Is There a Gauss' Law for Gravitation?

In summary, the conversation discusses the existence of an equivalent Gauss' law for gravitation and whether there is a similar law for magnetic fields. It is mentioned that there is a Gauss' law for magnetic fields, but it is simpler due to the absence of magnetic monopoles. The possibility of magnetic monopoles is also discussed, with one participant referencing a physics textbook that suggests their existence, but no one has found evidence of them.
  • #1
aniketp
84
0
hello,
I was wondering if there is an equivalent gauss' law for gravitation like:
[tex]\Phi[/tex]=4[tex]\pi[/tex]G*Menclosed
any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
 
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  • #2
Absolutely. See: "[URL law for gravity[/URL]
 
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  • #3
thank you. but do magnetic fields have any such law? intuitively, i am inclined to say no,
because magnetic field lines can cross...but i would like a rigorous proof
 
  • #4
aniketp said:
but do magnetic fields have any such law? intuitively, i am inclined to say no,
because magnetic field lines can cross...but i would like a rigorous proof
Yes, there's a Gauss's law for magnetic fields--it's one of Maxwell's Equations. Since there are no magnetic monopoles, it is rather simple: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gauss%27_law_for_magnetism" .

Magnetic field lines can cross only where the field is zero.
 
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  • #5
I'm curious as to why there isn't any magnetic monopoles. The freshman physics textbook I read for my intro physics course says that current theory (I think it was Serway) does predict the existence of magnetic monopoles.
 
  • #6
No one seems to have found any magnetic monopoles. By including magnetic charge and magnetic current terms in Maxwell's equations you postulate magnetic charge. It brings some (anti-) symmetry to the equations, but this is inconsistence with the magnetic potential.
 

1. What is gravitation?

Gravitation is the force of attraction between two objects with mass. It is one of the four fundamental forces of nature and is responsible for the motion of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies.

2. Who discovered the law of gravitation?

The law of gravitation was first proposed by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687 in his book "Principia Mathematica." However, it was later refined and expanded upon by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity in 1915.

3. What is Gauss' law?

Gauss' law is a fundamental law of electromagnetism that relates the distribution of electric charge to the electric field it creates. It states that the electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the charge enclosed by that surface divided by the permittivity of free space.

4. How is Gauss' law related to gravitation?

Gauss' law is not directly related to gravitation. However, it can be used to derive the inverse-square law of gravitation, which states that the force of gravitation between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

5. How does the mass of an object affect the strength of its gravitational field?

The mass of an object directly affects the strength of its gravitational field. The greater the mass, the stronger the gravitational field it creates. This is why larger objects, like planets and stars, have a stronger gravitational pull than smaller objects, like rocks or humans.

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