Introduction to Electrodynamics · Problem 3.38

Potentials — David J. Griffiths

Physics · induced-surface-charge

Problem

Here's an alternative derivation of Eq. 3.10 (the surface charge density induced on a grounded conducted plane by a point charge qq a distance dd above the plane). This approach (which generalizes to many other problems) does not rely on the method of images. The total field is due in part to qq, and in part to the induced surface charge. Write down the zz components of these fields—in terms of qq and the as-yet-unknown σ(x,y)\sigma(x,y)—just below the surface. The sum must be zero, of course, because this is inside a conductor. Use that to determine σ\sigma.

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