111Equation Chapter 1 Section 1HW 02 - the law of Gauss: chapter 23: 2, 11, 14, 26, 35, 39, 41,

52. Pool of
problems to study for quiz 2: 23.2, 23.11, 23.14, 23.26, 23.41, 23.39, 23.41 (how would the answers to 23.39
and 23.41 differ for a plastic vs. a metal sheet?), 23.52.


E ( x, y, z )  E xiˆ  e y ( y 2  A0 ) ˆj
where Ex  4.0 C ,
N
•• chapter 23, problem 2: An electric field given by
e y  3.0 C Nm2 A  2.0m 2  ( 12 )2
, and 0 pierces a Gaussian REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT cube of edge
length   2.0m and positioned as shown in the Figure. What is the electric flux through the (a) top face, (b)
bottom face, (c) left face, and (d) back face? (e) What is the net electric flux through the cube?

(a) Looking at the figure, we see that the x-bounds of the cube are x  [1.0m,3.0m]  [ 2 , 2 ] . We have to
1 3

carefully think about what the label “top” means:

z  x  2 
3
    
 top  
top
E ( x, y, z )top  dAtop ; E ( x, y, z )top  E ( x, , z );  top
 thing  dAtop     thing  dz  dx  ( ˆj );
z  0 x  12 
212\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT

A “Gaussian” surface is a closed surface in three-dimensional space. Hence, bubbles, hollow-
cylinders, hollow-cubes are Gaussian surfaces, while cups, jars, toilet-paper-rolls, etc. are non-Gaussian surfaces. The notion of a
surface being Gaussian or not is critical to the notion of flux of a vector field (e.g., gravitational, magnetic, electric, etc.) through the
surface.
 
   E  dA   q /  0  0  8.85 10
12 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2 C2
   qencl Gauss encl N m 2 C2 N m 2
1
C s 2 2
C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
[ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux dx  dy  dz
   ( x, y , z )    ( r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x , y , z    ( r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

 E  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13 Es E2  32 Es    0  A
 z  x 2  z  x  2 
3 3

 top     E iˆ  e ( 
 A0 ) ˆj  dz  dx  ˆj  0  e y (  A0 )   dz  dx
2 2
x y
z 0 x  12  z  0 x  12 

 e y (2  A0 )(  0)( 32   12 )  ey (2  A0 )2  e y (2  ( 1

2
) 2 )2  ey 32 4

 top  (3.0 C Nm2 ) 32 (2.0m) 4  72 CN m 2 ;

313\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

(b) We “rinse-and-repeat” the set of steps in Error: Reference source not found and Error: Reference source not
found.
z  x  2 
3
    
 bot  
bot
E ( x, y, z )bot  dAbot ; E ( x, y , z )bot  E ( x, 0, z );  bot
 thing  dAbot     thing  dz  dx  ( jˆ);
z  0 x  12 

414\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,
z  x  2  z  x  2 
3 3

 bot     E iˆ  e (0 
 A0 ) ˆj  dz  dx  ( ˆj )  0  ey A0   dz  dx  e y A0 2
2
x y
z  0 x  12  z  0 x  12 

 ey ( 1
) 2 2  1
2 ey 4  12 (3.0 C Nm2 )(2.0m)4  24 CN m2 ;
2
515\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

(c) the left-face has,

  z   y 
  
 left   E ( x, y, z )left  dAleft ; E ( x, y, z )left  E ( 12 , y , z );
left  left
 thing  left    thing  dz  dy  (iˆ);
dA 
z 0 y 0

616\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,
z  y  z  y 
 left   
z 0 y 0

Ex iˆ  ey ( y 2  A0 ) ˆj  dz  dy  (iˆ)  Ex (iˆ  (iˆ))   dz  dy  0
z 0 y  0

 Ex (1)(  0)(  0)   Ex 2  (4.0 CN )(2.0m) 2  16 CN m 2 ;

717\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

(d) the back-face has,

x  2  y  3
    
 back  
back
E ( x, y , z )back  dAback ; E ( x, y , z )back  E ( x, y , 0);  back
 thing  dAback     thing  dx  dy  (kˆ);
x  12  y  0

