Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-year-2-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2025/paper-2/3/c/solution

Use the Green-function representation to integrate over the charged segment:
For , a primitive with respect to is
as direct differentiation verifies using the derivative of inverse tangent. Therefore
This expression is even in , since is even. On , take the continuous limit , with at . The finite segment has a logarithmically growing potential at large distance, but its electric field decays; the boundary condition constrains the field rather than the potential.

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