PHYS502/University Physics 2

Module 3 - Gauss’ Law

Learning Outcomes:
At the end this module, students are expected to:

C1 - Identify the different concepts and principles of electromagnetism.

C5 - Analyze inputs and outputs based on given electric circuit diagrams.

Specifically

✓ Electric Flux

✓ Gauss’ Law

Introduction

Gauss’s Law states that the electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the
amount of charge, Qin, enclosed within the surface. It is the basis for finding the electric
fields of charged distributions that have a high degree of symmetry.

Electric flux – the amount of electric field passing through a surface. It is analogous to the
amount of air or water flowing through a loop. The formula for calculating the flux is given
by:
Φ𝑒 = ∫ 𝐸⃗ ∗ 𝑑𝐴 = 𝐸 (𝑑𝐴) (cos 𝜃) − − > 𝑁 − 𝑚2 /𝐶
Consider an air flowing through a surface:

The red arrows represent the velocity of air. The rectangle is configured in three different
position, 00 , 900 , and any angle 𝜃. In the first position notice that the normal to the surface
of that area is parallel to the air flow. If you will compute the amount of air passing through
the rectangle in terms of volume/sec, it will be the flux;

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𝐸𝐴 [𝑁 − 𝑚 ⁄𝐶 ]

If the rectangle is rotated 900 such that the normal to the surface of the area is
perpendicular to the air flow, the amount of air passing through the rectangle is zero.
Lastly, if the rectangle is rotated at angle between 0 0 and 900 , the component of the
velocity vector becomes 𝑣 cos 𝜃, and the flux becomes:

𝐸𝐴 cos 𝜃

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The Electric Flux through a Closed Surface

Closed surface has a distinct inside and outside and not anymore arbitrary. The area
vector, 𝑑𝐴 is defined in such a way that it always point from inside towards outside.
Consider the cylinder with field always perpendicular to the force.

To calculate the electric flux through a closed surface such as a box, a cylinder or a
sphere, the electric flux is:

Φ𝑒 = ∮ 𝐸⃗ ∗ 𝑑𝐴

which is the total flux through the surface. This is a scalar and not a vector.

Consider the flux for a point-charge, +Q inside a sphere with radius, R and a charge. The
small element of surface, 𝑑𝐴 is radially outward (based on the premise of closed
surface),and the electric field at that point is also radial, 𝐸⃗ .

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This is also true to anywhere on the surface of the sphere. The unit vector, 𝑟̂ from +Q up
to the element of surface under evaluation. Calculating the total flux for the entire sphere,
The 𝐸⃗ vector at any point on the surface of the sphere is the same because the radius of
the sphere is constant. The total flux is simply:
Φ𝑒 = 4𝜋𝑅 2 (𝐸)

The electric field, E is given by:

1 𝑄
𝐸𝑅 = (𝑟̂ )
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2

Hence, the electric flux through any closed surface surrounding a point charge becomes:
𝑄
Φ𝑒 = 𝜖0

which is now independent of the size of the sphere. In fact, any configuration will result to
the same equation, as long as it is a closed surface.

Based on this observation, the Gauss’s law is formulated. It states that “ the electric flux
going through a closed surface is the sum of all charges inside the closed surface. Such
that,
∑ 𝑄𝑖𝑛
Φ = ∮ 𝐸⃗ ∗ 𝑑𝐴 = − − > 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑒
𝜖0

If the flux is zero, it means that there is no net charge inside the closed surface. This is
the first of the four Maxwell equation.

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Three Forms of Symmetry

For charge distribution with a high degree of symmetry, the symmetry of the electric field
must match the symmetry of the charge distribution. The three important symmetries are
planar symmetry, cylindrical symmetry, and spherical symmetry.

Symmetry arguments:
1. Since the charge is uniformly distributed, the electric field must be the same in
the radial surface of the sphere.
2. The electric field must always be radially pointing inward or pointing outward.

For r < R;
𝑄𝑖𝑛
4𝜋𝑅 2 𝐸 = − −− > 𝐸 = 𝑂 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑄𝑖𝑛 = 0
𝜖0

For r > R, where the charge is Q;

𝑄𝑖𝑛 1 𝑄 + 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑
4𝜋𝑅 2 𝐸 = − −− > 𝐸 =
𝜖0 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2 − 𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑑

The behavior of the electric field in terms of the distance, r is describe by the graph
below.

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References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals

1. Knight, R.D. (2017). Physics with Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers A
Strategic Approach. 4th Edition. USA: Pearson Educ. Inc.
2. Lloyd, D.H. (2014). Physics Laboratory Manual. 4th ed. Canada: Brooks/Cole
Cengage Learning. (Laboratory).

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. http://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy2049/f07/lectures/2049_ch23A.pdf

2. http://www.phys.utk.edu/daunt/EM/PDF/SJDLecture22.pdf

Online Instructional Videos

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd9HY8iLiCA