818\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,
x  32  y   x  32  y  

 back   
x  12  y  0
( Ex iˆ  ey ( y 2  A0 ) ˆj )  dx  dy  ( kˆ)     0  0  dx  dy 
x  12  y  0
0;
919\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)
(e) the front-face has,
x  2  y  3
    
 front  
front
E ( x, y , z ) front  dA front ; E ( x, y, z ) front  E ( x, y, );  front
 thing  front    thing  dx  dy  (kˆ);
dA 
x  12  y  0

10110\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,
x  32  y   x  32  y  

 front    ( Exiˆ  e y ( y  A0 ) ˆj )  dx  dy  ( kˆ)     0  0  dx  dy  0 ;

2

x  12  y  0 x  12  y  0
11111\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

 
 back   front  0 dAback , dAfront
In retrospect, it’s easy to see that , because both point in either of the  k̂

directions, while the electric field E it is dotted with is contained in the xy-plane.

The right face has,

  z  y 
  
 right   E ( x, y, z ) right  dAright ; E ( x, y, z ) right  E ( 32 , y, z );
right  right
 thing  dAright     thing  dz  dy  ( iˆ);
z 0 y  0

12112\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

We combine the statements in Error: Reference source not found, and we get,
z  y  z  y 
 left   
z 0 y 0

Ex iˆ  ey ( y 2  A0 ) ˆj  dz  dy  (iˆ)  Ex (iˆ  (iˆ))   dz  dy  0
z 0 y 0

 Ex (1)(  0)(  0)   Ex 2  (4.0 CN )(2.0m) 2  16 CN m 2 ;

13113\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Hence,
   top   bot   left   right   front   back   ey 32 4  12 ey 4  Ex 2  Ex 2  0  0
 ey 4  (3.0 C Nm2 )(2.0m) 4  48 CN m 2 ;
14114\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Going further: We note that we have not used Gauss’s Law; we have just calculated “electric flux”, a thing that
appears in Gauss’s Law. Gauss’s Law, formally, states that the total electric
flux REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT through a Gaussian surface is proportional to the charge it encloses,
where the factor of proportionality REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT is 1/  0 , where 1/  0  4 k ,
   
  qencl ;    E  dA;   qencl /  0 ;   E  dA  qencl /  0 ;
Gauss Gauss
15115\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Combining Error: Reference source not found and Error: Reference source not found, we see that we can
calculate the total charge enclosed by REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT the Gaussian cube,

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT

Looking at Error: Reference source not found, we see that the electric flux  is, in fact, a
 
  qencl    Gauss E  dA   qencl /  0
placeholder variable that disappears on combining the statements , , and .
 0  8.85  10 12 C2
N m 2
k  8.99 10 N 9 m2
C2
C2
N m 2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
[ 0 ]  ; [  0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux dx  dy  dz
   ( x, y , z )    ( r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x , y , z    ( r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r , ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d    (r )  4 r 2dr;
 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

 E  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13Es E2  32 Es    0  A
   E  dA   q /    8.85 1012 NCm2
2

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl encl 0 The quantity 0

Gauss is called
the “permittivity” or “dielectric constant” of free space, and is a more fundamental quantity than Coulomb’s constant (
k  8.99  109 N m2
C2
C2
N m 2
). As indicated, its units are , but they are equivalently “capacitance per meter” (helpful in other (later)
contexts). Some of the useful ways of writing its units are:
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
[ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux

WARNING: In PHYS 2049 units (which you should always retain and manage!) will be more difficult to keep track of.
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13Es E2  32 Es    0  A
E

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl

   E  dA   q /   0  8.85 1012 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2
Gauss encl 0 N m 2 C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
Nobody said the cube didn’t have any charge enclosed in it! Indeed, it is required to, otherwise Gauss’s Law would be violated.
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d     (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d    (r )  4 r 2dr;
sphere r 0  0   0 r
 1  C  N 
qencl   0   (e y 4 )   0e y 4    8.85  10 12 N 2   3.0 2 
(2.0m) 4  4.25 10 10 C ;
4 k  C m  C  m 
16116\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

Chapter 23, problem 11: The Figure shows a Gaussian (closed) surface in the shape of a cube of edge length

  2.00m , with one corner at rc  ( x1 , y1 )  (5.00, 4.00) m  (5.00iˆ  4.00 ˆj ) m , as indicated. The cube lies in a

