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Electric Flux

You can think of the flux through some surface as a measure of
the number of field lines which pass through that surface.

Flux depends on the strength of  , on the surface area, and on

the relative orientation of the field and surface.

area A area A
 Here the flux is
 =  · 

 We divide the surface into sma

regions with area dA
A cos  
 =  .  = E dA cos 
d
 =  .  = E A cos  

A

 =  d
 =   . 


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Gauss’s Law
In the case of a closed surface
  q enclose
   E.dA   E.dA.cos   inside

0

The loop means the integral is over a closed surface.

dA Surface a, qa =(+2q) + (-q) +(+q) = 2q

 Surface b, qb = q
Surface c, qc = 0
E Surface d, qd = -q

Gauss’s Law

The total flux within … is proportional to

a closed surface … the enclosed charge.

  Q
   E  dA = enclosed
 0
Gauss’s Law is always true, but is only useful for certain
very simple problems with great symmetry.

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GAUSS LAW – SPECIAL SYMMETRIES

SPHERICAL CYLINDRICAL PLANAR

(point or sphere) (line or cylinder) (plane or sheet)

CHARGE Depends only on radial Depends only on Depends only on perpendicula

DENSITY distance from central perpendicular distance from distance from plane
point line
GAUSSIAN Sphere centered at Cylinder centered at axis Pillbox or cylinder
SURFACE point of symmetry of symmetry with axis perpendicular to plane

ELECTRIC E constant at surface E constant at curved surface E constant at end surfaces

FIELD E E ║A - cos  = 1 and E ║ A and E ║ A
E ┴ A at end surface E ┴ A at curved surface
cos  = 0 cos  = 0

FLUX 

Spherical geometry Cylindrical geometry Planar geometry

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Problem: Uniform sphere of Charge Q (insulating sphere)

Outside sphere    q enclose Inside sphere

   E.dA  inside
0

R R
r 
 r 
O O

 
     
 E.dA  E.4r
2
   E.dA  E.4 r 2   
  Q Q   q enclose  Qr 3
  q enclose Q  E.4 r   E  Q  4 3   E.4r 2  E
2
 inside 
1
r 
   0 4 r 2 0  0   0R
3
0  4 3  3 
inside

  0 0    R  
 3  

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Insulating sphere Conducting sphere

Infinite sheet of charge

Gauss’s law is useful only when the electric field
is constant on a given surface

1. Select Gauss surface

In this case a cylindrical
pillbox
2. Calculate the flux of the
electric field through the
Gauss surface
 =2EA
3. Equate  = qencl/0
2EA = q encl/0
4. Solve for E
E = q encl / 2 A 0 =  / 2  0
Infinite sheet of charge (with  = qencl / A)

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22.35. An insulating sphere with radius 0.120 m has 0.900 nC of charge uniformly distributed throughout its volu
The center of the sphere is 0.240 m above a large uniform sheet that has charge density -8.00 nC/m2 . Find all po
inside the sphere where the electric field is zero. Or, show that there is no such points.

= -8.00 nC/m2


E
2 0

Qr
E
40 R 3
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22.39(45). Concentric Spherical Shells. 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.
(a) Calculate the electric field (magnitude and direction) in terms of q and the distance r from the
common center of the two shells for (i) r < a; (ii) a< r < b; (iii) b< r < c; (iv) c < r < d; (v) r > d.
Show your results in a graph of the radial component of E as a function of r.
(b) What is the total charge on the (i) inner surface of the small shell; (ii) outer surface of the
small shell; (iii) inner surface of the large shell; (iv) outer surface of the large shell?

Conducting spherical shell

Conducting body
+ +
+ Point M: E=0 (inside
+
b +
Inside E = 0 a Point N: E=0 (inside)
+
M N+ P

+ +
Point P:
+ +
+

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The inner shell has total charge +2q,

The outer shell has charge +4q
(i) Point 1: r < a; E 1 = 0 ( = 0)

(ii) Point 2: a< r < b; E2 =0 ( = 0)

2
2q + (iii) Point 3: b< r < c;  = ( = 2q)
+ 4 
+ (
(iv) Point 4: c < r < d; E4 = 0  = 0)
+ +
+
d + 2 + 4 6
-2q + (v) Point 5: r > d.  = = ( =
+ c 4   4  
b +
a
+ + +
1 2 +3 4 5

+ +
+
+ +
+
+
+6q +
+
+

11

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Conducting solid cylinder

Insulating solid cylinder

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22.47(39). A very long conducting tube (hollow cylinder) has inner radius a and outer radius b. It carries charge p
length -, where  is a positive constant with units of C/m. A line of charge lies along the axis of the tube. The line of
has charge per unit length +.
(a) Calculate the electric field in terms of a and the distance r from the axis of the tube for (i) r < a; (ii) a < r < b; (ii
Show your results in a graph of E as a function of r.
(b) What is the charge per unit length on (i) the inner surface of the tube and (ii) the outer surface of the tube?
+ (i) r < a
-

(ii) a < r < b

(iii) r > b

-
b

a
+ 0 (b)
the outer surface of the tube?

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with

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22.(33)35. The electric field E 1 , at one face of a parallelepiped is uniform over the entire face and is directed out of the face. At
the opposite face, the electric field E2 is also uniform over the entire face and is directed into that face (Fig.). The two faces in
question are inclined at 30.0 0 from the horizontal, while E 1, and E 2 are both horizontal; E 1 has a magnitude of 2.50x10 4 N/C,
and E2 has a magnitude of 7.00x104 N/C. (a) Assuming that no other electric field lines cross the surfaces of the parallelepiped,
determine the net charge contained within. (b) Is the electric field produced only by the charges within the parallelepiped, or is
the field also due to charges outside the parallelepiped? How can you tell?

b. If there were no charge within the parallelpiped the ne

would be zero. This is not the case, so there is charge in

The electric field lines that pass out through the surface
parallelpiped must terminate on charges, so there also m
charges outside the parallelpiped.

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22.43(49). Negative charge -Q is distributed uniformly over the surface of a thin spherical insulating shell with rad
R. Calculate the force (magnitude and direction) that the shell exerts on a positive point charge q located
(a) a distance r > R from the center of the shell (outside the shell)
(b) a distance r < R from the center of the shell (inside the shell).
(a) r > R
Apply Gauss’s law to a spherical Gaussian surface that has radius r > R and that is concentric with the shell

(b) r < R

Outside the shell the electric field and the force it exerts is the same as for a point charge −Q
located at the center of the shell. Inside the shell E = 0 and there is no force.

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22.51(53). Thomson’s Model or the Atom. In Thomson’s model, an atom consisted of a sphere of positively
charged material in which were embedded negatively charged electrons, like chocolate chips in a ball of
cookie dough. Consider an atom consisting of two electrons, each of charge -e, embedded in a sphere of
charge + 2e and radius R. In equilibrium, each electron is a distance d from the center of the atom (Fig.). Find
the distance d in terms of the other properties of the atom.

There is a force on each electron due to the other electron and a force due to the sphere of charge. Use Coulomb’s law for the force between the electrons
If the electrons are in equilibrium the net force on each one is zero.

The force diagram for electron 2

There is a repulsive force F1 due to the electron 1

 
   E.dA  E.4 r2 
 
  q enclose  Qr 3 Q
The electric field inside the uniform distribution of positive charge is inside 1 Q  4 3 E.4 r 2  E 
 r   0R 4
 0  4 R 3   3
3
R  0  
  3  
r    
O 

At the position of electron 2, r = d. The force Fcd exerted by the positive charge distribution is

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