Gausss Law

Alan Murray

Revision : Vector Dot

(Scalar) Product
a.b = ab cos(90) = 0

a.b = ab cos

a.b = ab cos(0) = ab

a.a = aa cos(0) = a

b
In Cartesian co-ordinates, a.b

= (ax,ay,az).(bx.by,bz)
= axbx + ayby + azbz

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Revision : Vector x Scalar

2a
a

In Cartesian co-ordinates, for example,

2a = 2(ax,ay,az) = (2ax,2ay,2az)
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-2a

Gausss Law : Crude Analogy

Try to measure the rain on a rainy day

Method 1 : count the raindrops as they fall,
and add them up

cf Coulombs Law

Method 2 : Hold up an umbrella (a surface)

and see how wet it gets.

cf Gausss Law
Method 1 is a divide and-conquer or microscopic
approach
Method 2 is a more gross or macroscopic
approach
They must give the same answer.

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Electric Field Lines

1C

1C

These are all correct as E-field lines are simply cartoons

For now, adopt a drawing scheme such that 1C = 1 E-line.

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1C

Lines of Electric Field

How many field lines
cross out of the circle?

8C 8 lines
16C 16 lines
32C
16C
8C

32C 32 lines

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Lines of Electric Field

How many field lines
cross out of the surface?

8C 8 lines
16C 16 lines
32C
16C
8C

32C 32 lines

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Gausss Law : Cartoon Version

The number of electric field lines

leaving a closed surface is equal to
the charge enclosed by that surface
(E-field-lines) Charge Enclosed

N Coulombs N lines
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Lines of Electric Field

How many field lines cross
out of the surface?

8C 0 lines
16C 0 lines
32C
16C
8C

32C 0 lines
i.e. charge
enclosed = 0

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Gausss Law Proper ()

(E-lines)
D = E
D.ds

proportional to

(Charge Enclosed)

= (r)dv
= (r)dxdydz
D.ds = charge enclosed
= 0 = 8.85 x 10-12 in a vacuum

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Digression/Revision
Area Integrals

This area gets

wetter!
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Area Integrals whats happening?

Rainfall
ds

Rainfall
ds

This area gets

wetter!
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Area Integrals whats happening?

ds

Rainfall

ds

Rainfall

Clearly, as the areas are the same, the angle between the
area and the rainfall matters
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Area Integrals whats happening?

Rainfall, R
ds

Rainfall, R

ds

Extreme cases
at 180 - maximum rainfall
at 90, no rainfall
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Flux of rain (rainfall) through an

area ds

Fluxrain = R.ds
|R||ds|cos()
Rds cos()

Fluxrain = 0 for 90 cos() = 0

Fluxrain = -Rds for 180 cos() = -1
Generally, Fluxrain = Rds cos()
-1 < cos() < +1

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Area Integrals : Take-home

message

Area is a vector, perpendicular to the

surface
Calculating flux of rain, E-field or anything
else thus involves a scalar or dot product
a.b = abcos()
This is what appears in a surface integral
of the form D.ds, or R.ds, which would
yield the total rainfall on whatever surface
is being used for integration (here, the
hills!)
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Gausss law Worked Example

Long straight rod of charge

Construct a Gaussian Surface that reflects the symmetry

of the charge - cylindrical in this case, then evaluate D.ds

E, D

E, D

ds

ds

l Coulombs/m

r
ds

L
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E, D

EvaluateD.ds

D.ds = D.ds curved surface

+D.ds flat end faces

End faces, D & ds are perpendicular

D.ds on end faces = 0
D.ds flat end faces = 0

ds

Flat end faces do not contribute!

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EvaluateD.ds

D.ds = D.ds

curved surface only

E, D
ds

D & ds parallel,
D.ds = |D|ds| = Dds

l Coulombs/m

ds

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EvaluateD.ds

D.ds

curved surface only

E, D

= Dds
D has the same strength
D(r) everywhere on this
surface.

l Coulombs/m

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EvaluateD.ds

D.ds curved surface only = ds

D
= Dds = D area of curved surface
= D rL
So 2DrL = charge enclosed
Charge enclosed?
Charge/length length L = l L
2r

l Coulombs/m

L
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EvaluateD.ds

D.ds = charge enclosed

Dr x
L = l Lx
D(r) = l
r

D(r) =l r
r

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Discussion

|D| is proportional to 1/r

Gets weaker with distance
Intuitively correct

D points radially outwards (

( r)
|D| is proportional to l
More charge density = more field
Intuitively correct

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Other forms of charge distribution?

Spherical charge
distribution
r-2, r-3, e r
Choose a spherical
surface for integration
Then D and ds will
once again be parallel
on the surface
Check it out!

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Spherical charge distribution

- worked example

Solid sphere of 4C,

uniformly
distributed

r>R
R

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Other forms of charge distribution?

Sheet of charge
Mirror symmetry
Choose a surface that
is symmetric about
the sheet
Then D and ds will
once again be parallel
or perpendicular on
the surfaces
Check it out!

D, ds

ds

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`
`
D

Gausss Law
This is Maxwells first equation

D.ds Qenclosed v dv
And we can have Maxwells second equation
for free!

B.ds 0
As there is not such thing as an isolated
magnetic charge, no Gaussian surface can
ever contain a net magnetic
charge they come in pairs (North and South
poles).
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