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Homework Statement
"A conical surface (an empty ice-cream cone) carries a uniform surface charge [tex]\sigma[/tex]. The height of the cone is h, as is the radius of the top. Find the potential at the centre of the top, taking infinity as reference point." - Griffiths
My result for the potential differs from the answer's. Can someone please check my solution
Homework Equations
[tex]V = \iint_S \frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_0}\frac{\sigma}{x} dS[/tex], where [tex]x[/tex] is the distance from the source to the point.
The Attempt at a Solution
My diagram is in the attached picture.
First off, I used cylindrical coordinates with the equation z = r, z > 0 to graph the cone
I found [tex]dS = \sqrt{2}zdA[/tex]
The distance from any point on the cone to the origin is [tex]\sqrt{2} z[/tex], so using the cosine law,
[tex]x = \sqrt{2z^2-2hz+h^2}[/tex]
So we have
[tex]V = \int_0^h\int_0^{2\pi} \frac{1}{4\pi \epsilon_0} \frac{\sigma}{\sqrt{2z^2-2hz+h^2}} \sqrt{2}z d\theta dz=\frac{\sigma h}{4\epsilon}\ln(2\sqrt{2}+3)[/tex]
Answer: [tex]V = \frac{\sigma h}{2\epsilon}\ln(1+\sqrt{2})[/tex]
thanks!