E ( x, y, z )  Ex iˆ  ey y 2 ˆj  E z kˆ
with Ex  3.00 C ,
N
region where the electric field vector is given by

e y  4.00 C Nm2
, and Ez  3.00 C . What is the net charge contained by the cube?
N

   top   bot   left   right   front   back

The net charge in the cube is given as qencl   0  , where has six
contributions (one from each face of the cube, as before). Setting up the flux-integrals,
x  x1 z   x  x1 z  
 
 front    E ( x1 , y, z )  dy  dz (iˆ);  back    E ( x1  , y , z )  dy  dz (iˆ);
x  x1   z  0 x  x1   z  0
x  x1 z   x  x1 z  
 
 right   
x  x1   z  0
E ( x, y1 , z )  dx  dz ( ˆj );  left    E ( x, y
x  x1   z  0
1  , z )  dx  dz ( ˆj );

x  x1 y  y1 x  x1 y  y1
 
 top    E ( x, y, )  dx  dy (  kˆ);  bot    E ( x, y , 0)  dx  dy ( kˆ);
x  x1   y  y1   x  x1   y  y1  
17117\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Carrying out the integrals in Error: Reference source not found, and using the dot-product operation to simplify
things,
x  x1 z  

 front    ( E (1)  0  0)  dy  dz  ( E )( x  ( x  ))(  0) 

x  x1   z  0
x x 1 1  Ex 2 ;

x  x1 z  

 back    ( E (1)  0  0)  dy  dz  ( E )( x  ( x  ))(  0) 

x  x1   z  0
x x 1 1  Ex 2   front ;
18118\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)
x  x1 z  

 right    (0  e y  0)  dx  dz  ( e y y12 )( x1  ( x1  ))(  0)  ey y12 2 ;

2
y 1
x  x1   z  0
x  x1 z  

 left    (0  e ( y
x  x1   z  0
y 1  ) 2  0)  dx  dz ( ˆj )  (ey ( y1  ) 2 )( x1  ( x1  ))(  0)  ey ( y1  ) 2 2 ;

19119\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

  
  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13 Es E2 
E 2
3 Es    0  A
 x  x1 y  y1

 top   
x  x1   y  y1  
(0  0  Ez (1))  dx  dy  ( Ez )( x1  ( x1  ))( y1  ( y1  ))   E z 2 ;

x  x1 y  y1

 bot   
x  x1   y  y1  
(0  0  Ez (1))  dx  dy  ( E z )( x1  ( x1  ))( y1  ( y1  ))   E z 2   top ;
20120\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Hence, the total charge in the cube is easily calculated as,

qencl   0    0 ( top  ( top )  (ey ( y1  ) 2 2 )  ey y12 2   front  ( front ))
  0 ( y12  ( y1  ) 2 )ey 2   0 (2 y1  )e y 3

qencl  (8.85  1012 C2

)(2(4.00m)  2.00m)( 4.00 C Nm2 )(2.00m)3  1.70  109 C
N m2 21121\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Afterword: Note that the enclosed charge is the total value of the charge! We have no idea how the charge is
distributed! That is, if    ( x, y, z ) was the charge density inside of the cube, Error: Reference source not
found would be the value of the integral REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT ,
x  x1 y  y1 z  

qencl    ( x, y , z )  dx  dy  dz      ( x, y , z )  dx  dy  dz  1.70 10

9
C;
x  x1   y  y1   z  0
cube
22122\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Triple integrals can appear formidable, but they are really just necessitated by the 3 dimensions of a cube.
Often, spheres rather than cubes are considered in electromagnetism problems, because electromagnetic
properties in vacuum and homogeneous materials on the meso-scale or larger are spherically-isotropic, and
calculating integrals over spheres then requires a single integral REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT .

 
REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl
   Gauss  dA   qencl /  0  0  8.85 1012
E C2
N m 2
k  8.99 109 N m2
C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux We
notice that
dx  dy  dz has units of length-cubed (volume), and    ( x, y, z ) has units of Coulombs per unit volume, so the units
in Error: Reference source not found work out.
   ( r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y , z    ( r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

sphere r 0  0   0 r
  
  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13Es E2  32 Es    0  A
E

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl

   E  dA   q /   0  8.85 1012 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2
Gauss encl 0 N m 2 C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z ) Example: suppose a density of charge    (r ,  ,  ) is smeared throughout a sphere of radius R
•• Chapter 23, problem 14 (Flux and non-conducting shells): A charged particle is suspended at the center
of two concentric spherical shells that are very thin and made of non-conducting material. The first Figure
shows a cross section. The second Figure gives the net flux    ( r ) through a Gaussian sphere of radius r
centered on the particle, as a function of the radius r of the Gaussian sphere. The scale of the vertical axis is

set by
 S  5.0 105 N m 2
C . (a) What is the charge of the central particle? What are the net charges of (b) shell A

and (c) shell B?

