Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2017/ib/paper-3/17c/i/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2017 ib Paper 3 17C i Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-05
Let the smaller charge be at and the other charge be at , where ; an overall sign reversal changes no zero-potential locus. Put . The electrostatic potential vanishes exactly when . Completing the square gives the Apollonius sphereThe distances from its center to the charge positions are and . Thus it encloses exactly the charge of smaller magnitude. Unequal magnitudes are essential: the equal-magnitude case instead gives the perpendicular bisector plane.
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