Electrostatics I

Electric Flux
▪ Flux is an important concept for any vector
field:
▪ Firstly, we will discuss the velocity field in
a fluid
▪ Consider a laminar flow
▪ Then you know that each layer of the fluid
moves with its own velocity, different from
others
 Electric Flux
▪ This is also an example of a field – velocity
field
▪ One such field is shown in the figure
▪ Consider a plane surface in this field
▪ We will discuss the figures in sequence
 Electric Flux
▪ In figure (a), the surface is kept in the field
such that the field lines remain
perpendicular to it
▪ Let v be the velocity of the fluid at the
location of the surface
 Electric Flux
▪ Then, the magnitude of flux of the velocity
field through the area A of the surface will
be  = vA
▪ In other words, the flux is a measure of the
rate at which fluid passes through the
surface
 Electric Flux
▪ Now let us come to figure (b)
▪ In this, the surface has been rotated through
an angle  such that the surface is no more
perpendicular to the field lines
 Electric Flux
▪ It can be seen that the number of field lines
has decreased as compared to that in figure
(a)
▪ So the flux through the surface has
decreased in figure (b)
 Electric Flux
▪ Mathematically, the component of the area
vector parallel to the field lines and
perpendicular to the surface will be A cos 
▪ So the flux through the surface in this case
will be  = vA cos  = v A
 Electric Flux
▪ In figure (c), the plane is parallel to the
field lines
▪ And it can be seen that no field lines pass
through it
▪ So the flux through the surface will be 0
 Electric Flux
▪ The arrangement in figure (d) is somewhat
similar to that in figure (b)
▪ And hence the flux through the surface will
be  = vA cos 
▪ Now finally let us consider a closed surface
shown in figure (e)
 Electric Flux
▪ It has been formed by five plane surfaces,
labelled A1, A2, …, A5
▪ Then the total flux for the closed surface is
given by taking algebraic addition of the
flux through each of the five plane surfaces
since flux is a scalar quantity
 Electric Flux
 
▪ Hence it is given by  = v  A
▪ Note that the flux leaving the volume
enclosed by the surface is considered to be
positive while that entering the volume is
considered to be negative
 Electric Flux
• Flux ΦE is a concept of a vector field:
▪ In the line representation: flux is the
number of field lines crossing over a given
surface
▪ Since the field line density is proportional
to electric field, the number of field lines
should be integrated over the surface
▪ Gauss’ law deals with the flux of the
electric field through a closed surface
 Electric Flux
▪ In the figure is shown
a region in which
electric field is non-
uniform and for such a
general case, we can
define electric flux
 Electric Flux
▪ The given surface is
assumed to be divided
into small elemental
areas (Ai) having
area vector normally
outwards
 Electric Flux
▪ The elemental areas
are assumed to be so
small that they are
almost plane and the
electric field (Ei) over
all the points is almost
constant
▪ The angle between the
two vectors is 
 Electric Flux
▪ The component of the
elemental area vector
along the direction of
the electric field (Ei) is
Ai cos 
▪ Then the product
Ei (Ai cos ) = Ei  Ai
defines the electric flux
linked with the element
 Electric Flux
▪ The total electric flux
over the whole surface
is given by
 
 E =  E  A
▪ Clearly, electric flux is
a scalar quantity
 Electric Flux
▪ It can be seen from the
figure that in this
summation, some of
the products are
positive, some of them
are negative and some
of them are even zero
 Electric Flux
▪ If the field lines are
entering the surface,
the flux is negative and
if they are leaving it,
then the flux positive
▪ And if the field lines
are parallel to the
surface, then the flux is
zero
 Electric Flux
▪ If the surface is
continuous and if we
take limit A → 0 in
the definition of
electric flux, we get the
following equation for
electric flux over the
given surface
  
 E =  E  dA =  E  nˆdA
S S
 Electric Flux
▪ Note that the flux can
be evaluated for any
surface, whether closed
or open; in Gauss’ law,
however, we are
concerned only with
closed surfaces

  
 E =  E  dA =  E  nˆdA
S S
 Gauss’ Law
▪ Let us consider a discrete distribution of
charges in some region of space
▪ These charges may be positive, may be
negative or even a mixture of the two –
some of them positive and some negative
 Gauss’ Law
▪ Consider a closed surface in this region
which may include some of these charges,
not necessarily all of them
▪ Such a surface is called Gaussian surface
 Gauss’ Law
▪ Then Gauss’ law or Gauss’ theorem is
given by  
o  E = Q o  E  dA = Q
S

where Q is the algebraic sum of the electric

charges enclosed by the surface
 Gauss’ Law
▪ In our figure, Q includes q1, q2 and q5 only
▪ Now a question is
▪ What is the interpretation of Gauss’ law?
 
