Chapter 2
GAUSS’S LAW
1- What is the electric flux through a sphere that has a radius of 1.00 m and carries a charge of +1.00
μC at its center?
r = 1.00 m
charge = +1.00 𝝁𝑪
Φ = EA
Area of sphere = 4𝝅𝒓𝟐
= 4𝝅(𝟏)𝟐
= 𝟏𝟐. 𝟓𝟕 𝒎𝟐
So, Φ = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟗 × 𝟏𝟎𝟑 × 𝟏𝟐. 𝟓𝟕 𝒎
Φ = 𝟏. 𝟏𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎𝟓 𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪
2- Suppose that the charge in Question 1 is just outside the sphere, 1.01 m from its center. What is the
total flux through the sphere?
The charge is on the edge of the sphere. As a result, there is no charge inside the sphere.
Φ=0
3- A spherical gaussian surface surrounds a point charge q. Describe what happens to the total flux
through the surface if
(a) the charge is tripled,
flux will be tripled because the total flux is proportional to the charge inside the surface.
(b) the radius of the sphere is doubled,
flux does not change because the total flux through the surface are not affected to the radius.
(c) the surface is changed to a cube, and
flux does not change because the electric field lines got to pass through the sphere
(d) the charge is moved to another location inside the surface.
Flux does not change because cube does not affect total flux through the surface.
4- The Sun is lower in the sky during the winter than it is in the summer. How does this change the
flux of sunlight hitting a given area on the surface of the Earth? How does this affect the weather?
When the sun is lower in the sky, the angle of the sun's rays' height drops. The angle between the
sun's beams and the area vector increases as a result. Hence,The weather is colder in the winter
than it is in the summer.
.
5- The electric field everywhere on the surface of a thin spherical shell of radius 0.750 m is measured
to be equal to 890 N/C and points radially toward the center of the sphere.
(a) What is the net charge within the sphere’s surface?
r = 0.750 m
E =890 N/C
The net charge withn the sphere’s surface, q = ?
𝒒
E =𝒌 𝒓𝟐 , 𝒌 = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟖𝟖 × 𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝑵 . 𝒎𝟐 ⁄𝑪𝟐
Hence;
𝑬𝒓𝟐
𝒒=
𝒌
𝑵
(𝟖𝟗𝟎 𝑪 ) (𝟎. 𝟕𝟓𝟎𝒎)𝟐
𝒒=
𝟖. 𝟗𝟖𝟖 × 𝟏𝟎𝟗 𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪𝟐
𝒒 = 𝟓. 𝟓𝟕 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟖 𝑪
Since E points radially toward the center of the sphere (inward), q is a negative
= ∴ 𝒒 = −𝟓. 𝟓𝟕 × 𝟏𝟎
(b) What can you conclude about the nature and distribution of the charge inside the spherical shell?
The electric field, E points radially toward the sphere's centre, the net charge within the
sphere's surface is negative
6- A vertical electric field of magnitude 2.00 × 104 N/C exists above the Earth’s surface on a day
when a thunderstorm is brewing. A car with a rectangular size of approximately 6.00 m by 3.00 m is
traveling along a roadway sloping downward at 10.0°. Determine the electric flux through the bottom
of the car.
Φ = E 𝑬𝑨 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝛉
= 𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎𝟒 × ( 𝟔. 𝟎𝟎 × 𝟑. 𝟎𝟎) × 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝟏𝟎°
= 3.545 × 𝟏𝟎𝟓 𝐍. 𝐦𝟐 /𝐂
7- Consider a closed triangular box resting within a horizontal electric field of magnitude E = 7.80 ×
104 N/C, as shown in Figure 1. Calculate the electric flux through
(a) the vertical rectangular surface,
(b) the slanted surface, and
(c) the entire surface of the box.
Figure 1
(a) EA 𝑪𝒐𝒔 𝟏𝟖𝟎°
= 𝟕. 𝟖𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎𝟒 × 𝟎. 𝟑 × 𝟎. 𝟏 (−𝟏)
= − 𝟐𝟑𝟒𝟎 𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪
𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝑬 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒇𝒂𝒄𝒆
𝟎.𝟏𝟎 𝒎
(b) 𝒙 = 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝟑𝟎° = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝒎
Area for (b), A = (𝟎. 𝟑𝟎 𝒎)(𝟎. 𝟐𝟎𝒎) = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟔 𝒎𝟐
ΦE(b) = EA(b) cos𝜽
ΦE(b) = (𝟕. 𝟖𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎𝟒 𝑵⁄𝑪)(𝟎. 𝟎𝟔𝒎𝟐 )𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝟔𝟎. 𝟎°
∴ 𝜱𝑬(b) = +𝟐𝟑𝟒𝟎 𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪
(c) = −𝟐𝟑𝟒𝟎𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪 + 𝟐𝟑𝟒𝟎𝑵. 𝒎𝟐 /𝑪
=0