TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ELECTRICAL AND

ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

401064
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD
CHAPTER 2: GAUSS’S LAW

Tran Hoang Quang Minh, PhD

Phan Thanh Tai, ME

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 CHAPTER 2: GAUSS’S LAW

• 2.1 Electric Flux

• 2.2 Gauss’s Law
• 2.3 Application of Gauss’s Law to Various
Charge Distributions
• 2.4 Conductors in Electrostatic Equilibrium

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 OBJECTIVES

▪ Describe Gauss’s law and an alternative

procedure for calculating electric fields.
▪ Gauss’s law is based on the inverse-square
behavior of the electric force between point
charges.
▪ How to calculate the electric field due to a given
charge distribution.

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 2.1 ELECTRIC FLUX

Electric flux is proportional to the number of

electric field lines penetrating some surface.

E = E. A⊥ = E. A.cos 

Field lines representing a

uniform electric field
penetrating an area.

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 2.1 ELECTRIC FLUX

Electric flux:

E =  E.d A =  En .dA

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 2.2 GAUSS’S LAW

Gauss’s law:

qin
E =  E.d A =  0

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 2.2 GAUSS’S LAW

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 2.2 GAUSS’S LAW

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 2.3 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’S LAW TO
VARIOUS CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS

A Spherically Symmetric Charge Distribution:

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 2.3 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’S LAW TO
VARIOUS CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS

The electric field:

Q Q
E2 = = ke 2 ( for r  a )
4 0 r 2
r
Q / ((4 / 3) a 3 ) Q
E1 = = ke 3 .r ( for r  a )
3(1/ 4 k e ) a

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 2.3 APPLICATION OF GAUSS’S LAW TO
VARIOUS CHARGE DISTRIBUTIONS

A Cylindrically Symmetric Charge Distribution

 
E= = 2ke
2 0 r r

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 2.4 CONDUCTORS IN
ELECTROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

A conductor in electrostatic equilibrium has the following

properties:
1. The electric field is zero everywhere inside the conductor,
whether the conductor is solid or hollow.
2. If an isolated conductor carries a charge, the charge
resides on its surface.
3. The electric field just outside a charged conductor is
perpendicular to the surface of the conductor and has a
magnitude Ϭ/ε0, where Ϭ is the surface charge density at
that point.
4. On an irregularly shaped conductor, the surface charge
density is greatest at locations where the radius of
curvature of the surface is smallest.
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 2.4 CONDUCTORS IN
ELECTROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

Faraday cage
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 2.4 CONDUCTORS IN
ELECTROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

Rod lightning

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 2.4 CONDUCTORS IN
ELECTROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

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 2.4 CONDUCTORS IN
ELECTROSTATIC EQUILIBRIUM

A Sphere Inside a Spherical Shell

Q
E2 = ke 2 ( for a  r  b)
r
Q
E1 = ke 3 r ( for r  a )
a
Q
E4 = − ke 2 ( for r  c )
r
E3 = 0 ( for b  r  c )

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 SUMMARY AND ASSIGNMENT

In this chapter, we have learnt:

▪Describe Gauss’s law and an alternative procedure
for calculating electric fields.
▪Gauss’s law is based on the inverse-square
behavior of the electric force between point
charges.
▪How to calculate the electric field due to a given
charge distribution
•Assignments: Quick Quizzes 24.1-23.3.
•Reading assignment: [1] chapter 25 (pp. 692-713).
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 EXERCISES

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 EXERCISES

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 EXERCISES

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 EXERCISES

 = −226
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 EXERCISES

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