o  E  dA = Q
S
 Gauss’ Law
▪ Another question is
▪ What is its significance?
▪ And the answers are
▪ Coulomb’s law can be derived from it
▪ Its other significance is that can be used to
obtain electric field due to a symmetrical
distribution of charges
▪ In that, the most important thing is the
choice of the Gaussian surface
 Gauss’ Law
▪ The Gaussian surface should be chosen in
such a way that the electric field over that
surface is constant so that the integral in
the law can be easily evaluated
 
o  E  dA = Q
S
 Applications of Gauss’ Law
▪ As has been mentioned previously, Gauss’
law can be used to derive an equation for
electric field due to symmetric charge
distributions
▪ Let us discuss some such cases now
 Infinite Line of Charge
▪ A part of such a distribution
is shown in the figure
▪ It is assumed that the line
charge density () of it is
uniform
▪ Our aim is to obtain electric
field at a point at a distance
r from it
 Infinite Line of Charge
▪ From the symmetry of the
charge distribution it is
clear that the Gaussian
surface should be
cylindrical such that its axis
falls on the axis of the line
▪ The radius of the cylinder is
assumed to be r
 Infinite Line of Charge
▪ Then clearly the magnitude
of electric field will be
constant at all the points on
this cylinder
▪ Then applying Gauss’ law
to this surface and
simplifying, we get the
following equation for the
electric field 
E=
2 o r
 Infinite Line of Charge
▪ The direction of electric
field at some points is
shown in the figure,
assuming positive charges
on the line
▪ If it is negative charge, the
direction will be reversed
 Infinite Sheet of Charge
▪ A portion of a thin, non-conducting, infinite
sheet of charge of constant surface charge
density  is shown in the figure
▪ Let us obtain the equation for electric field
at a point near the sheet
 Infinite Sheet of Charge
▪ The Gaussian surface is in the form of a
cylinder such that half of it is in the front of
the sheet and the remaining half is behind it
▪ Let the cross-sectional area of the cylinder
be A
 Infinite Sheet of Charge
▪ Then the electric field at the end points of
the cylinder will be same
▪ Gauss’ law can be applied to the cylindrical
Gaussian surface and the following
equation for electric field can be derived

E=
2 o
 Infinite Sheet of Charge
▪ Now a question is
▪ Where do you get this type of charge
distribution?
▪ And the answer is
▪ For a large sheet, at points very close to the
sheet
 A Spherical Shell of Charge
▪ A cross section of a thin uniform spherical
shell of charge of average radius R having
constant surface charge density  and total
charge q is shown in the figure
▪ Hence,  = q
4R 2
 A Spherical Shell of Charge
▪ We should consider two cases: for a point
inside the shell and one outside the shell
▪ From the symmetry consideration, it is
clear that the Gaussian surface should be
spherical concentric with the shell
 A Spherical Shell of Charge
▪ For a point inside the shell (r < R), the
electric field is zero since no charge is
enclosed in it
 A Spherical Shell of Charge
▪ For a point outside the shell (r > R), the
electric field is given by
q
E=
4 o r 2
Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution

▪ A cross section of a spherical distribution

of charge of radius R is shown in the figure
▪ Hence, the volume charge density of the
distribution is given by  = q
4 3
R
3
Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution

▪ Here also, we will discuss two cases: for a

point inside the sphere and one outside it
▪ In both the cases, the Gaussian surface
would be spherical concentric with the
distribution
Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution

▪ You can apply Gauss’ theorem in both

these cases and derive following equations
for electric field
qr r
E= = where r  R
4 o R 3
3 o
Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution

▪ You can apply Gauss’ theorem in both

these cases and derive following equations
for electric field
q
E= where rR
4 o r 2
Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution

▪ The variation in electric field with distance

from the center of the sphere is shown in
the figure
▪ It can be seen that the field is maximum at
the surface of the sphere which is given by
q
E=
4 o R 2
 Acknowledgements
▪ Physics by Halliday, Resnick and Krane
▪ Google Images

Thank you