Chapter 1: Electric

Charge & Field

Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Chapter 1: Electric Charge & Field

1 / 50

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

Charges Conserved
Conduction
Induction
Uncharged Objects
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric Charge

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

2 / 50

Electric charge is conserved

Principle of conservation of
charge:
The algebraic sum of all the
electric charges in any closed
system is constant.

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

Charges Conserved
Conduction
Induction
Uncharged Objects
Coulombs Law

The magnitude of charge of

the electron or proton is a
natural unit of charge.

Electric Fields and

Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Charge is quantized.

Application of the Law

Structure of a lithium atom

3 / 50

Charging by conduction
Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

Charges Conserved
Conduction
Induction
Uncharged Objects
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Copper is a good conductor of

electricity; nylon is a good
insulator.
(a) The copper wire conducts
charge between the metal ball and
the charged plastic rod to charge
the ball negatively. Afterward, the
metal ball is (b) repelled by a
negatively charged plastic rod and
(c) attracted to a positively
charged glass rod.

4 / 50

Charging by induction

(a) An uncharged metal ball is supported on an insulating stand.

(b) A nearby negatively charged rod will cause the free electrons in the metal ball to
shift toward the right. The system reaches an equilibrium state in which the force
toward the right on an electron, due to the charged rod, is just balanced by the force
toward the left due to the induced charge.
(c) If you touch one end of a conducting wire to the right surface of the ball and the
other end to earth, some of the negative charge flows to the earth.
(d),(e) Disconnecting the wire & removing rod leads to a net positive charge on ball.

5 / 50

Electric forces on uncharged objects

A charged comb can pick up uncharged bits of paper or plastic with the comb. This
interaction is an induced-charge effect.
The negatively charged plastic comb causes a slight shifting of charge within the
molecules of the neutral insulator (polarization). The positive charges are closer to the
plastic comb and so feel an attraction that is stronger than the repulsion felt by the
negative charges, giving a net attractive force.
6 / 50

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition
Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Coulombs Law

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

7 / 50

Coulombs law
Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition
Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Coulombs law:
Magnitude of electric force
between two point charges is
directly / product of charges and
inversely proportional to square of
distance between them.

1 jq1 q2 j
F D
4!"0 r 2
1
4!"0

(1)

D 8:988 ! 109 Nm2 /C2 .

8 / 50

Superposition of forces
Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition

The principle of superposition of forces states that when two or

more charges each exert a force on a charge, the total force on
that charge is the vector sum of the forces exerted by the
individual charges.

Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

9 / 50

Vector addition of electric forces in a plane

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition
Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3

Example
Two equal positive point charges q1 D q2 D 2:0 #C are located at
x D 0, y D 0:30 m and x D 0, y D "0:30 m, respectively. What
are the magnitude and direction of the total (net) electric force that
these charges exert on a third point charge Q D 4:0 #C at
x D 0:40 m,y D 0?

Electric Fields and

Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

10 / 50

Vector addition of electric forces in a plane 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

Solution
From Coulombs law the magnitude F of this force is

Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition
Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole

F1 on Q

!6 C/.2:0 ! 10!6 C/
.4:0
!
10
D 9:0 ! 109
.0:50m/2
D 0:29 N

The angle is below the x -axis, so the components of this force

are given by

Chap 2: Gausss Law

Application of the Law

0:40
D 0:23 N
.F1 on Q /x D .F1 on Q / cos D .0:29/
0:50
0:30
.F1 on Q /y D ".F1 on Q / sin D ".0:29/
D "0:17 N
0:50

11 / 50

Vector addition of electric forces in a plane 3

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law

Coulombs law
Superposition
Vector Addition

The lower charge q2 exerts a force with the same magnitude but at
an angle a above the x -axis. From symmetry we see that its
x -component is the same as that due to the upper charge, but its
y -component has the opposite sign. So the components of the
total force F on Q are

Vector Addition 2
Vector Addition 3
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Fx D 0:23 C 0:23 D 0:46 N

Fy D "0:17 C 0:17 D 0

The total force on Q is in the +x -direction, with magnitude 0.46 N.

Application of the Law

12 / 50

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy

Electric Fields and Calculations

Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
13 / 50

Electric field
The repulsion between A and B is
a two-stage process. Body A
produces an electric field at point
P. Then body B, as a result of the
charge that it carries, experiences
the force F0 exerted by the field.