Let the charge at the center of the sphere be qce , the charge of radius- RA -shell-A be q A , and the charge of
radius- RB -shell-B be qB . We correspondingly imagine three Gaussian spheres of radii 0  r  RA , RA  r  RB ,
and r  RB . Three invocations of Gauss’s Law,   qencl /  0 , then appear as,
0  r  RA (enclose only center- RA  r  RB (enclose both center RA  r  RB (enclose center
charge) charge and shell-A) charge, shell-A, and shell-B)
2 q 4 q  qA 6 q  q A  qB
  0  r  RA    S  ce   RA  r  RB    S  ce   r  RB    S  ce
5 0 5 0 5 0

Solving for qce in the 1st, solving for q A in the 2nd (in which qce is then a placeholder variable for part (b)), and
solving for qB in the 3rd (in which both qce and q A are placeholder-variables),
2 q 2
 S  ce 
solve for qce
qce   0  S ;
5 0 5
4 q  q A solve for q A ,then plug
4 4 2 6
 S  ce 
in qce from previous part
 qA   0  S  qce   0 S   0 S   0S ;
5 0 5 5 5 5 23123\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

(note the use of spherical coordinates

r ,  ,  rather than x, y, z ). Furthermore, suppose the charge density was isotropic; this means
that
   (r ) only (i.e., the density is independent of  ,  . Then, the total-charge-triple-integral quickly simplifies to a single
integral, as,
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       r R      R
qencl    (r , ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    (r )  4 r 2dr;
2

sphere r 0   0   0
A mass-analogue: the density of planet-Earth doesn’t depend on latitude or longitude, only your (subterranean) r -coordinate).
  
   dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  3 Es E2 
E 1 2
3 Es    0  A
The 3rd requires a little bit of extra work,
6 qce  qA  qB solve for qB ,then plug
S  
in qce from previous parts

5 0
6 6 6 2  6 6 2 
qB   0  S  qA  qce   0  S   0  S   0  S       0  S  2 0  S ;
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 24124\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

 0  8.85 1012 C2
Plug in numbers, and use the constant of nature N m 2 : we calculate the combination  0  S ,
 0  S  (8.85  1012 C2
N m 2
)(5.0  105 N  m2
C )  4.425  10 6 C  4.425  C;
25125\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Now the results Error: Reference source not found and Error: Reference source not found are just whole-
number fractions REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT of these,
qce  52  0  S  52 (4.425C )  1.77  C ; q A  6
5  0 S  6
5 (4.425 C )  5.31 C ;
qB  2 0  S  2(4.425C )  8.85 C ;
26126\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

•• chapter 23, problem 26: The Figure shows a narrow charged solid cylinder that is coaxial with a larger
charged cylindrical shell. Both are non-conducting and thin and have uniform surface charge densities on their
outer surfaces. The Figure also gives the radial component E of the electric field versus radial distance r from

the common axis, and Es  3.0 10

3 N
C .What is the shell’s linear charge density?

27127\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

 
   E  dA   q /  0  0  8.85 10
12 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2
REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl Gauss encl N m 2 C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r , ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d    (r )  4 r 2dr;
sphere r 0  0   0 r This is a prime
example of the structure you see when you solve a problem symbolically!
  
   dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  3 Es E2 
E 1 2
3 Es    0  A
Because the shell (bearing charge qsh ) and inner-cylinder (bearing charge qw , and hereafter referred to as a
“wire”) are said to be “thin”, the respective shell-thickness and wire-radius are each negligible. The shell has a
radial coordinate of rsh  3.50cm , as shown by the plot. Let r be the radial coordinate at which the electric field

