
Electric field due to s (t ) : E az

s (t )
Current density : J  E   az (2)


J should satisfy the equation of continuity on the upper conductor

d
SJ    S s (t ) (3)
dt

Inserting (2) into (3), and using (1) as initial condition

 d  t  V
s t    s  s (t )   o e   /t (4)
 dt d

(b) For t  0 , surface charge s (t ) in (4) produces

Vo  /t
E e az
d
V  / t
J  E   o e   az
d

Dissipated power
S  2 2 /t
P  
V
E  J dv 
d
Vo e

(c) Total energy expended in the dielectric

t  S 2 2 /t 1  S 
W   Pdt  
t 0 d
Vo e dt    Vo2
2 d 
(5)

1
The result in (5) can be rewritten as W  CVo2 , which is the energy stored in the capacitor at t  0 .
2

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End of Prob 4

[] A conducting wire of radius a and length l carries a current I, uniform in the cross section, when the conductivity
is s, find the voltage drop along the length of the wire if the wire material has a conductivity of sigma.

[4-9] amorphous silicon of conductivity   3  105 [S / m ] and dielectric constant r  11.8 .

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