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2

Likewise, the point charge q0

produces an electric field in the
space around it and that this
electric field exerts the force -F0
on body A.

Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3

Note: The electric force on a

charged body is exerted by the
electric field created by other
charged bodies.

Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

A charged body creates E around

it.
14 / 50

Electric field 2
Define the electric field E at a
point as the electric force F0
experienced by a test charge q0 at
the point, divided by the charge
q0 :

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field

F0
ED
q0

Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy

(2)

Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2

Thus, the electric field of a point

charge q is, from Coulombs law
Eq. (1), given by

Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3

1 q
rO
ED
4!"0 r 2

Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2

(3)

Electric Field Lines

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Point charge q produces E at all

points in space. Field strength
decreases with increasing distance.

rO : unit vector from source to field

point.

In electrostatics, E in a conductor
is zero.
15 / 50

Superposition of Electric Fields

Assumed a charge distribution q1 ,
q2 , q3 , # # # . At any given point P ,
each point charge produces its
own electric field E1 , E2 , E3 , # # # .

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field

Thus, the electric field at point P

is given by

Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy

E D E1 C E2 C E3 C # # #

Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4

Illustrating the principle of

superposition of electric fields.

This is the principle of

superposition of electric fields.

Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
16 / 50

E From Continuous Charge Distribution

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2

Problem-Solving strategy for calculating the total electric field from

a continuous charge distribution:
Draw a picture showing the location of the source charge
distribution and the field point P . Mark a generic chunk of
charge dq on the source distribution. Draw at point P the dE
vector produced by the charge dq .
Write down an expression for the magnitude of dE using

1 dq
.
dE D
2
4!"0 r
Resolve the dE vector into its components.

Identify any special symmetry features of the problem and use

them to identify components that sum to zero.
Perform the integration.

Electric Field Lines

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
17 / 50

Field of a ring of charge

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Example
A ring-shaped conductor with radius a carries a total charge Q
uniformly distributed around it. Find the electric field at a point P
that lies on the axis of the ring at a distance x from its center.

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
18 / 50

Field of a ring of charge 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field

Solution

Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2

Assume the ring divided into infinitesimal segments of length

ds . Each segment has charge dQ and acts as a point-charge
source of electric field.
Since P is on the symmetry axis of the ring, then, by
symmetry, the total field E will have only a component along
the rings symmetry axis (the x -axis).
The magnitude of this segments contribution to the electric
field at P is

dQ
1
dE D
4!"0 x 2 C a2

Electric Field Lines

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
19 / 50

Field of a ring of charge 3

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3

Using cos D x=r D x=.x 2 C a2 /1=2 , dEx is

1
dQ
x
p
4!"0 x 2 C a2 x 2 C a2
1
x dQ
D
4!"0 .x 2 C a2 /3=2

dEx D dE cos D

To find the total x -component Ex of the field at P , we integrate this

expression over all segments of the ring:

Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines

Ex D

1
x dQ
4!"0 .x 2 C a2 /3=2

Since x does not vary as we move from point to point around the
ring, all the factors on the right side except dQ are constant:

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

E D Ex iO D

1
Qx
iO
2
2
3=2
4!"0 .x C a /

20 / 50

Field of a line of charge

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field

Example
Positive electric charge Q is distributed uniformly along a line with
length 2a, lying along the y -axis between y D "a and y D Ca.
Find the electric field at point P on the x -axis at a distance x from
the origin.

Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
21 / 50

Field of a line of charge 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field

Solution
Divide the line charge into infinitesimal segments. Let the length of
a typical segment at height y be dy . The linear charge density $ at
any point on the line is equal to Q=2a. Hence the charge dQ in a
segment of length dy is

Electric field 2

Q dy
dQ D $ dy D
2a

Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2

The distance, from this segment to P is .x 2 C y 2 /1=2 , so the

magnitude of field dE at P due to this segment is

Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

dE D

1 dQ
Q
dy
D
4!"0 r 2
4!"0 2a.x 2 C y 2 /

We represent this field in terms of its x - and y -components:

dEx D dE cos ; dEy D "dE sin .