E  Erˆ in one radial dimension is measured. Gauss’s Law REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT can be used for
0m  r1  rsh and r2  rsh , and on a length REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT L of the cylinder,
 
  qw   qw  qsh E1  E1rˆ; dA1  L  r1d  rˆ;
 E1  dA1   0 ; r r E2  dA2   0 ; E2  E2rˆ; dA  L  r d  rˆ;
0 m  r  rsh sh 2 2 28128\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Carrying out an integral over REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT   [0, 2 ] ,

 
  q    E  dA   q /   0  8.85 1012 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2
REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT  encl Gauss encl 0 N m 2 C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [  0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d     (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d     (r )  4 r 2dr;
sphere r 0  0   0 r Although we refer to
 
Gauss’s Law here, we do not calculate  , but rather go straight to   E  dA  qencl /  0 . That is,  is just a placeholder variable.

L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  3 Es E2  3 Es   0 A
1 2

   E  dA   q /   0  8.85 1012 NCm2 k  8.99 109 N Cm2

2 2

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl Gauss encl 0

1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [  0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

 E  dA  qencl /  0  Strictly speaking, the cylinder and the shell are infinite in length, but to use L  in the dA would
mean that infinite charge is enclosed, and Gauss’s Law would collapse to the tautology   , in which there are no useful results.
r r1  r2  rsh E1  3 Es E2  3 Es    0  A
1 2

 
   Gauss  dA   qencl /  0  0  8.85 1012 NCm2 k  8.99 109 N Cm2
2 2

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl

E
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r , ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d     (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d     (r )  4 r 2dr;
sphere r 0  0   0 r
 qw 2 q  qsh
  ( E1 rˆ)  ( L  r1 d  rˆ)  2 r1  E1 L; w   ( E2 rˆ)  ( L  r2 d   rˆ)  2 r2  E2 L;
0 0 0 r  rsh
29129\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

The shell’s linear charge density is sh  qsh / L , and the wire’s linear charge density is w  qw / L ; dividing the
2nd expression of Error: Reference source not found through by L , we have,
w  sh
 2 r2  E2  sh  2 r2   0 E2  w  2 r2   0 E2  2 r1   0 E1  2 0  r2 E2  r1E1  ;
0 30130\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

This Error: Reference source not found is the simplest exact form of the answer in “givens” (one reads off
r1 , E1 , r2 , E2 from the plot of E vs. r shown above, with the constraints 0m  r1  rsh and r2  rsh , as mentioned

before). Let’s pick r1  r2  rsh , which allows us to read off E1  3 Es and E2 

2
1
3 Es ,
yielding REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT ,
sh  2 0  r2 E2  r1 E1   2 0 rs  32 Es  13 Es   2 0 rs Es

 2 (8.85  1012 C2

N m 2
)(0.0350m)(3.0 103 CN )  5.84 10 9 C
m ;
31131\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

• chapter 23, problem 35: The Figure shows three plastic sheets that are large, parallel, and uniformly
charged. The second Figure gives the component of the net electric field along an x-axis through the sheets.

The scale of the vertical axis is set by Es  6.0  10

5 N
C . What is the ratio of the charge density on sheet 3 to that
on sheet 2?

  
  dA  qencl /  0
E
 L  dA   That is, the integral is over the perimeter of the Gaussian-cylinder-surface of radius- r .
r1  r2  rsh E1  13 Es E2  32 Es    0  A
 
    dA   q /   0  8.85 1012 NCm2 k  8.99 109 N Cm2
2 2

REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    q  E

encl Gauss encl 0
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

 E  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r Actually, maybe only after plugging in r1  r2  rsh , E1  13 Es , and E2  2
3 Es
do we have SEF truly in terms of “givens”.
   0 A
 32132\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

Gauss’s Law applied to a pillbox of area A enclosing charge q2 and q3 of sheets 2 and 3 respectively is as
follows, where the left and right faces make disparate contributions with iˆ normal-surface-vectors,
     
 2   E2  dA  q2 /  0   left
2  2
right
  E2left  dAleft   E2right  dAright ;
     
 3   E3  dA  q3 /  0   3left   3right   E3left  dAleft   E3right  dAright ;
33133\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

In Error: Reference source not found, the electric fields and the vector-signed area-elements are
 
