CHAPTER 2

GAUSS’S LAW

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 CHAPTER OUTLINE

• Charge on conductor
• Electric Flux : Gauss’s Law
• Application on daily life

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 Electric Fields and Conductors
The static electric field inside a conductor is zero – if it
were not, the charges would move.

The net charge on a conductor is on its surface.

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The electric field is perpendicular to the surface
of a conductor – again, if it were not, charges
would move.

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 Concept: Forces

1
2
3
Which of the arrows best
represents the direction of 4
the net force on charge +Q d
+2Q +Q 5
due to the other two
charges? d

+4Q

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 1.10 Gauss’s Law
Electric flux:

Electric flux through an

area is proportional to the
total number of field lines
crossing the area.
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Flux through a closed surface:

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The net number of field lines through the
surface is proportional to the charge
enclosed, and also to the flux, giving
Gauss’s law:

This can be used to find the electric field

in situations with a high degree of
symmetry.
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Let’s try..
A thin spherical shell of radius r0 possesses a total net charge Q
that is uniformly distributed on it. Determine the electric field
at point:
a. Outside the shell b. inside the shell

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a.

Thus, the field outside a uniformly charged spherical shell is the same as if all
the charges were concentrated at the center as a point charge.

b. Since the charge inside a surface is zero,

Hence E = O inside a spherical shell.

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APPLICATION OF GAUSS LAW

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Application in Daily Life
• Van de Graff Generator
• Xerography
• Laser Printers
• Inkjet Printers
• Electrostatic painting
• Smoke Precipitator

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Electric Forces in Molecular
Biology: DNA Structure and
Replication

Molecular biology is the

study of the structure and
functioning of the living cell
at the molecular level.
The DNA molecule is a
double helix:
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 Electric Forces in Molecular Biology: DNA
Structure and Replication

The A-T and G-C

nucleotide bases
attract each other
through
electrostatic
forces.
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Replication: DNA is in a “soup” of A, C, G, and T in the cell.
During random collisions, A and T will be attracted to each
other, as will G and C; other combinations will not.

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 Photocopy Machines and Computer
Printers Use Electrostatics
Photocopy machine:
• drum is charged positively
• image is focused on drum
• only black areas stay charged and
therefore attract toner particles
• image is transferred to paper and sealed by
heat
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Laser printer is similar, except a computer
controls the laser intensity to form the image
on the drum

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 Summary of Chapter 2
•Static electric field inside conductor is zero;
surface field is perpendicular to surface
• Electric flux:
• Gauss’s law:

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