9/26/2024

Electricity & Magnetism – Lecture 4

Electric flux and Gauss’ law

Flux

The rate of flow through an area or volume. It can also be viewed as the product of
an area and the vector field across the area

Electric Flux (ϕE)

The rate of flow of an electric field through an area —
represented by the number of E field lines penetrating a
surface.

ϕE is measured by the number of lines of force

passing through a particular surface area.

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Electric Flux


Flux = E × area E=
 A
. ⃗

Total flux

= ∑ . ⃗
= ∮ . ⃗
= . ⃗
EAcosθ

Electric Flux

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Electric flux through a cylinder with its axis parallel to the electric field direction

= ∮ . ⃗
B
A C
=  . ⃗   . ⃗   . ⃗
A B C

=   T    T    T

A B C

=   180    90    0

A B C

= $E      
A C S= &'(
= $ES  ES
The net flux through the cylinder is zero.
=0

Gauss’ law

)* S

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Gauss’ law
Note that qenc is simply the sum of the point charges. If the charge distribution were
continuous, we would need to integrate appropriately to compute the total charge
within the Gaussian surface.

The flux through the Gaussian

surface shown, due to the charge
distribution, is

+,- +(- +.
/0
Gaussian surface

Applications of Gauss' Law

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Electric Field due to Infinite line charge

Consider an infinitely long line of charge with the charge per unit length being λ. We can take advantage of the
cylindrical symmetry of this situation. By symmetry, The electric fields all point radially away from the line of
charge, there is no component parallel to the line of charge.
We can use a cylinder (with an arbitrary radius (r) and length (l)) centred on the line of charge as our Gaussian
surface.
P Gaussian surface
A r B C
= ∮ . ⃗

=  . ⃗   . ⃗   . ⃗
A B C

=   T    T    T ∆S

A B C B
∆S r C
=   90    0    90
A B C A
= E  E (2&123
B

Electric Field due to Infinite line charge

= E (2&123
P Gaussian surface
Using Gauss theorem, B C
A r
4567
89

O
E (2&123
89

∆S
O B
∆S r
E = (:8 C
9

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Importance or significance of Gauss’ law

 Gauss's Law is a general law applying to any closed surface. It is an important

tool since it permits the assessment of the amount of enclosed charge by
mapping the field on a surface outside the charge distribution. For geometries of
sufficient symmetry, it simplifies the calculation of the electric field.

 Those situations, in which the calculation of electric field by applying

Coulomb's law or the principle of superposition of electric field becomes very
difficult, the results can be obtained by applying Gauss's law with great ease.

Electric Field Due to a Point Charge or Coulomb’s Law from Gauss Law
Draw a Gaussian sphere of radius r at the centre of which charge +q is located all the points on this
surface are equivalent and according to the symmetric consideration the electric field E has the same
magnitude at every point on the surface of the sphere and it is radially outward in direction.

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If a second point charge q0 be placed at the point at which the magnitude

of E is computed, then the magnitude of the force acting on the second
charge q0 would be
; +0 

By substituting value of E
449
;
<:89  =

This represents the Coulomb’s Law and it is derived from gauss’ law.

Electric Field due to infinite plane sheet of charge

Charge density =

= ∮ . ⃗

C =  . ⃗   . ⃗   . ⃗
B A B C

A =   T    T    T

A B C
=   0    90    0
A B C

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Electric Field due to infinite plane sheet of charge

= E     
A C

= ES  ES 2ES C
B
A
Using Gauss theorem,
465
89

V?
2ES
89
Total charge +@ = V

V
E = (8
9

Electric field intensity is independent of the distance from an

infinite sheet of charges

Electric Field due to two parallel charged infinite sheets

ABCDE = 0

How?

Find E at P1 ,P2 and P3

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Two extremely large insulating planes each hold 1.8 C of excess charge. One plane is
charged negatively and the other is charged positively. The planes are separated by
a very small distance so that a uniform E-field is set up between them. Each plane is
1000 m wide and 1000 m long. Determine the magnitude of the E-field in between
the planes and outside the planes.