E2left  62 Es iˆ  13 Es iˆ; E2right  66 Es iˆ  Esiˆ;  
left 6 right 0 dAleft  ( iˆ)dA; dAright  ( iˆ) dA;
E3  Es iˆ  Es iˆ; E3  Es iˆ  0iˆ;
6 6 34134\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Combining the statements in Error: Reference source not found and Error: Reference source not found so as to
calculate  3 /  2 , we have,
 3 q3 / A q3
  

 0  Es iˆ  (iˆ)dA   0iˆ  (iˆ)dA
 1 s

E  0
1
1 3
  ;
   
 2 q2 / A q2  0 13 Es iˆ  ( iˆ)dA  Es iˆ  (iˆ)dA  3 Es  Es 3  1 2
35135\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

•• chapter 23, problem 39: In the Figure, a small,

6
non-conducting ball of mass m  1.0 10 kg and
8
charge q  2.0 10 C (distributed uniformly
through its volume) hangs from an insulating
thread that makes an angle   30 with a vertical,
uniformly charged non-conducting sheet (shown in
cross section). Considering the gravitational force
on the ball and assuming the sheet extends far
vertically and into and out of the page, calculate
the surface charge density  of the sheet.
 
The electric field  E  iˆ felt by the massive, charged sphere is given by Gauss’s Law as,
E
 
ˆ )  ( Eiˆ)  ((iˆ)dA)  EA   EA  2 EA  qencl  E  1 qencl  1  ;
  dA   (Eiˆ)  (idA
E  0 2 0 A 2 0 36136\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Newton’s laws in the x and y directions are,


F x  0  qE  T sin   q
2 0
 T sin  ; F y  0  T cos   mg ;
37137\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Calculating the ratio

T sin 
T cos   tan  from Error: Reference source not found and solving for  ,

T sin  q 2 0  solve for  2 0 mg tan 

1

tan       ;
T cos  mg q
38138\* MERGEFORMAT
(.)

Plugging in numbers to Error: Reference source not found,

12
2 0 mg tan  2(8.55  10
C2
N m 2
)(1.0  106 kg )(9.81 sm2 ) tan 30 C
  8
 5.01  109 ;
q 2.0  10 C m2 39139\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

•• chapter 23, problem 41: An electron is shot directly toward the center of a large metal plate that has
  2.0 10 mC2 6 17
surface charge density . If the initial kinetic energy of the electron is K 0  1.60 10 J and if
the electron is to stop (due to electrostatic repulsion from the plate) just as it reaches the plate, how far from
the plate must the launch point be?
Recalling the kinematical relation v  v0  2a  d between initial and final velocities v0 , v due to acceleration
2 2

a acting over displacement d , REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT we see that the problem falls apart once we
know the acceleration a , which is constant since the electric field due to a very large plate is uniform; indeed,
Gauss’s Law for a metal REF ZEqnNum885800 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT plate is,
F q   q 1 qencl 1
a   E;  E  dA  encl  EA  0  A  E   ;
m m 0 0 A 0 40140\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Combining the statements Error: Reference source not found in the expression for d given by the

abovementioned kinematical statement, and noting that the definitions K  2 mv and K 0  2 mv0 naturally
1 2 1 2

occur,
1
v 2  12 v0 2 12 v 2  12 v0 2 12 mv 2  12 mv0 2 K  K 0  0 (0  K 0 )  0 K 0
d 2
   1  
a qE / m qE q 0  (e) e
(8.55  1012 C2
)(1.60  1017 J )
 N m 2
19 6 C
 4.42  104 m ;
(1.602  10 C )(2.0  10 )
m2 41141\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

 
REF ZEqnNum746524 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl
   Gauss  dA   qencl /  0  0  8.85 1012
E C2
N m 2
k  8.99 109 N m2
C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C 2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       r  R      R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d    (r )  r dr   d  sin  d    ( r )  4 r 2dr;
2

sphere r 0  0   0 r
  
 E  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  3 Es E2  3 Es Remember what I said: to understand an
1 2

equation, translate it into an English sentence! This is a prime example taken from material which should be very familiar to you
(kinematics).
   0 A
 
