Chapter 22

Gauss’ Law

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Chapter 22
Gauss’ Law

22-1 CHARGE AND ELECTRIC

FLUX
22-2 CALCULATING ELECTRIC
FLUX
22-3 GAUSS’ LAW
22-4 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’
LAW
22-5 CHARGES IN CONDUCTORS

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Charge and Electric Flux & 3
Calculating Electric Flux

OBJECTIVES:
Evaluate the electric flux through a surface given
the electric field
Relate the electric flux through a closed surface
to the total charge inside and outside the surface

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 Gauss’ Law? 4

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Charge and Electric Flux 5

What is Gauss’s Law?

• relationship between electric charges and electric fields

imaginary surface

What is the Electric field (on

Q
the surface)?

• applicable for both continuous and discrete charge distribution

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Charge and Electric Flux 6

Symmetric vs. Asymmetric

Charge distributions
• Systems with symmetry • Systems without symmetry

• Gauss’s Law makes E-field calculation • Gauss’s Law also applies but more
easier. difficult.

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Calculating Electric Flux 7

Electric flux is the number of electric

field lines that are passing through the
surface.
 For Uniform Electric Field

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Calculating Electric Flux 8

Area Vector
◦ Using the right–hand rule, the direction of the area
vector can be determined.

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Calculating Electric Flux 9

Area Vector
In a closed surface, we choose the directions of the area vectors to be
pointing away from the polyhedron.

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Calculating Electric Flux 10

Example
A cube with a length of 1.00m is oriented
as shown in the figure. What are the 2
area vectors at the following surfaces:
y 3
1. Surface 1? 1
2. Surface 2?
3. Surface 3?
x
z

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Calculating Electric Flux 11

Electric flux is the number of electric

field lines that are passing through the
surface.
 For Non – Uniform Electric Field

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Calculating Electric Flux 12

General definition of electric flux

where

Uniform Electric Field Non-uniform Electric Field

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Calculating Electric Flux 13

Note:
: unit vector perpendicular to A

Case 1. Case 2. Case 3.

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Calculating Electric Flux 14

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Charge and Electric Flux 15

Electric Flux and Enclosed Charge

◦ Note: Electric field does not flow.

points out of the surface points into of the surface

Outward electric flux Inward electric flux

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Calculating Electric Flux 16

Electric Flux and Enclosed Charge

3 cases in which there is zero net charge inside a box and no net
electric flux through the surface of the box.

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Calculating Electric Flux 17

Main points:
◦ The net electric flux due to a charge distribution inside a
closed surface is independent of the size and shape of
the closed surface.

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Calculating Electric Flux 18

Main points:
◦The net electric flux due to a charge distribution inside a
closed surface depends only on the net charge inside.

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Calculating Electric Flux 19

A cylindrical piece of insulating material is placed in an

external electric field, as shown. The net electric flux
passing through the surface of the cylinder is

A.Positive
B.Negative
C.Zero
D.Not enough info

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Calculating Electric Flux 20

 Quiz:
A uniform electric field given by

is incident on a flat square sheet lying on the xy-plane. If

the length of the sides is , what is the absolute value of
the electric flux through the sheet?
Hint: Formulate the area vector.

 Answer:

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Chapter 22
Gauss’ Law

22-1 CHARGE AND ELECTRIC

FLUX
22-2 CALCULATING ELECTRIC
FLUX
22-3 GAUSS’ LAW
22-4 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’
LAW
22-5 CHARGES IN CONDUCTORS

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Gauss’ Law 22

OBJECTIVE:
Express Gauss’ Law in words and in equations

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Gauss’ Law 23

Gauss’s Law
• alternative to Coulomb’s Law

• formulated by Carl Friedrich Gauss

• a different way of expressing the relationship between electric charge and
electric field

Recall:
Gauss’s Law
(qualitative)
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Gauss’ Law 24

Point Charge inside a Spherical Surface

Consider a point charge +q placed at the center of a spherical Gaussian surface with
radius R.
: Outward and perpendicular to any point on the Gaussian surface

+q
R

has the same value at any point on the surface.

(Flux is independent of radius R of sphere)

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Gauss’ Law 25

2 spheres with radii R and 2R centered on the point charge +q

4dA

R dA
q
2R

The same number of field lines and the same flux pass
through both of these area elements.
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Gauss’ Law 26

Point Charge inside a Non-spherical Surface

For irregular surface:

If enclosed charge is positive (+q):

+q

Holds for any size or shape of closed surface

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Gauss’ Law 27

Point Charge inside a Non-spherical Surface

For irregular surface:

If enclosed charge is negative (-q):

-q

Holds for any size or shape of closed surface

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Gauss’ Law 28

Point Charge inside a Non-spherical Surface

For irregular surface:

If there is no enclosed charge:

Holds for any size or shape of closed surface

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Gauss’ Law 29

General form of Gauss’s Law

q1 q2
q
qn

Enclosed charge
Electric field
on Gaussian surface

Electric flux

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Gauss’ Law 30

General form of Gauss’s Law

q1 q2
q
qn

Gauss’s Law

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Gauss’ Law 31

Example:
A positive point charge Q is located at the center of a cube of side-
length L. In addition, six other identical positive point charges q
are positioned symmetrically around Q, as shown in the figure.
What is the electric flux through one face of the cube?
 Answer:
The charges are symmetrically arranged
and are symmetrically distant from the
faces of Gaussian cube.

