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Energy flow from a wire ** A very thin straight wire carries a constant current \(I\) from infinity radially inward to a spherical conducting shell with radius \(R\). The increase in the charge on the shell causes the electric field in the surrounding space to increase, which means that the energy density increases. This implies that there must be a flow of energy from somewhere. This "somewhere" is the wire. Verify that the total flux of the Poynting vector away from a thin tube surrounding the wire equals the rate of change of the energy stored in the electric field. (You can assume that the radius of the wire is much smaller than the radius of the tube, which in turn is much smaller than the radius of the shell.)

Short Answer

Expert verified
The verification shows a discrepancy as the total flux of the Poynting vector away from the thin tube, which is zero, doesn't equate the rate of change of energy stored in the electric field, which is non-zero. Hence, the statement is not correct.

Step by step solution

01

Specify Key Elements

The wire carrying the current \(I\) produces a magnetic field \(B = \mu_0 I / 2\pi r\) in the radial direction. We know that the electric field E in the region away from the conducting shell is \(E = \frac{dQ}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r^2}\). Here, \(\epsilon_0\) is the vacuum permittivity and \(Q\) is the charge on the spherical conducting shell and is varying with time as \(Q = It\).
02

Calculate the Poynting vector

The Poynting vector \(S\) which represents the energy flux is given by, \( S = \frac{1}{\mu_0}E \times B\). As both E and B are in the radial direction, their cross product is zero. So the Poynting vector is zero.
03

Evaluate the rate of change of the energy

The energy stored in the electric field inside a sphere of radius \(r\) is given by \(U =\frac{1}{2}\epsilon_0 E^2 4\pi r^2\). Use the value of \(E= \frac{dQ}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r^2}\) in the above expression and differentiate with respect to time \(t\). We get \( \frac{dU}{dt} = \frac{I^2 }{2 c^2 r^2}\) where \(c = 1/\sqrt{\mu_0\epsilon_0}\) is the speed of light.
04

Compare Results

By comparing the results from step 2 and step 3, we observe a discrepancy. The Poynting vector is zero, but the rate of change of energy density is non-zero.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Magnetic Field Around a Wire

Every current-carrying wire generates a magnetic field around it. This is a fundamental concept in both physics and electrical engineering that springs from Ampere's Law. For a straight, long conductor with current flow, this field has a circular shape, with the wire at its center. The strength of the magnetic field decreases with distance from the wire. It can be described mathematically by the formula \( B = \frac{\mu_0 I}{2\pi r} \), where \(B\) is the magnetic field, \(\mu_0\) is the magnetic constant or permeability of free space, \(I\) is the current in amperes, and \(r\) is the radial distance from the wire.

Understanding the behavior of the magnetic field in relation to the current and distance from the wire is pivotal for many applications, including electrical transmissions and the design of coils in motors and transformers.

Electric Field of a Spherical Shell

The electric field created by a charged spherical shell is an essential concept in electrostatics. A spherical conducting shell with a net charge will produce an electric field both inside and outside its surface. The simplicity of a spherical geometry allows for the electric field to be easily calculated using Gauss's Law. Outside the shell, the electric field at a distance \(r\) from the center of the shell is equivalent to that of a point charge and is given by \(E = \frac{dQ}{4\pi\epsilon_0 r^2} \), where \(\epsilon_0\) is the permittivity of free space and \(Q\) is the charge of the shell.

Interestingly, inside the shell, the electric field is zero regardless of the charge on the shell. This phenomenon is a consequence of the shell's symmetry and results in electric field lines being entirely perpendicular to the shell's surface, leading to what is known as electrostatic shielding.

Energy Flow in Electromagnetic Systems

The concept of energy flow in electromagnetic systems is captivated by the Poynting vector, denoted as \(S\). The Poynting vector represents the directional energy flux (the rate of energy transfer per unit area) in an electromagnetic field. It is calculated by the cross-product of the electric field \(E\) and the magnetic field \(B\), given by \(S = \frac{1}{\mu_0}E \times B \). This vectorial quantity points in the direction that electromagnetic energy is flowing and its magnitude equates to the power per unit area.

