Taking Ap physics C this coming year

[WiseGuy]

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@mapletree7

In any case, you need it in order to calculate potentials or fields of continuous charge distributions. Consider a line of charge, and a point a distance h above the left end. Suppose we want to calculate the potential due to the charge distribution at this point. For an arbitrary element dq a distance x from the left end, the distance from the element to the point is r = sqrt( h^2 +x^2). As dV = 1/4\pi \epsilon_0 dq/r and dq = lambda dx, we have an integral of the form 1/sqrt(a^2 + x^2), which requires trig substitution (x = a tan u), or hyperbolic substitution.

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<p>Ah, yes. Trig sub does come up in that case. But it’s definitely not found in the AP E&M syllabus or exam. Those derivations aren’t expected, but a good, rigorous class will probably cover them.</p>