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Gauss’ Law 32

Concept Test
Which of the following closed surfaces has the most positive electric
flux through it?
A. S1 B. S5 C. S2 D. S3

S2 S5
S3 Legend:
+q
S4 -q
S1
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Chapter 22
Gauss’ Law

22-1 CHARGE AND ELECTRIC

FLUX
22-2 CALCULATING ELECTRIC
FLUX
22-3 GAUSS’ LAW
22-4 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’
LAW
22-5 CHARGES IN CONDUCTORS

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 34

OBJECTIVE:
Use Gauss’ Law to calculate the electric field
generated at a point by highly symmetrical charge
distributions

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 35

Gauss’s Law

valid for any distribution of charges and for any closed surface

Two applications:
1. Symmetric charge distribution + evaluate integral = electric field
2. Electric field + Gauss’s Law = knowledge of charge distribution

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 36

For a solid conductor

any excess charge must reside

on the surface

inside

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 37

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 38

Seatwork (for 2 minutes):

Consider a solid spherical conductor of radius R and charge +Q at
electrostatic equilibrium shown below. Which is the correct ranking
of the Points A, B, C, and D according the value of the electric field
at their locations?

A. D > C > B > A

B. D > C > B = A

C. D = C > B = A

D. C > D > B = A
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Applications of Gauss’ Law 39

Recall:

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 40

Recall:

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 41

For a solid insulator

 Charges
can be distributed
anywhere inside the material

inside

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 42

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 43

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Applications of Gauss’ Law 44

Quiz (for 3 minutes):

A Gaussian cube of side s is placed inside a uniformly charged
insulating sphere of radius 2s and charge Q. What is the electric flux
on the Gaussian cube?

A. 3Q/(32πϵo)
Hint:
B. 32Q/(3πϵo)

C. 3Q/(32ϵo)

D. 32Q/(3ϵo)
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Chapter 22
Gauss’ Law

22-1 CHARGE AND ELECTRIC

FLUX
22-2 CALCULATING ELECTRIC
FLUX
22-3 GAUSS’ LAW
22-4 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’
LAW
22-5 CHARGES IN CONDUCTORS

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Charges on Conductors 46

OBJECTIVE:
Predict the charge distribution induced on the
surface of a conductor in the presence of a static
charge and external electric field

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Charges on Conductors 47

Gauss’s Law

valid for any distribution of charges and for any closed surface

Two applications:
1. Symmetric charge distribution + evaluate integral = electric field
2. Electric field + Gauss’s Law = knowledge of charge distribution

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Charges on Conductors 48

Charges on a conductor
For a solid conductor in electrostatic situation,

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Charges on Conductors 49

Question:
But what if there is a cavity inside the
conductor?

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Charges on Conductors 50

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Charges on Conductors 51

Charges on a conductor
For a conductor with internal cavity,

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Charges on Conductors 52

Charges on a conductor
If we insert an isolated charge q inside the cavity,

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Charges on Conductors 53

Faraday cage

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Charges on Conductors 54

Physics!

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Charges on Conductors 55

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Charges on Conductors 56

Example:
A small conducting spherical shell with inner radius a and outer radius b is
concentric with a larger conducting spherical shell with inner radius c and outer
radius d. The inner shell has total charge +2q, and the
outer shell has charge +4q.

Calculate the electric field magnitude in terms of k, q and r from the common
center of the spheres.

1. r < a
2. a < r < b
3. b < r < c
4. c < r < d
5. r > d
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Charges on Conductors 57

Example:
Which of the following can be true regarding the figure shown below?
I. The electric field at S is stronger than at P.
II. There is a point charge at point Q.
III. There are negative charges at point L.

A. I only
B. I and II only
C. II and III only
D. I and III only
E. I, II and III

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Charges on Conductors 58

Quiz (for 5 minutes):

A spherical conducting shell S1 is placed inside another spherical conducting
shell S3. The space between S1 and S3 is filled by an uncharged insulator S2.
The isolated charge within the cavity is +2Q. If the net charge of S1 is 4Q and
the net charge of S3 is – 4Q, what is the net charge of the following surfaces?

• Inner surface of S1 [1pt]

A. –Q B. +Q C. +2Q D. – 2Q

• Outer surface of S1 [1pt]

A. –Q B. +6Q C. +4Q D. –Q

• Inner surface of S3 [1pt]

A. –6Q B. +3Q C. +4Q D. –3Q

•Outer surface of S3 [1pt]

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Charges on Conductors 59

Quiz (for 5 minutes):

A spherical conducting shell S1 is placed inside another spherical conducting
shell S3. The space between S1 and S3 is filled by an uncharged insulator S2.
The isolated charge within the cavity is +2Q. If the net charge of S1 is 4Q and
the net charge of S3 is – 4Q, what is the net charge of the following surfaces?

• Inner surface of S1 [1pt]

A. –Q B. +Q C. +2Q D. – 2Q
[1pt] for attendance
• Outer surface of S1 [1pt]
A. –Q B. +6Q C. +4Q D. –Q
5/5
• Inner surface of S3 [1pt]
A. –6Q B. +3Q C. +4Q D. –3Q

•Outer surface of S3 [1pt]

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 Chapter 22
Gauss’ Law

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