Chapter 23

Contents

1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution

2. Electric Flux
3. Gauss’s Law
4. Application of Gauss’s Law
 Storylines
Chapter 22: Electric field
: evaluate the electric field due to a point charge/ a collection of number of
point charges.

Chapter 23: Continuous Charge distribution and Gauss’s law

- A continuous charge distribution
- Two ways to evaluate the electric field
1. use the superposition principle-> an integral over the distribution.
2. use Gauss’s law.
1. ELECTRIC FIELD OF A CONTINUOUS CHARGE
DISTRIBUTION
 1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution

Electric field at P A charge distribution

Due to one charge element carrying charge ∆𝒒

Due to a charge distribution

Due to a continuous charge distribution

 1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution

Volume charge distribution Surface charge distribution Linear charge distribution

dq dq dS= d2r dq
d = d3r 𝒓
𝑟Ԧ
(𝐒) dl
(𝑉)
(𝑆)
𝒓

Amount of charge dq in a small Amount of charge dq in a small Amount of charge dq in a

volume element surface element length element
𝒅𝒒 = 𝝆𝒅𝑽 dq= dS dq= dl
𝝆: volume charge density, 𝝆=Q/V : surface charge density=Q/S  : Linear charge density
Unit: C.m-3 Unit: C.m-2 Unit: C.m-1=Q/L
 1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution
Calculating the Electric Field
1. Conceptualize & Categorize
- Individual charges or the charge distribution
- Appeal to any symmetry in the arrangement of charges to visualize the electric field.
- Analyzing a group of individual charges or a continuous charge distribution
2. Analyze
(a) Individual charges : use the superposition principle
(b) A continuous charge distribution: integrating over the entire charge distribution
Take advantage of any symmetry to simplify calculations.
3. Finalize
- Check electric field expression
1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution
1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution
1. Electric Field of a Continuous Charge Distribution
2. ELECTRIC FLUX
 2. Electric flux

Electric flux

The flux through an area A :

 = 𝑬. 𝑨 Unit: N.m2 /C
 2. Electric flux

The electric field vary over a large surface

The electric field 𝑬𝒊 at the location of this element makes an

angle 𝜽𝒊 with the vector ∆𝑨𝒊 . The electric flux through this
element is

The total flux through the surface:

The general definition of electric flux is

A small element of surface

area ∆Ai in an electric field
 2. Electric flux

A closed surface in an electric field

 2. Electric flux

The net flux through a closed surface

E : component of the electric field normal to the surface

n

The net flux through the surface is proportional to the net number of lines
leaving the surface, where the net number means the number of lines leaving
the surface minus the number of lines entering the surface.
2. Electric flux
2. Electric flux
3. GAUSS’S LAW
 3. Gauss’s Law

Gauss’s law: the relationship between the net electric flux through a closed
surface (a Gaussian surface) and the charge enclosed by the surface.

At each surface point, 𝑬𝒊 ∥ ∆𝑨𝒊 then

𝑬. ∆𝑨𝒊 = 𝐄. ∆𝑨𝒊

The net flux through the Gaussian surface

𝑬 = ර 𝑬. 𝒅𝑨 = ර 𝑬𝒅𝑨 = ර 𝑬𝒅𝑨

𝒒
𝑞 𝑬 = 𝒌𝒆 𝟐 (𝟒𝒓𝟐 ) = 𝟒𝒌𝒆 𝒒
E = 𝑘𝑒 2 𝒓
𝑟
ර 𝑑𝐴 = 𝐴 = 4𝑟 2
 3. Gauss’s Law

Gauss’s law

The net flux through any closed surface surrounding a point charge
q is given by q/ 𝜖0 and is independent of the shape of that surface

𝒒𝒊𝒏
𝑬 = ර 𝑬. 𝒅𝑨 =
𝝐𝟎
 3. Gauss’s Law

The net electric flux through a closed surface

Total electric flux are

same for all shape of
surface

Number of inward fluxes

go inside equals number of
outward fluxes
 3. Gauss’s Law

What is electric flux through closed surfaces S, S’ and S’’?

3. Gauss’s Law
3. Gauss’s Law
4. APPLICATION OF GAUSS’S LAW TO VARIOUS
CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS
 4. Application of Gauss’s Law to Various Charge Distributions

Calculate the electric field of symmetric charge distribution

To determine a surface for which each portion of the surface satisfies

one or more of the following conditions:
1. 𝑬 = 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭 by symmetry over the portion of the surface.
2. 𝐄. 𝐝𝐒Ԧ = 𝐄𝐝𝐒 as E // dS.

3. 𝐄. 𝐝𝐒Ԧ = 𝟎 as E ⊥ dS
4. 𝑬 = 𝟎 over the portion of the surface
4. Application of Gauss’s Law to Various Charge Distributions
4. Application of Gauss’s Law to Various Charge Distributions
SUMMARY