CH 22 GAUSS’S LAW I

Intended Learning Outcomes – after this lecture you will learn:

1. The meaning of electric flux.
2. Gauss’s law.
3. Distribution of excess charge in a conductor.
Textbook Reference: 22.1 – 22.3, 22.5

Know charge distribution → know electric field (by Coulomb’s law)

Inverse problem: know electric field → know charge distribution? In principle yes, by mapping
out the field in 3D space using a test charge

But tedious to map out the field in 3D

What if we know the field on the surfaces of the (imaginary) box only? Consider electric field
lines flowing into and out of the box, called electric flux (“flux” meaning “flow”, just like a
fluid)

With a net charge inside box, a net electric flux flow in/out

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 1

With no net charge, electric flux flowing in and out cancels, and net flux is zero

No charge nearby
To summarize:
1. A net inward/outward electric flux through a close surface means that the charge enclosed is
negative/positive.
2. Charges outside the close surface give no net flux through the surface.
3. Net flux ∝ charge enclosed, but independent of size of closed surface.

To properly define the electric flux through a surface, draw analogy with fluid flow:
Define area vector ⃗𝑨 = 𝐴𝒏̂ , where 𝒏
̂ is the outward (may be ambiguous unless for a close
surface) normal unit vector
surface ⊥ flow surface at angle 𝜙 to flow
⃗
𝑨 ⃗
flow direction 𝒗
𝜙
⃗𝑨
⃗

𝑣𝑑𝑡 𝑣𝑑𝑡
volume flow through after volume flow through after 𝑑𝑡 is
𝑑𝑡 is 𝐴(𝑣𝑑𝑡) 𝐴(𝑣𝑑𝑡) cos 𝜙 = ⃗𝑨 ⋅ 𝒗
⃗ 𝑑𝑡
Electric flux due to a uniform field through a flat surface is defines as
Φ𝐸 = 𝑬⃗⃗ ⋅ 𝑨
⃗⃗ = 𝐸𝐴 cos 𝜙
SI unit is N·m2/C

a major difference between a fluid flow and an electric flux – while arrows in a fluid flow
indicate the direction in which the fluid is flowing, arrows in electric flux is not the direction a
test charge will go.

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 2

Example 22.1 P. 751 Electric flux through a disk
𝐸 = 2.0 × 103 N/C, electric flux through the disk

Φ𝐸 = 𝐸𝐴 cos 𝜙 = (2.0 × 103 N/C)𝜋(0.10m)2 cos 30°

= 54 N⋅m2 /C

Example 22.2 P. 752 Electric flux through a cube

`
no net charge enclosed leads to no net electric flux

Example 22.3 P. 752 Electric flux through a sphere

Surface is not flat!!
⃗
Solution: break up surface into infinitesimal flat patches 𝑑𝑨
⃗ ⋅ 𝑑𝑨
Φ𝐸 = ෍ 𝑬 ⃗ → ර𝑬
⃗ ⋅ 𝑑𝑨
⃗⃗

sum over infinitesimal surface integral

patches

Anywhere on the surface of the sphere, 𝐸 = 𝑞/(4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟 2 ) and ⃗𝑬 ∥ 𝑑𝑨 ⃗ , i.e., ⃗𝑬 ⋅ 𝑑𝑨

⃗ = 𝐸𝑑𝐴
1 𝑞 𝑞
Φ𝐸 = ∫ 𝑬 ⃗ ⋅ 𝑑𝑨
⃗ = ∫ 𝐸𝑑𝐴 = 𝐸 ∫ 𝑑𝐴 = 4𝜋𝑟 2
=
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟 2 𝜖0
while E depends on r, Φ𝐸 independent of size of close surface!
This can be generalized to any close surface and charge distribution!

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 3

Gauss’s Law
The total electric flux through a closed surface (called a Gaussian surface) is equal to the net
electric charge inside the surface, divided by 𝜖0

How to make sense out of it?

No charge enclosed, electric field lines cannot

start/end inside it, flux in = flux out, no net flux

𝑅 2 cancels out, independent of size of surface

1 𝑞 2)
𝑞
Φ𝐸 = 𝐸𝐴 = (4𝜋𝑅 =
4𝜋𝜖0 𝑅 2 𝜖0

turns Coulomb’s law (a physical law in terms of force) into

a geometric law
1/𝑟 2 in Coulomb’s law is because of the dimensionality of
the 3D space

If closed surface is not spherical, the projection

⃗𝑬 ⋅ 𝑑𝑨
⃗ makes sure that the effective tangential
surface area is the same as a sphere

Question: rank the 5 Gaussian surfaces in increasing electric

flux through them, from –ve to +ve

Answer: see inverted text on P. 757

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 4

Electrostatic condition means that a there is no net flow of charge (current) inside a conductor
Under this condition,
1. electric field inside a conductor must be zero (even for charged conductors), otherwise
charge will flow leading to a current inside the conductor
2. electric field on the surface of a conductor must be perpendicular to the surface, otherwise
charge will flow on the surface, leading to a surface current (why wouldn’t charge flies out
from the conductor surface?)
A consequence of Gauss’s law – excess charge on a conductor resides entirely on its surface
Choose a Gaussian surface inside the
conductor but arbitrarily close to surface,
from Gauss’s law
Anywhere inside a
Φ𝐸 = ර ⃗𝑬
⃗ ⋅ 𝑑𝑨
⃗⃗ = 𝑄encl /𝜖0 ⃗ =0
𝑬 conductor, ⃗𝑬 = 0
otherwise its
⃗𝑬 = 0 ⇒ Φ𝐸 = 0 ⇒ 𝑄encl = 0 , enclose electrons will flow
no net charge!

All excess charge must reside on the surface

What if the conductor is hollow?

Excess charge still resides on the outer
surface (same argument as above)

How about inner surface? Our argument shows

that there is no net charge on inner surface.
(But is it possible that equal and opposite
charges reside on difference places on the
inner surface?)
Excess charge + When can there be non-zero net charges on the
induced charge inner surface?
(can be of
opposite sign)
reside on the Only when there are non-
outer surface zero net charges inside the
cavity

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 5

Example 22.11 P. 762
A hollowed conductor has a net charge +7
nC. Inside the cavity, there is a charge -5 nC
but not touching it. How much charge resides
on the outer and inner surfaces?

result independent of location of the -5 nC

charge

Clicker Questions

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 6

Ans. Q22.2) B, Q22.4) D, Q-RT22.1) ADBC

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 7

For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Friedrich_Gauss,

PHYS1114 Lecture 3 Gauss’s law I P. 8