Electricity, Magnetism and Optics

Samra Syed
The flux of electric field, Gauss’ law and its applications
 ELECTRIC FLUX
• The electric flux ɸ through a surface is the amount

of electric field that penetrates the surface.

dɸ = E . dA
dɸ = E dA cosθ
We will integrate to find the total flux
d
GAUSS’ LAW
• Gauss’s law gives the relationship between the net electric flux
through a closed surface and the charge enclosed by the surface
enc

• By substituting the value of flux in above equation, we get

• Charge outside the surface, no matter how large or how close it may
be, is not included in the term qenc in Gauss’ law.
• Surface S1. The electric field is outward for all points on this
surface. Thus, the flux of the electric field through this
surface is positive,
• Surface S2. The electric field is inward for all points on this
surface. Thus, the flux of the electric field through this
surface is negative and so is the enclosed charge
• Surface S3. This surface encloses no charge, and thus qenc =
0.
• Surface S4. This surface encloses no net charge, because the
enclosed positive and negative charges have equal
magnitudes. Gauss’ law requires that the net flux of the
electric field through this surface be zero
Applications of Gauss’s Law
• In the figure we have enclosed a charged
particle in a spherically symmetric gaussian
surface, that is centered on the particle.

• Electric field vector E and area vector dA

parallel to each other so θ=0 and,
qenc= q
Electric field is same along the whole area so it will be taken out of the integral

We know the total area of the sphere to be as 4πr2, so the above equation
can be written as

This is the same equation that we found using coulomb’s law

Application of Gauss’s Law on A Cylindrically
Symmetric Charge Distribution
• We will find electric field magnitude at distance
‘r’ from the central axis of the rod which is
outside the rod
• Charge distribution and the field have cylindrical
symmetry
• We can now apply Gauss’ law to relate the
charge enclosed by the cylinder and the net flux
through the cylinder’s surface.
o Electric field is radially outward at any point
o On the curved surface area vector is parallel
to electric field vector so
 E.dA = EdAcos0 =EdA
= ‫𝑬 ׯ‬. 𝑑𝑨 = ‫(𝐸 = 𝐴𝑑 ׯ 𝐸 = 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׯ‬2𝜋r×h)
= 𝐸(2𝜋r×h)
Gauss’s law gives
𝜀0 = qenc
And
qenc = λℎ
Where λ is linear charge density
now by putting the values in Gauss’s law we will get
𝜀0𝐸(2𝜋r×h) = λℎ

𝜆ℎ 𝜆
E= =
𝜀0(2𝜋rh) 𝜀0(2𝜋r)
 Application of Gauss’s Law on A Plane of
Charge (Planer symmetry)
• Figure (a) shows a portion of a thin, infinite,
nonconducting sheet with a uniform (positive)
surface charge density 𝜎.
• We will find electric field at a distance r in front
of the sheet
• Electric field lines are not piercing the curved
surface of cylinder so the flux will be zero
through that surface
• The electric field lines pierce the two gaussian
end caps and are parallel to area vector dA so,

E.dA = EdAcos0 =EdA

• According to gauss’s law
𝜀0 ‫𝑬 ׯ‬. 𝑑𝑨 = qenc

𝜀0 ‫ = 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׯ‬qenc

𝜀0 ‫ 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׬‬+ ‫= 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׬‬qenc

𝜀0 𝐸 ‫ 𝐴𝑑 ׬‬+ 𝐸 ‫ = 𝐴𝑑 ׬‬qenc

𝜀0(EA+EA) = qenc
𝜀0(2EA) = 𝜎𝐴
𝜎
E=
2𝜀0

So, E is the electric field due to an infinite sheet of charge at

a point in front of it
Gauss’s Law and A Spherically Symmetric
Charge Distribution
Electric field outside a uniform spherical shell of
charge S

A shell of charge of radius ‘R’ is shown in figure

around which a spherical gaussian surface of
radius ‘r’ is drawn. R

We will start with gauss’s law and find the electric

field due to that shell of charge.
r
𝜀0 ‫𝑬 ׯ‬. 𝑑𝑨 = qenc

𝜀0 ‫ = 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׯ‬qenc

𝜀0𝐸 ‫ = 𝐴𝑑 ׯ‬qenc

𝜀0𝐸(A)=q

𝜀0𝐸(4𝜋𝑟2)=q

1 𝑞
E=
4𝜋𝜀0 𝑟2
“A shell of uniform charge attracts or repels a
charged particle that is outside the shell as if all
the shell’s charge were concentrated at the center
of the shell.”
Electric field inside a uniform spherical shell of charge

𝜀0 ‫𝑬 ׯ‬. 𝑑𝑨 = qenc

𝜀0 ‫ = 𝐴𝑑𝐸 ׯ‬q
But q = 0, as there is no charge enclosed in the q
S
gaussian surface so,
R
E = 0 (for r≤ 𝑅)
r
“If a charged particle is located inside a shell of
uniform charge, there is no electrostatic force on the
particle from the shell.”