In many applications, the Poynting vector is used to calculate the power delivered to or radiated from antennas, the energy flow in power lines, and the overall behavior of energy in fields. However, in scenarios where the two fields are parallel or antiparallel, such as in a direct current within a wire, their cross product, and thus the Poynting vector, becomes zero, indicating no flow of energy within the electromagnetic field in the given conditions.

Energy Stored in Electric Field

Energy storage within an electric field is a critical concept, especially in the context of capacitors in circuits. The energy stored in an electric field can be visualized as the energy required to build up the electric field itself. For an electric field \(E\), the energy density (energy per unit volume) is given by \(u = \frac{1}{2}\epsilon_0 E^2\).

To complete the picture for a spherical shell, if we consider a sphere of radius \(r\) in which the shell creates an electric field, the total energy stored within that field is obtained by integrating the energy density over all space. Therefore, the energy \(U\) stored in the electric field inside a sphere of radius \(r\) is given by \(U = \frac{1}{2}\epsilon_0 E^2 4\pi r^2\), which indicates not just an association but a direct dependence between the energy stored in the electric field and the square of the electric field magnitude.

This stored energy has real-world implications, such as influencing the electric potential and the force on charges within the field, which translates into practical applications like the functioning of a pacemaker or the flash in a camera.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Energy flow in a capacitor ** A capacitor is charged by having current flow in a thin straight wire from the middle of one circular plate to the middle of the other (as opposed to wires coming in from infinity, as in the example in Section 9.6.2). The electric field inside the capacitor increases, so the energy density also increases. This implies that there must be a flow of energy from somewhere. As in Problem 9.10, this "somewhere" is the wire. Verify that the flux of the Poynting vector away from the wire equals the rate of change of the energy stored in the field. (Of course, we would need to place a battery somewhere along the wire to produce the current flow, and this battery is where the energy flow originates. See Galili and Goihbarg (2005).)

Reflected wave ** A sinusoidal wave is reflected at the surface of a medium whose properties are such that half the incident energy is absorbed. Consider the field that results from the superposition of the incident and the reflected wave. An observer stationed somewhere in this field finds the local electric field oscillating with a certain amplitude \(E\). What is the ratio of the largest such amplitude noted by any observer to the smallest amplitude noted by any observer? (This is called the voltage standing wave ratio, or, in laboratory jargon, VSWR.)

Find the wave \(*\) Write out formulas for \(\mathbf{E}\) and \(\mathbf{B}\) that specify a plane electromagnetic sinusoidal wave with the following characteristics. The wave is traveling in the direction \(-\hat{\mathbf{x}}\); its frequency is 100 megahertz (MHz), or \(10^{8}\) cycles per second; the electric field is perpendicular to the \(\hat{\mathbf{z}}\) direction.

A charge and a half-infinite wire A half-infinite wire carries current \(I\) from negative infinity to the origin, where it builds up at a point charge with increasing \(q\) (so \(d q / d t=I\) ). Consider the circle shown in Fig. 9.12, which has radius \(b\) and subtends an angle \(2 \theta\) with respect to the charge. Calculate the integral \(\int \mathbf{B} \cdot d \mathbf{s}\) around this circle. Do this in three ways. (a) Find the B field at a given point on the circle by using the BiotSavart law to add up the contributions from the different parts of the wire. (b) Use the integrated form of Maxwell's equation (that is, the generalized form of Ampère's law including the displacement current), $$ \int_{C} \mathbf{B} \cdot d \mathbf{s}=\mu_{0} I+\mu_{0} \epsilon_{0} \int_{S} \frac{\partial \mathbf{E}}{\partial t} \cdot d \mathbf{a} $$ with \(S\) chosen to be a surface that is bounded by the circle and doesn't intersect the wire, but is otherwise arbitrary. (You can invoke the result from Problem 1.15.) (c) Use the same strategy as in (b), but now let \(S\) intersect the wire.

Spherically symmetric current A spherically symmetric (and constant) current density flows radially inward to a spherical shell, causing the charge on the shell to increase at the constant rate \(d Q / d t\). Verify that Maxwell's equation, \(\nabla \times \mathbf{B}=\mu_{0} \mathbf{J}+\mu_{0} \epsilon_{0} \partial \mathbf{E} / \partial t\), is satisfied at points outside the shell.

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