Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/prelims/mathematics-v-resit/question-7/b/iii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2015 Prelims Mathematics V resit Question 7 b iii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Use source spherical coordinates with radius , polar angle measured from the positive -axis, and azimuth . The lower half of the spherical shell has , , and . Its volume element is . At the observation point , , the separation is , soThe angular integral is elementary: put to obtainWe used since both are positive. HenceThus the axial potential of a uniform hemispherical shell, at every point of the positive -axis, isThere is no need to split into , , and : the observation point is outside the lower hemisphere in all three cases. As checks, as , and at large ,The last factor is exactly the total mass of the lower half of the spherical shell.
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