Gausss Law In Electrostatics

Concepts: Electric field due to a point charge:

  • The electric field due to a point charge is given by the equation:

E=14πϵ0qr2r^ Where,

(\overrightarrow{E}) is the electric field vector.

(q) is the magnitude of the point charge.

(r) is the distance from the point charge to the observation location.

(\hat{r}) is the unit vector pointing from the point charge to the observation location.

Electric flux:

  • Electric flux is a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a given surface. It is given by the equation: ΦE=En^dA Where (\Phi_E) is the electric flux (\overrightarrow{E}) is the electric field vector. (\hat{n}) is the normal unit vector perpendicular to the surface. (dA) is the differential area of the surface.

Gauss’s law:

  • Gauss’s law states that the total electric flux through any closed surface is equal to the total charge enclosed by that surface. It is given by the equation: En^dA=Qencϵ0 Where, En^dA represents the total electric flux through the closed surface. (Q_{enc}) is the total charge enclosed by the closed surface. (\epsilon_0) is permittivity of free space.

Applications of Gauss’s law:

Electric field of a uniformly charged sphere: For a uniformly charged sphere, the electric field at a distance (r) from the center of the sphere is given by:

  • Inside the sphere ((r<R)) E=0

  • Outside the sphere ((r>R ))

E=Q4πϵ0r2r^

Electric field of a uniformly charged infinite plane: For a uniformly charged infinite plane with surface charge density (\sigma), the electric field at a distance (d) from the plane is given by: E=σ2ϵ0n^ Where (\hat{n}) is the normal unit vector perpendicular to the plane.

Electric field of a charged conducting sphere: For a charged conducting sphere, the electric field at a distance (r) from the center of the sphere is given by:

  • Inside the sphere (r<R):

E=0

  • Outside the sphere (r>R): E=Q4πϵr2r^


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