Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 314 3 b Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
Use the poloidal magnetic flux function convention , so is magnetic flux up to a reference constant. Its poloidal magnetic field components areThe prescribed surface flux therefore givesThe constant offset does not affect either field component. If instead denotes the full physical flux rather than flux divided by , both component formulas acquire a common factor; the subsequent logarithmic derivative relation is unchanged.
The Gauss's law for magnetism constraint is . Since is constant with radius on the surface, it gives the power-law poloidal field near a disk surface relationFor a smooth one-sided field above the surface, . Thus the field initially decreases with height if , increases if , and has zero first height derivative if .