Find the flux!

In a standard Cartesian coordinate system a charge q q is placed at ( 0 , 3 a 2 , 0 ) (0,\frac{\sqrt{3}a}{2},0) . If the absolute value of the flux due to this charge through the region

a 2 < x < 3 a 2 , y = 0 , < z < 0 \frac{a}{2}<x<\frac{3a}{2}, y=0,-\infty<z<0

can be expressed as q C ϵ 0 \displaystyle\frac{q}{C\epsilon_{0}} find C C .


The answer is 24.

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2 solutions

Pranav Arora
Apr 30, 2014

I am sure there is a neater way to this problem but I couldn't figure it out so bashed it with the integrals. :S

Consider a point ( x , 0 , z ) (x,0,z) in the x , z x,z plane. The position of this point wrt ( 0 , 3 a / 2 , 0 ) (0,\sqrt{3}a/2,0) is given by,

r = x i ^ 3 a 2 j ^ + z k ^ \displaystyle \vec{r}=x\hat{i}-\frac{\sqrt{3}a}{2}\hat{j}+z\hat{k}

The electric field at this point due to the charge is given by:

E = k q ( x 2 + 3 a 2 4 + y 2 ) 3 / 2 ( x i ^ 3 a 2 j ^ + z k ^ ) \displaystyle \vec{E}=\frac{kq}{\left(x^2+\frac{3a^2}{4}+y^2\right)^{3/2}}\left(x\hat{i}-\frac{\sqrt{3}a}{2}\hat{j}+z\hat{k}\right)

The flux through the specified region is given by:

ϕ = E d A = a / 2 3 a / 2 0 k q 2 ( x 2 + 3 a 2 4 + z 2 ) 3 / 2 ( x i ^ 3 a 2 j ^ + z k ^ ) ( d z d x ( j ^ ) ) \displaystyle \phi=\oint \vec{E}\cdot \vec{dA}=\int_{a/2}^{3a/2} \int_{-\infty}^0 \frac{kq^2}{\left(x^2+\frac{3a^2}{4}+z^2\right)^{3/2}}\left(x\hat{i}-\frac{\sqrt{3}a}{2}\hat{j}+z\hat{k}\right)\cdot \left(dz\,dx\,(-\hat{j})\right)

ϕ = a / 2 3 a / 2 0 3 a k q 2 2 ( x 2 + 3 a 2 4 + z 2 ) 3 / 2 d z d x \displaystyle \Rightarrow \phi=\int_{a/2}^{3a/2} \int_{-\infty}^0 \frac{\sqrt{3}akq^2}{2\left(x^2+\frac{3a^2}{4}+z^2\right)^{3/2}}\,dz\,dx

Solving the above definite integral gives:

ϕ = q 24 ϵ 0 \phi=\boxed{\dfrac{q}{24\epsilon_0}}

@Karthik Kannan : Can you give a few hints about the "neater" method? :)

Pranav Arora - 7 years, 1 month ago

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Hint: Consider an "infinite hexagonal prism" of side length a a with the charge placed at its centre (I hope you can understand what I mean as I do not know how to put a diagram) : )

Karthik Kannan - 7 years, 1 month ago

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Did you write the aits held on sunday? This was one of my fav qs in the paper :)

Chandramouli Chowdhury - 7 years, 1 month ago

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@Chandramouli Chowdhury I did write it and got this one wrong due to a silly mistake !

Karthik Kannan - 7 years, 1 month ago

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@Karthik Kannan Hmmm, sad luck :( Are you studing in fiitjee hyderabad?

Chandramouli Chowdhury - 7 years, 1 month ago

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@Chandramouli Chowdhury Oh, no I study in IITian's PACE, Mumbai.

Karthik Kannan - 7 years, 1 month ago

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@Karthik Kannan Oh... Nyways nice prob. :)

Chandramouli Chowdhury - 7 years, 1 month ago

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@Chandramouli Chowdhury Thanks ! : )

Karthik Kannan - 7 years, 1 month ago

the charge isn't at the center , rather it is on the edge of the hexagon

Gourab De - 7 years, 1 month ago

Same here man, I was trying to find a nice way to do it, but I couldn't so I just set up an enormous integral and found the answer. Maybe there are some advanced E&M method for handling asymmetric cases like this that we don't know about.

Milly Choochoo - 6 years, 11 months ago
Aryan Goyat
Apr 19, 2016

@Gauri shankar Mishra
1)you should take a cuboidal guassian surface.with one side as provide and other a/2<x<3a/2,y=root(3)a/2 and -oo<z<0 i hope you could imagine it.

2) the flux because of this is 0,the one which is at infinity is zero and the other which is parallel to it is zero.also net flux is zero. so difference of flux due to other 2 left will give us the flux due to mentioned surface.

flux(A) can be determined by imagining an equilateral triangular prism .imagining a as half of one side of prism ={q/2e}(1/6)

flux of B by hexagonal prism. .imagining a as half of one side of prism ={q/2e}(1/12) difference =q/24e

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