Please help a girl who doesnt understand physics

The direction of the field lines depends on the relative magnitude of the two charges, with the field lines being closer together when q1>q2, further apart when q1<q2, and evenly spaced when q1=q2. This can be explained using the concept of flux, which is a measure of the flow of electric field through a surface. Gauss's law states that the net flux through a closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge divided by the permittivity of the vacuum. Therefore, the closer the two charges are, the higher the flux and the stronger the electric field. To sketch the field lines, you can use the concept of electric potential, with the field lines pointing from higher potential to lower potential. This will help
  • #1
alonzo
10
0
Please help a girl who doesn't understand physics!

Plz help me with this problem! I'm totally lost.
1) Sketch the electric field lines both between and outside two concentric conducting spherical shells when a positive charge q1 is on the inner shell and negative charge -q2 is on the other one. Explain your diagrams using the concepts of flux and Gauss's law. Show the difference between the cases q1>q2, q1=q2 and q1<q2.

I'm not sure quite how 2 sketch field lines. Please help me! Thanx!
 
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  • #2
alonzo said:
Plz help me with this problem! I'm totally lost.
1) Sketch the electric field lines both between and outside two concentric conducting spherical shells when a positive charge q1 is on the inner shell and negative charge -q2 is on the other one. Explain your diagrams using the concepts of flux and Gauss's law. Show the difference between the cases q1>q2, q1=q2 and q1<q2.

I'm not sure quite how 2 sketch field lines. Please help me! Thanx!

In this case, the field lines are just radial lines between the two shells.
 
  • #3


Hi there! I completely understand how overwhelming physics can be, especially when it comes to visualizing and sketching concepts like electric field lines. Don't worry, I'm here to help.

First, let's break down the problem. We have two concentric conducting spherical shells, meaning they are both spherical in shape and one is enclosed within the other. On the inner shell, there is a positive charge q1, and on the outer shell, there is a negative charge -q2. We need to sketch the electric field lines between and outside these two shells, and then explain our diagrams using the concepts of flux and Gauss's law. Lastly, we need to show the difference between the cases where q1>q2, q1=q2, and q1<q2.

To sketch the field lines, we can start by drawing the two shells as circles, one inside the other. Then, we can draw arrows representing the direction of the electric field lines. Remember, electric field lines always point away from positive charges and towards negative charges. So, for q1, we will draw arrows pointing away from the inner shell, and for -q2, we will draw arrows pointing towards the outer shell. The number of field lines will depend on the magnitude of the charges and the distance between the two shells.

Now, let's talk about flux and Gauss's law. Flux is a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a given area. In this case, the area we are interested in is the surface of the two shells. Gauss's law states that the total electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge divided by the permittivity of free space. In simpler terms, it means that the total amount of electric field lines passing through a surface is equal to the total charge enclosed within that surface.

In the case of q1>q2, we will see more field lines passing through the surface of the inner shell, indicating a stronger electric field. This is because there is a larger amount of positive charge on the inner shell, creating a stronger electric field. In the case of q1=q2, the number of field lines passing through the surface of both shells will be equal, indicating an equal strength of the electric field. And in the case of q1<q2, we will see more field lines passing through the surface of the outer shell, indicating a stronger electric field created by the larger negative charge.

I hope this explanation
 

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