Past exam of the mathematics course of the year 2 of the natural sciences course of the University of Cambridge 2004 Paper 2 2 Solution Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-10-20
Use Green's second identity in the source coordinate:Take and , the fundamental solution of the Laplace equation satisfying . With localized charge and the decaying potential, the boundary integral tends to zero on expanding spheres. The volume identity then gives , hence the Coulomb potentialConvergence of this integral and a condition fixing the potential at infinity are needed: mere pointwise decay of is not enough, and a harmonic function could otherwise be added. A bounded, compactly supported charge distribution is a sufficient setting for this derivation.
For the disk put . On its axis, every ring of radius is at distance , soFor subtract ; for add . This is the electrostatic potential of a uniformly charged disk with zero potential at infinity. The absolute value is essential for reflection symmetry and the correct behavior on the lower axis.
