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Questions tagged [gauss-law]

A law in classical electromagnetism and Newtonian gravity which relates (charge) density to the divergence of a field, or alternatively the charge in a volume to the flux through the bounding surface.

7 votes
5 answers
18k views

The discontinuity of Electric Field

''electric field always undergoes a discontinuity when you cross a surface charge $\sigma$'' GRIFFITHS In the derivation; Suppose we draw a wafer-thin Gaussian Pillbox, extended just barely over the ...
AlexandreH's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is the radial direction the preferred one in spherical symmetry?

I am learning about electricity and magnetism by watching MIT video lectures. In the lecture about Gauss's law, while trying to calculate the flux through a sphere with charge in it, the lecturer ...
Belgi's user avatar
  • 525
5 votes
3 answers
8k views

Charge outside Gaussian Surface doesn't contribute to Flux?

I roughly understand the explanation for this: any electric field line that enters the surface, must leave it, since field lines can't terminate abruptly in space. My question is, what if you have a ...
user153582's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
489 views

How can electric field be constant everywhere due to infinite plane sheet?

Why electric field lines through infinite plane sheet straight and constant everywhere I am not getting it why don't it change with distance can someone explain it omitting Gauss's law proof, I will ...
Mohit Bhaker's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
29k views

The relation between Gauss's law and Coulomb law and why is it important that the electric field decrease proportionally to $\frac{1}{r^{2}}$?

My question relates to the third MIT's video lecture about Electricity and Magnetism, specifically from $21:18-22:00$ : http://youtu.be/XaaP1bWFjDA?t=21m18s I have watched the development of Gauss's ...
Belgi's user avatar
  • 525
3 votes
7 answers
8k views

Why do outside charges do not contribute to net flux of a Gaussian Surface?

I don't quite understand why external charges can be ignored when calculating the net flux of a Gaussian surface. I understand that $\nabla \cdot \vec{E}$ of any point charge equals $0$ and I can ...
Nick M's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
3 answers
5k views

Coulomb's law and Gauss' Law

Which of these laws is more fundamental or forms the basis of electrostatics? I started off with Coulomb's law and then I studied Gauss' law. I was wondering which one is more universal? My professor ...
Klosew's user avatar
  • 339
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Divergence of non conservative electric field

I'm looking for the proof that the 1st Maxwell equation is valid also on non conservative electric field. When we are talking about a electrostatic field, the equation is ok. We can apply the Gauss (...
EmarJ's user avatar
  • 133
2 votes
4 answers
397 views

Electric field line density : Theory vs Reality

I've already went through this post. Yet, I still can't understand the meaning of "density" of electric field lines whose number is, in reality, infinite. One of the answers , for instance, states ...
Hilbert's user avatar
  • 1,292
1 vote
2 answers
2k views

Gauss' law in differential form and electric fields

I know Gauss' divergence theorem, according to which $$\iiint_D\nabla\cdot\boldsymbol{F}\text{d}x\text{d}y\text{d}z=\iint_{\partial D}\boldsymbol{F}\cdot\boldsymbol{N}_e\text{d}\sigma$$ where $D$ is a ...
Self-teaching worker's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
6k views

Gauss's Law with Moving Charges

My text claims that Gauss's Law has been proven to work for moving charges experimentally, is there a non-experimental way to verify this?
user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
2k views

Proving electric field constant between two charged infinite parallel plates

It is known that the electric field intensity between two infinitely long charged parallel plates is constant. I had read that one explanation is that if a test charge is placed between the plates, ...
Taenyfan's user avatar
  • 129
-2 votes
1 answer
190 views

Are gravitational field lines ever used in situations beyond classical Newtonian gravity?

Answers to Where do gravitational field lines go exactly? We know where they start, but explain that for Newtonian gravity they go to infinity. In a simple Newtonian gravity exercise there is no "...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 6,273
12 votes
3 answers
761 views

The roundabout definition of electric charge

In the book called Electricity and magnetism by Purcell, in page-240, he writes that Q in a surface is defined as $$ Q = \epsilon_{o} \int_{\partial S(t)} \vec{E} \cdot \vec{dA}$$ Now, I'm quite ...
Cathartic Encephalopathy's user avatar
10 votes
4 answers
8k views

Is there a limitation on Gauss' law? [duplicate]

Recently I had a question to find the electric field at a distance $R$ from the origin, where the space is filled with charge of density $\rho$. I did this by assuming a Gaussian surface of radius $R$....
avz2611's user avatar
  • 327

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