Page:A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism - Volume 1.djvu/195

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V=\frac{Aa-Bb}{a-b}+\frac{A-B}{a^{-1}-b^{-1}}r^{-1}.

R=-\frac{dV}{dr}=\frac{A-B}{a^{-1}-b^{-1}}r^{-2}

If \sigma_{1},\ \sigma_{2} are the surface-densities on the opposed surfaces of a solid sphere of radius a, and a spherical hollow of radius b, then

\sigma_{1}=\frac{1}{4\pi a^{2}}\frac{A-B}{a^{-1}-b^{-1}},\ \sigma_{2}=\frac{1}{4\pi b^{2}}\frac{B-A}{a^{-1}-b^{-1}}.

If E_1 and E_2 be the whole charges of electricity on these surfaces,

E_{1}=4\pi a^{2}\sigma_{1}=\frac{A-B}{a^{-1}-b^{-1}}=-E_{2}.

The capacity of the enclosed sphere is therefore \frac{ab}{b-a}.

If the outer surface of the shell be also spherical and of radius c, then, if there are no other conductors in the neighbourhood, the charge on the outer surface is

E_{3}=Bc.\,

Hence the whole charge on the inner sphere is

E_{1}=\frac{ab}{b-a}(A-b),

and that of the outer

E_{2}+E_{3}=\frac{ab}{b-a}(B-A)+Bc

If we put b=\infty, we have the case of a sphere in an infinite space. The electric capacity of such a sphere is a, or it is numerically equal to its radius.

The electric tension on the inner sphere per unit of area is

p=\frac{1}{8\pi}\frac{b^{2}}{a^{2}}\frac{(A-B)^{2}}{(b-a)^{2}}.

The resultant of this tension over a hemisphere is \pi a^{2}p=F normal to the base of the hemisphere, and if this is balanced by a surface tension exerted across the circular boundary of the hemisphere, the tension on unit of length being T, we have

F=2\pi aT.

Hence

\begin{array}{l}
F=\frac{b^{2}}{8}\frac{(A-B)^{2}}{(b-a)^{2}}=\frac{E_{1}^{2}}{8a^{2}},\\
\\T=\frac{b^{2}}{16\pi a}\frac{(A-B)^{2}}{(b-a)^{2}}.\end{array}