Application of the Law

22 / 50

Field of a line of charge 3

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field

Thus,

Electric Charge

Q
x dy
dEx D
4!"0 2a.x 2 C y 2 /3=2
Q
y dy
dEy D "
4!"0 2a.x 2 C y 2 /3=2

Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Hence,

1
1 Qx a
dy
Q
p
Ex D
D
2
2
3=2
4!"0 2a !a .x C y /
4!"0 x x 2 C a2
Z
1 Q a
y dy
Ey D "
D0
2
2
3=2
4!"0 2a !a .x C y /
Z

or, in vector form,

Q
1
ED
iO
p
4!"0 x x 2 C a2

(4)
23 / 50

Field of a line of charge 4

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field

What is E at a distance x from a very long line of charge?

Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3

To find the answer we take the limit of Eq. (4) as a becomes very
large:

ED

$ O
i
2!"0 x

The field magnitude depends only on the distance of point P from

the line of charge. So at any point P at a perpendicular distance r ,
from the line in any direction, E has magnitude

Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4

$
ED
2!"0 r

(infinite line of charge)

Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole

Compare this to a point charge: 1=r 2 .

Chap 2: Gausss Law

Application of the Law
24 / 50

Field of 2 oppositely charged infinite sheets

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy

Example
Two infinite plane sheets are placed parallel to each other,
separated by a distance d . The lower sheet has a uniform positive
surface charge density % , and the upper sheet has a uniform
negative surface charge density "% with the same magnitude.
Find the electric field between the two sheets, above the upper
sheet, and below the lower sheet.

Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law
25 / 50

Field of 2 oppositely charged infinite sheets 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3

Solution
Let sheet 1 be the lower sheet of positive charge, and sheet 2 be
the upper sheet of negative charge; the fields due to each sheet
are E1 , and E2 , respectively. Both E1 , and E2 have the same
magnitude at all points (will derive expression in Chapter 2):

%
E1 D E2 D
2"0
At points between the sheets, E1 , and E2 reinforce each other; at
points above the upper sheet or below the lower sheet, E1 , and E2
cancel each other. Thus the total field is

Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

8
<

0 above the upper sheet

# O
j between the sheets
E D E1 C E2 D
: "0
0 below the lower sheet

Application of the Law

26 / 50

Electric Field Lines

The direction of the electric field at
any point is tangent to the field
line through that point.

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Electric field
Electric field 2
Superposition
Strategy
Field of a ring
Field of a ring 2
Field of a ring 3
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Field of a line 3
Field of a line 4
Two Sheets
Two Sheets 2
Electric Field Lines
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric field lines for three

different charge distributions.

In general, the magnitude of E is

different at different points along a
given field line.

Application of the Law

27 / 50

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole

Force and Torque

Force and Torque 2

Electric Dipole

Potential Energy
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

28 / 50

Force and Torque on an Electric Dipole

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

An electric dipole is a pair of point

charges with equal magnitude and
opposite sign (a positive charge q
and a negative charge "q )
separated by a distance d .

Electric Dipole

The forces FC and F! on the two

charges both have magnitude qE ,
but their directions are opposite.
The net force on an electric dipole
in a uniform external electric field
is zero.

Force and Torque

Since the two forces dont act

along the same line, their torques
dont cancel. Let the angle
between the electric field E and
the dipole axis be & ; then the
magnitude of the net torque about
center of dipole is

Force and Torque 2

Potential Energy
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Electric dipole in a uniform electric

field.

' D .qE/.d sin &/

29 / 50

Force and Torque on an Electric Dipole 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

The product of the charge q and the separation d is the magnitude

of a quantity called the electric dipole moment, denoted by p :

Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole

Force and Torque

Force and Torque 2

p D qd

Units: charge times distance (Cm)

and its direction is along the dipole axis from the negative charge
to the positive charge. Thus,

Potential Energy

' D pE sin &

Chap 2: Gausss Law

Application of the Law

or, in vector form,

! Dp!E

(5)

torque on an electric dipole

30 / 50

Potential Energy of an Electric Dipole

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

When a dipole changes direction in an electric field, the

electric-field torque does work on it. In a finite displacement from
&1 to &2 , the total work done on the dipole by the field is the work
done by an external force from &2 to &1 . Thus

Electric Dipole

Force and Torque

Force and Torque 2
Potential Energy
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

W D

$1

$2

pE sin & d& D pE cos &2 " pE cos &1

The work is the negative of the change of potential energy i.e.

