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Lecture 4 Gauss' Law.pdf

Lecture 4 covers Gauss' Law, which relates the net electric flux through a closed surface to the charge enclosed within that surface. It discusses electric charge, electric flux, and the behavior of charges, including the properties of conductors in electrostatic equilibrium. The lecture emphasizes the application of Gauss's Law in determining electric fields for symmetric charge distributions.

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33 views30 pages

Lecture 4 Gauss' Law.pdf

Lecture 4 covers Gauss' Law, which relates the net electric flux through a closed surface to the charge enclosed within that surface. It discusses electric charge, electric flux, and the behavior of charges, including the properties of conductors in electrostatic equilibrium. The lecture emphasizes the application of Gauss's Law in determining electric fields for symmetric charge distributions.

Uploaded by

breech edubas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LECTURE 4

GAUSS’
LAW
Lecture 4:
Gauss’ Law

A. Charge and Electric Flux


B. Gauss’s Law
C. Application of Guass’s Law
D. Charges on conductors
Electric Charge
DEFINITION:
One of the fundamental representations of electricity.
Electric charge can be defined as a fundamental property of subatomic
particles that gives rise to the phenomenon of experiencing force in the
presence of electric and magnetic fields. These fields exert influence on
charged particles, resulting in observable effects.
TYPES:

Positive Charge: represents by protons (+)


Negative Charge: represents by electrons (-)
BEHAVIOR:
Opposite charges attract each other, Like charges repel each other
Electric Charges: Source of Electric Field
Electric Flux
A property of an electric field defined as the number of electric lines of force (or
electric field lines) that intersect a given
Electrical area.

A measurement of the electric field passing through a given surface.


It is a way of describing the strength of an electric field at any distance from
the charge causing the field.
2
Nm
SYMBOL: Φ(phi) UNIT:
C
Electric Flux:
Open Surface
the surface is perpendicular to the electric
field.

Φ
E= Φ= EA
A

where,
Φ - Electrical Flux
E - Electrical Field
A - Surface Area
Electric Flux:
Open Surface
the surface is not perpendicular to the
electric field.

Φ
E =Acosθ Φ= EAcosθ

where,
Φ - Electrical Flux
E - Electrical Field
A - Surface Area
θ - angle between area and electric field
Electric Flux:
Open Surface
the surface is parallel to the electric field.

Φ= EAcos90 Φ= 0

where,
Φ - Electrical Flux
E - Electrical Field
A - Surface Area
θ - angle between area and electric field
θ

θ=0 θ = 0-90 θ = 90

(Φ) Electric Flux is at maximum (Φ) Electric Flux is between minimum and maximum (Φ) Electric Flux is zero
Electric Flux: Closed Surface

closed surface divides space into an “inside” region and an “outside” region
it is not possible to cross from one side to other without crossing the surface.
Electric Flux: Closed Surface

(Φ)Electric Flux is Negative (Φ)Electric Flux is Zero

(Φ)Electric Flux is Positive


Electric Flux: Closed Surface

Area is always pointiing from inside to outside of a closed surface.


Electric Flux: Closed Surface
Example: Surface 1: left side Surface 2: left side
Φ = ∫EdA = ∫E dA cos θ Φ = ∫EdA = ∫E dA cos θ
= ∫EdA cos 180 = ∫EdA cos 0
(6) = ∫EdA (-1) = ∫EdA (+1)
(1) (4) = -E∫dA = +E∫dA
= -EA = +EA
(3)
(2) Surface 3,4,5and6: Total flux:
(5) Φ = ∫EdA = ∫E dA cos θ Φ = ∫EdA = -EA + EA + 0 + 0 + 0 + 0
= ∫EdA cos 90 =0
= ∫EdA (0)
=0

NOTE: the flux is zero since the charge is outside the surface
Gauss’ Law
It states that the net flux of an electric field in a
closed surface is directly proportional to the
enclosed electric charge.
It was initially formulated by Carl Friedrich Gauss
q
in the year 1835 and relates the electric fields at
the points on a closed surface and the net
charge enclosed by that surface.
Formula

∫
qenc
Φ= EdA =
ε0 CARL FRIEDRICH GAUSS
q
Example:

Total flux:

qenc 30 x 10 - 6
Φ= = = 3.39 x106 Nm2/C
q
ε 0 8.85 x 10 -12

Flux on each side:


6
3.39 x 10
Φ= = 5.65 x105 Nm2/C
q=30 µC 6
Gauss’ Surface
The Gaussian surface is known as a closed
surface in three-dimensional space such that the
q
flux of a vector field is calculated. These vector
fields can either be the gravitational field or the
electric field or the magnetic field.
Symmetry
Gauss's law is useful for finding the electric field
easily only when there is a high level of symmetry
q
to simplify the surface integral involved in
calculating the electric flux in terms of the
electric field and the area vector.
Application of Gauss’s Law to
Various Charge Distribution

Gauss’s Law is useful for determining electric fields when charge distribution is
highly symmetric.
Hence, when using Gauss’s Law it must satisfy one of these conditions:
1. The value of the electric field can be argued by symmetry to be a constant over the
portion of the surface.
2. The dot product of ∮E⋅dA can be expressed as a simple algebraic product EdA
because E and dA are parallel.
3. The dot product in the equation ∮E⋅dA is zero because E and dA are
perpendicular.
4. The electric field iszero over the portion of the surface.
A Spherically Symmetric Charge
Distribution

An insulating solid sphere of radius a has a uniform


volume charge density and carries a total positive
charge Q. Calculate the magnitude of the electric
field at a point outside the sphere.
A Cylindrically Symmetric Charge Find the electric field a distance r from a line of
Distribution positive charge infinite length and constant charge
per unit length λ.
Charges on Conductor

01 What is a Conductor?
Conductors are characterized by having a high
density of free electrons that can move easily
within the material in response to an electric field.
Charges on
conductor
Conductors in electrostatic
equilibrium

1. Electric field = 0 inside the conductor;


2. Excess charges are on the surface.
3. Electric field line are
i) perpendicular to the surface
ii) has magnitude
Thank
you!
References:
“Electric Flux.” n.d. https://www.deanza.edu/faculty/lunaeduardo/documents/ElectricFluxandGausssLaw.pdf

“Electric Field” n.d. https://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/PY106/Electricfield.html

“Electric Field Lines: Multiple Charges”. Physics. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-physics/chapter/18-5-


electric-field-lines-multiple-charges/

“Why surface normal is used while defining flux through an open surface” July 17, 2017. PHYSICS.
https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/346144/why-surface-normal-is-used-while-defining-flux-
through-an-open-surface

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