p1

Flux in General DEMO:

Loop

Flux: How much of something is passing through a surface.

Lecture 8
How many hairs are passing through your scalp.
If you dip a tennis racquet in a river, how much water flows through it?

θ
Electric Flux
Gauss’s Law
Max. flux Less flux Flux = 0
Effective
area
A A cos θ 0

Flux depends on: The flow of the water

The area of the tennis racquet A.
The orientation (θ)

Area vector A Electric Flux Φ

Is a vector with: Magnitude: Area of surface Instead of water, we have electric field lines. How many
lines go through a given surface?
Direction: Perpendicular to surface
Line density is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field:
G G
For uniform E and
Φ = EAeffect ve = EA cos θ = E ⋅ A
effective
fl t surfaces
flat s f s only
l

A
In general (for any field and surface):
θ
A A
G G
Φ = ∫ E ⋅ da [Φ] = Nm2/C = Vm

1
 Sign matters! Gauss’s Law

The net electric flux through

If you reverse the direction of A, you reverse the sign of
a closed surface is
qenclosed
the flux Φ closed surface =
proportional to the charge ε0
• For an open surface, choose any direction as long enclosed by it.
as the choice is made clear
+Q
• For a closed surface, the convention is to take Flux = +4 -8 + 0
-2Q
the area vector pointing outwards Q –
+
Flux > 0 ⇒ lines going out
Flux < 0 ⇒ lines coming in This is “trivial” ☺:
Flux = 0 ⇒ no lines or a balance • Flux = number of lines going through
• Number of lines ∝ charge
between incoming and • Only charges inside the surface will produce a net result (the lines from
outgoing lines. outside charges always come in and come out, so they don’t produce a net flux)

Example: Gauss’s law. Practical uses of Gauss’s Law

Find the net flux through each ball if Q = 8.85 nC.

football For a closed surface, we have two ways of computing the
Q flux:
G G
Q Assume that 1. Φ = ∫ E ⋅ da
what “looks”
looks q l
inside is inside 2. Φ closed surface = enclosed
3Q ε0
-2Q
soccer ball

• If we know qenclosed, we can figure out E.

Φ football =
2Q
=
2(8.85 × 10 −9 C)
= 2 × 103
N 2
m 2Q − 2Q • If we know E, we can figure out qenclosed.
Φ soccer ball = =0
ε0 C2 C ε0
8.85 × 10 −12
Nm2
The 3Q external charge does not contribute to the flux.

2
 EXAMPLE: E for a charged sphere Be very systematic:

1. Choose a Gaussian surface that:

• respects the symmetry of the problem
Find the magnitude of the electric field produced
• contains the point at which you want to find the
by a uniformly charged sphere with charge density
electric field.
ρ and radius R.
2. Compute the flux through that surface in two
diff
different
t ways:
G G qenclosed
Φ = ∫ E ⋅ da Φ closed surface =
ε0

3. Set one equal to each other. Solve for E.

First thing: Assess the symmetry of the problem. If we want to find the electric field at a point
located at distance r (>R) from the center of the
In this case, we clearly have a spherical symmetry.
sphere, the Gaussian surface to use is a sphere of
The magnitude of the electric field should only
radius r.
depend on the distance to the center of the sphere.

S
Same E r

Direction of E : Must be radial (in for -, out for +)

3
On the surface, the electric field and the differential The second way is using Gauss’s law.
area vector are parallel.
The charge enclosed by this surface is all the
G G
E (r ) Φ = ∫ E ⋅ da = ∫ Eda total charge in the sphere:
4
da qenclosed = Qtotal = ρ π R 3
3
Also, the electric field has
r th same magnitude
the it d allll over
So the flux through the Gaussian surface is
the Gaussian surface:
also:

∫ Eda = E ∫ da = E 4π r
2
4
ρ πR 3
Φ= 3 Eqn. 2
ε0
Φ = E 4π r 2 Eqn. 1

Now we put everything together:

4 Now let us find the electric field for r < R.
ρ πR 3
E 4π r =
2 3 All the symmetry arguments are the same. Now we
ε0 choose as Gaussian surface a sphere of radius r
ρR 3
Solve for E : E = r>R
3ε 0r 2 E (r ) E and da are still parallel,
and the magnitude of E is
In terms of the 1 Qtotal Q da still constant throughout
total charge Qtotal : E = = ke total
4πε 0 r 2 r2 the surface.
r
G G
It looks like the point-charge electric field, but it’s a Φ = ∫ E ⋅ da = ∫ Eda = E ∫ da = E 4π r 2
“coincidence” (only for spherical symmetries and r > R)!

This is the spherical shell theorem we used for

Newton’s gravitational force!

4
 Now we put everything together:
The charge enclosed by this surface is now 4
LESS than the total charge in the sphere: ρ πr3
E 4π r =
2 3
4 Qtotal 4 r3 ε0
qenclosed == ρ π r 3 = π r 3 = Qtotal
3 4 R3
πR 3 3 ρr
3 Solve for E : E = r<R
3ε 0
So the flux through the Gaussian surface is:

In terms of the 1 Qtotalr Q r

4
ρ πr3 total charge Qtotal : E = 4πε R3
= ke total
R3
Φ= 3 0

ε0
This time it does not look like the point-charge
electric field… So be careful!

Magnitude of the electric field as a function of r for EXAMPLE: Infinite charged sheet
a uniformly charge sphere of radius R:
A very large sheet has a density of charge per unit area σ. What is
E the electric field around it?

Symmetry: Φ cylinder = Φ caps + Φ side

Q cylinder or cube = Φ caps + 0
E = ke total
R2
= EA + EA = 2EA

qenclosed Aσ
A A Φ= =
r A ε0 ε0
R
E E
Aσ σ
2r 2EA = → E =
ε0 2ε 0

5
 σ
E = uniform (no dependence on distance)
2ε 0

E+ + – E-
+ –
+ –
+
–
+
–
+
–
+
+ –
+
–
+