   E  dA   q /  0  0  8.85 10
12 C2
k  8.99 109 N m2
REF ZEqnNum885800 \* Charformat \! \* MERGEFORMAT    qencl Gauss encl N m 2 C2
1
C 2s2 C2  force-meters  F capacitance C charge
C2 [ 0 ]  ; [ 0 ]    ; [ 0 ]   ; [ 0 ]  N 2  ;
N m 2 kg  m 3
N  m  squared charge 
2
m length C m flux
dx  dy  dz    ( x, y , z )    (r ,  ,  ) R r ,  ,  x, y, z    (r )  , 
analogue of dx dy dz for sphere
 thisentire  is4 
  term
       rR     R
qencl    (r ,  ,  )  dr  rd  r sin  d     (r )  r 2dr   d  sin  d     (r )  4 r 2dr;
 
sphere r 0  0   0 r

 E  dA  qencl /  0  L  dA   r r1  r2  rsh E1  13 Es E2  32 Es For a metal plate, charge density  lies at the
surface (even so the metal sheet is a sheet, it has some thickness), and so the Gaussian pillbox is “halfway” through the thickness.
However, there is zero field inside the conductor; hence, the   0  A term in Error: Reference source not found! In contrast, for a
non-conducting plate,
   1.84 nC
m3 ,
Chapter 23, problem 52: The Figure shows a spherical shell with uniform volume charge density
inner radius a  10.0cm , and outer radius b  2.00a . What is the magnitude of the electric field at radial
distances (a) r  0 ; (b) r  a / 2.00 , (c) r  a , (d) r  1.50a , (e) r  b , and (f) r  3.00b ?

42142\* MERGEFORMAT (.)

There are three regions where we may be interested in the electric field E  E (r ) : within the center-sphere
0  r  a , within the shell a  r  b , and outside of the shell r  b . The electric field is purely-radial, and a

function of qencl
. In all three regions, dA  rˆ  d (4 r 2 ) ,
  q0encl   qaencl   qrencl
 E (0  r  a )  dA  ra

0
;  E ( a  r  b )  dA   r b

0
; 
 E ( r  b )  dA  b ;
0 43143\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

In Error: Reference source not found, we have,


dA  rˆ  d (4 r 2 ); q0encl
 r  a  0; qa  r b   ( r )V  
encl
 4
3
 r 3  43  a 3  ; qrencl
b    3  b  3  a  ;
4 3 4 3
44144\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Combining Error: Reference source not found and Error: Reference source not found, we immediately have,

 0   4  (r 3  a3 )  4  (b3  a 3 )
E (0  r  a)   0; E ( a  r  b)rˆ  rˆ  d (4 r 2 )  3 ; E ( r  b)rˆ  rˆ  d (4 r 2 )  3 ;
0 0 0
45145\* MERGEFORMAT (.)


Solving the expressions in Error: Reference source not found for E and recalling that E  Erˆ , we finally have,
    43  (r 3  a 3 )   43  (b3  a 3 )
E (0  r  a )  0; E (a  r  b)  rˆ; E ( r  b)  rˆ;
4 r 2 0 4 r 2 0
46146\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Hence, the electric field at (a) r  0 ; (b) r  a / 2.00 , (c) r  a are each zero. Notice, furthermore, that the 1st and
2nd expressions in Error: Reference source not found each predict the same electric field (zero) when r  a is
plugged in. For (d) r  1.50a and (e) r  b , we use the 2nd expression in Error: Reference source not found,
  4  ((1.50a)3  a3 )  a 19 (1.84 109 mC3 )(10.0 102 m) 19 N
E (a  1.50a  b)  3 ˆ
r  ˆ
r  rˆ  7.32rˆ ;
4 (1.50a)  0
2
3 0 18 12 C 2
3(8.85 10 N m2 ) 18 C
47147\* MERGEFORMAT (.)
   43  ((2.00a )3  a3 ) a 7 (1.84  10 9 mC3 )(10.0  102 m) 7 N
E (a  b  b)  rˆ  rˆ   12.1rˆ ;
4 (2.00a)  0
2
3 0 4 12 C 2
3(8.85  10 N m2 ) 4 C
48148\*
MERGEFORMAT (.)

Finally, the electric field at r  3.00b is given by the 3rd expression of Error: Reference source not found,
  43  (b3  a3 )  a (2.003  1) a 7 (1.84  109 mC3 )(10.0  10 2 m) 7 N
E (3.00b  b)  rˆ  rˆ    1.35 ˆ
r ;
4 (3.00b)  0
2
3 0 (3.00  2.00) 2
3 0 36 3(8.85  1012 NCm2 )
2
36 C
49149\* MERGEFORMAT (.)