W D U1 " U2 . Thus, we define

U.&/ D "pE cos &

U D "p # E

(6)

potential energy for a dipole in an electric field

31 / 50

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux

Chapter 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form
Application of the Law

32 / 50

Charge and Electric Flux

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux
Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form
Application of the Law

The electric field on the surface of boxes containing (a) a single

positive point charge, (b) two positive point charges, (c) a single
negative point charge, or (d) two negative point charges.
33 / 50

Electric Flux and Enclosed Charge

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux
Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form
Application of the Law

Three cases in which there is zero net charge inside a box and no
electric flux through the surface of the box. (a) An empty box with
E D 0. (b) A box containing one positive and one
equal-magnitude negative point charge. (c) An empty box
immersed in a uniform electric field
34 / 50

Flux of a uniform Field

Consider a flat area A perpendicular to a uniform electric field E . Define electric

flux as the product of the field magnitude E and the area A: E D EA. We can
view E in terms of field lines passing through A. Increasing A means more
lines of E pass through area, and thus increasing E . If area A is flat but not
perpendicular to E , then

E D EA cos & D E # A

(7)
35 / 50

Flux of a Nonuniform Electric Field

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge

What happens if the electric field isnt uniform but varies from point
to point over the area A? Or what if A is part of a curved surface?

Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux

We divide A into many small elements dA, each of which has a

unit vector nO perpendicular to it and a vector area dA D nO dA.
Total flux is then

Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical

E D

E cos & dA D

E # dA

(8)

Surface

General Form

general definition of electric flux

Application of the Law

36 / 50

Electric flux through a sphere

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field

A charge q is surrounded by a sphere with radius r .

Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux
Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form
Application of the Law

Because the sphere is centered on the point charge, at any point

on the spherical surface, E is directed out of sphere perpendicular
to surface. Using Eq. (8), the electric flux is thus given by

E D

E # dA D

q
E dA D EA D
"0
37 / 50

Point Charge Inside a Nonspherical Surface

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux
Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form
Application of the Law

Let us surround the sphere of

radius R by a surface of irregular
shape. The electric flux through
the spherical surface element is
equal to the flux EdA cos &
through the corresponding
irregular surface element.

Total E through irregular

surface, given by Eq. (8), must be
the same as total flux through a
sphere, which is equal to q="0 .
Thus, for irregular surface

E D

E # dA D

q
"0

(9)

38 / 50

General Form of Gausss Law

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law

Electric Flux

Suppose the surface encloses not just one point charge q but
several charges q1 ; q2 ; q3 ; # # # . The total (resultant) electric field E
at any point is the vector sum of the E fields of the individual
charges. Let Qencl be the total charges enclosed by the surface:
Qencl D q1 C q2 C q3 C # # # . Then we can write an equation like
Eq. (9) for each charge and its corresponding field and add the
results. Thus, the general statement of Gausss law:

Electric Flux 2
Flux of uniform E
Nonuniform Field
Flux through Sphere
Nonspherical
Surface

General Form

E D

Qencl
E # dA D
"0

(10)

Gauss law

Application of the Law

The total electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the total
(net) electric charge inside the surface, divided by "0 .

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Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Application of Gauss Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

40 / 50

Electric flux and enclosed charge

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

Example
The figure below shows the field
produced by two point charges
Cq and "q of equal magnitude
but opposite sign (an electric
dipole). Find the electric flux
through each of the closed
surfaces A, B , C , and D .

Solution
Surface A (shown in red)
encloses the positive charge, so
Qencl D Cq ; surface B (shown in
blue) encloses the negative
charge, so Qencl D "q ; surface C
(shown in purple), which encloses
both charges, has
Qencl D Cq C ."q/ D 0; and
surface D (show in yellow), which
has no charges enclosed within it,
also has Qencl D 0. Hence, the
total fluxes for the various
surfaces are E D Cq="0 for
surface A, E D "q="0 for
surface B , and E D 0 for both
surface C and surface D .

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Problem-Solving Strategy for Gauss Law

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field

1.

Calculate the flux:

Observe the symmetry of the electric field produced by the
charge distribution. If its spherical, select a spherical
Gaussian surface. If its linear, cylindrical, or planar, select
a cylindrical Gaussian surface.
Orient the Gaussian surface so that it surrounds all the
charge such that the electric field is constant over the
surface.
Evaluate the flux through the Gaussian surface. Note the
angle between E and the area vector pointing outward
from the Gaussian surface.

Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on

2.

Calculate the charge and then apply the Gauss law.

Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

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Field of a line charge

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Example
Electric charge is distributed uniformly along an infinitely long, thin
wire. The charge per unit length is $ (assumed positive). Find the
electric field.

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

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Field of a line charge 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge

Solution
The system has cylindrical symmetry, which means that the field
cant have any component parallel to the wire.
We break the surface integral for the flux E into an integral over
each fiat end and one over the curved side walls. There is no flux
through the ends because E lies in the plane of the surface and
E? D 0.

Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet

By symmetry, E has the same value everywhere on the walls. The

area of the side walls is 2! rl . Hence, from gauss law,

Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

E D .E/.2! rl/ D
1 $
ED
2!"0 r

$l
"0

and

(field of an infinite line of charge)

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Field of an infinite plane insulating sheet of

charge
Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations

Example
Find the electric field caused by a
thin, flat, infinite insulating sheet
on which there is a uniform
positive charge per unit area % .

Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

This implies, at each point, E is

perpendicular to the sheet. The
symmetry also tells us that the
field must have the same
magnitude E at any given
distance on either side of the
sheet. Hence, Gausss law gives

%A
and
"0
%
ED
(charged insulating sheet)
2"0

Enclosed Charge

2EA D

Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

Solution
Planar symmetry ) charge distribution
doesnt change if we slide it in any
direction parallel to sheet.

The field is uniform and directed

perpendicular to the plane of the
sheet, and its magnitude is
independent of the distance from
the sheet.
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Field of a uniformly charged sphere

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole

Example
Positive electric charge Q is distributed uniformly throughout the
volume of an insulating sphere with radius R. Find the magnitude
of the electric field at a point P a distance r from the center of the
sphere.

Chap 2: Gausss Law

Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

46 / 50

Field of a uniformly charged sphere 2

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy

Solution
From symmetry, E has the same value at every point on Gaussian
surface, and direction of E is radial at every point on surface.

Q
.
The volume charge density is ( D
4!R3 =3
For r < R, amount of charge enclosed within Gaussian surface
"
!
"!
r3
Q
4 3
DQ 3
Qencl D (Vencl D
!r
3
4!R =3
3
R

Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on

From Gauss law, field inside a uniformly charged sphere is

Q r3
4! r E D
"0 R 3
2

ED

1 Qr
4!"0 R3

Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

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Field of a uniformly charged sphere 3

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on

To find the field magnitude outside the charged sphere, we use

a spherical Gaussian surface of radius r > R. This surface
encloses the entire charged sphere, so Qencl D Q, and
Gausss law gives

Q
"0
1 Q
ED
4!"0 r 2

4! r 2 E D

For any spherically symmetric charged body the electric field

outside the body is the same as though the entire charge were
concentrated at the center.

Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

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Charges on Conductors

(a)

In an electrostatic situation, electric field at every point within a conductor is zero and that any excess
charge on a solid conductor is located entirely on its surface.
(b) For a cavity inside the conductor, if there is no charge within the cavity, a Gaussian surface A shows that
the net charge on the surface of the cavity must be zero, * E D 0 everywhere on the Gaussian surface.
(c) The conductor originally has a charge qC , and the cavity contains an isolated charge q . Again E D 0
everywhere on surface A, so total charge inside this surface must be zero ) a charge !q distributed on
the surface of the cavity. As there cant be any excess charge within the material of a conductor, charge
qC C q must appear on the outer surface.

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Field at the Surface of a Conductor

Chapter 1: Electric
Charge & Field
Electric Charge
Coulombs Law
Electric Fields and
Calculations
Electric Dipole
Chap 2: Gausss Law
Application of the Law

Enclosed Charge
Strategy
Field of a line
Field of a line 2
Infinite Sheet
Sphere
Sphere 2
Sphere 3
Charges on
Conductors
Field at the Surface
of a Conductor

While surface charge density % may vary from point to point on the
surface of a conductor, the direction of E is always perpendicular
to the surface.
Consider the small cylinder Gaussian surface A. The electric field
is zero at all points within the conductor. According to Gauss law,
the field at the surface of a conductor is

%A
E? A D
"0

%
and E? D
"0

(11)
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