[Physics] Electric field due to a line charge

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From the image you can see that i've attemted to calculate electric field due to a straight conductor at a point P ,to which the perpendicular distance is r, in three ways .
1) I'm integrating with respect to $d\theta$ from $-\beta$ to $\alpha$ .
2) Again integrating with respect to $d\theta$ but now from 0 to $\alpha + \beta$ .
3) Integrating with respect to distance $dx$ .
If we apply the condition for infinite wire i.e. ($\alpha$ = $\beta$ = 90$^o$ or l=infinity) only the first method gives the right answer. Can anyone help me figure out what is wrong with method 2 and 3.

I've calculated only perpendicular component . Although there is a horizontal component , that should not make any change in the result for infinite condition, which happens here.electric field due to a line charge

Best Answer

I think this solution will answer all of your questions. Note here that $k=1/(4\pi\epsilon_0)$. The electric field $\vec{E}$ for any given charge density distribution $\rho(\vec{r}')$ is

\begin{align} \vec{E}(\vec{r}) = \frac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\int \rho(\vec{r}')\frac{\vec{r}-\vec{r}'}{|\vec{r}-\vec{r}'|^3}d^3r'\,, \end{align}

where $\vec{r}$ is the vector pointing from the origin to the point at which the field is to be calculated (in your case, pointing to point $P$) and $\vec{r}'$ is the vector pointing from the origin to the distribution of charge, which will be integrated over. Placing the origin of the cylindrical coordinate system $(r,\phi,z)$ on the line of charge directly to the left of point $P$, then point $P$ is at $\vec{r}=r\,\hat{r}$. The line charge runs along the $z$-axis such that a general point on the line charge is denoted by $\vec{r}'=z\,\hat{z}$. The origin is intentionally placed such that $\vec{r}\perp\vec{r}'$, which will be very useful.

Since this is a line charge with linear charge density $\lambda$, then the differential charge volume element $dq=\rho(\vec{r}')\,d^3r'$ reduces to $dq=\lambda\,dz$. The electric field now is:

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) = \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\int_{-a}^b \frac{r\,\hat{r}-z\,\hat{z}}{|r\hat{r}-z\hat{z}|^3}dz\,. \end{align}

Here $-a$ and $b$ are the endpoints of the line charge on the $z$-axis, which can be taken to infinity later if desired. Now, recall that $\vec{r}\perp\vec{r}'$. This means that a right-triangle has been formed between point $P$ at $\vec{r}=r\,\hat{r}$, the origin, and the general point $\vec{r}'=z\,\hat{z}$ on the line charge. This means that the distance been $\vec{r}$ and $\vec{r}'$ (that is, the hypotenuse of the right triangle) is given by:

\begin{align} |r\,\hat{r}-z\,\hat{z}| = (r^2 + z^2)^{1/2}\,. \end{align}

Now the integral becomes

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) = \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\int_{-a}^b \frac{r\,\hat{r}-z\,\hat{z}}{(r^2 + z^2)^{3/2}}dz\,. \end{align}

Here we can define the angle $\theta$ in the right-triangle such that $\tan{\theta}=\frac{z}{r}$, which allows us to make the trig substitution $z=r\tan{\theta}$, where $dz=r\sec^2{\theta}\,d\theta$. The integral now becomes

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0}\int_{-\alpha}^\beta \frac{r\,\hat{r}-r\tan{\theta}\,\hat{z}}{(r^2 + r^2\tan^2{\theta})^{3/2}}(r\sec^2{\theta}\,d\theta) \\ &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r}\int_{-\alpha}^\beta \frac{\hat{r}-\tan{\theta}\,\hat{z}}{(1 + \tan^2{\theta})^{3/2}}\sec^2{\theta}\,d\theta\,. \end{align}

Using the trig identity $1 + \tan^2{\theta}=\sec^2{\theta}$, the integral reduces to

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r}\int_{-\alpha}^\beta \frac{\hat{r}-\tan{\theta}\,\hat{z}}{\sec{\theta}}d\theta \\ &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r}\int_{-\alpha}^\beta \left[\cos{\theta}\,\hat{r}-\sin{\theta}\,\hat{z}\right]d\theta \\ &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r} \left[\sin{\theta}\,\hat{r}+\cos{\theta}\,\hat{z} \right]_{-\alpha}^\beta\,, \end{align}

where $\alpha=\arctan{\left(\frac{a}{r}\right)}$ and $\beta=\arctan{\left(\frac{b}{r}\right)}$. At this point, you can either keep the integral in terms of $\theta$ and evaluate it at $\alpha$ and $\beta$, or switch it back to the original variable $z$. If you choose to switch, one obtains:

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) &= \frac{\lambda}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r} \left[\frac{z\,\hat{r}}{(r^2+z^2)^{1/2}}+\frac{r\,\hat{z}}{(r^2+z^2)^{1/2}} \right]_{-a}^b\,, \end{align}

given that $\sin{\theta}=\frac{z}{(r^2+z^2)^{1/2}}$ and $\cos{\theta}=\frac{r}{(r^2+z^2)^{1/2}}$. Either way, when taken to infinity the integral gives the desired result:

\begin{align} \vec{E}(r) = \frac{\lambda\,\hat{r}}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r} \left[1+1 \right] = \frac{\lambda\,\hat{r}}{2\pi\epsilon_0 r} = \frac{2k\lambda}{r}\hat{r}\,. \end{align}

Hope this helps.

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