Section 26.7 An Atomic Description of Dielectrics
52. A detector of radiation called a Geiger tube consists of a
closed, hollow, conducting cylinder with a fine wire along its
axis. Suppose that the internal diameter of the cylinder is
2.50 cm and that the wire along the axis has a diameter of
0.200 mm. The dielectric strength of the gas between the
central wire and the cylinder is 1.20 * 106 V/m. Calculate
the maximum potential difference that can be applied
between the wire and the cylinder before breakdown occurs
in the gas.