Gauss's law of sphere using integral

In summary, the conversation discusses the use of Gauss's law to calculate the electric field outside a sphere with a total charge q enclosed. The easiest way to do this is by using the surface integral, with the correct differential being dA=r^2 sin(theta) dtheta dphi in polar coordinates. The integrals for theta and phi are separable and result in 4*pi. It is important to note that in spherical coordinates, phi is the azimuthal angle and goes counterclockwise while theta is the polar angle and goes from 0 to pi.
  • #1
pinkfishegg
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3
Hey I was just practicing Gauss's law outside a sphere of radius R with total charge q enclosed. So I know they easiest way to do this is:

∫E⋅da=Q/ε
E*4π*r^2=q/ε
E=q/(4*πε) in the r-hat direction

But I am confusing about setting up the integral to get the same result

I tried
∫ 0 to pi ∫0 to 2pi E*r^2sin(Φ) dΦdΘ for the LHS

i got this from the front of Griffiths where it says:
dl=dr(r-hat)+sdφ d(θ-hat)+rsin(θ)dφ (φ-hat)

But i keep getting 0 when i take this integral sin i get -cos(2π)-cos(0)= -1-(-1)=0

So there's obviously something wrong with my setup. I need to integrate over θ and φ because they are on the surface but I'm not sure about the terms in front. Aren't they supposed to be they ones in front from the dl term?..

Trying to practice this to be able to answer harder questions :P
 
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  • #2
The surface integral is not a ## d \vec{l} ## type integration. The surface differential is ## dA=r^2 sin(\theta) \, \, d \theta \, d \phi ## in polar coordinates. ## \theta ## gets integrated from ## 0 ## to ## \pi ##, and ## \phi ## from ## 0 ## to ## 2 \pi ##. The integrals are separable, and there is complete symmetry as ## E ## is assumed to be a constant, (depending only on ## r ##), independent of ## \theta ## and ## \phi ##. The result of these two integrals is ## 4 \pi ##.
 
  • #3
ohhh so i got the bounds for φ and θ mixed up..
 
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  • #4
pinkfishegg said:
ohhh so i got the bounds for φ and θ mixed up..

So Φ is from top to bottom and θ from left to right correct? why are those the bounds. It seems like it could go either way and you'd still get the entire sphere.
 
  • #5
pinkfishegg said:
So Φ is from top to bottom and θ from left to right correct? why are those the bounds. It seems like it could go either way and you'd still get the entire sphere.
## \phi ## is the azimuthal angle, basically counterclockwise, and goes all the way around (360 degrees). ## \theta ## is the polar angle, and when it points all the way downward the angle is 180 degrees. When the point lies in the x-y plane, the polar angle is 90 degrees. ## \\ ## Additional item, is that spherical coordinates is not a system that you can draw about some origin, (at radius ## r ## away from some other origin), where for small angles ## \phi ## is left and right (x-direction), and ## \theta ## is the elevation angle (y-direction) . This type of coordinate system is also used at times for sources that have a narrow beam spread, but it is not spherical coordinates.
 
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  • #6
Charles Link said:
## \phi ## is the azimuthal angle, basically counterclockwise, and goes all the way around (360 degrees). ## \theta ## is the polar angle, and when it points all the way downward the angle is 180 degrees. When the point lies in the x-y plane, the polar angle is 90 degrees.
ok i just looked at this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_coordinate_system. sometimes its opposite in math so that's why i mixed it up.
 
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  • #7
Please see also my edited comment (Additional item) in my previous post.
 

What is Gauss's law?

Gauss's law is a fundamental law of electromagnetism that relates the electric field at a point in space to the electric charge enclosed by a surface surrounding that point.

What is the integral form of Gauss's law?

The integral form of Gauss's law states that the flux of the electric field through a closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge divided by the permittivity of free space.

How is Gauss's law applied to a sphere?

When applying Gauss's law to a sphere, the closed surface is chosen to be a sphere centered at the charge, and the electric field is assumed to be symmetric around the center of the sphere. This simplifies the integral and allows for an easy solution.

What is the significance of Gauss's law for a sphere?

Gauss's law for a sphere allows for the calculation of the electric field at any point outside the sphere, as long as the total charge enclosed by the sphere is known. This makes it a very useful tool in understanding the behavior of electric fields and charges in a spherical system.

Can Gauss's law be applied to non-uniformly charged spheres?

Yes, Gauss's law can be applied to non-uniformly charged spheres by breaking the sphere into small, uniformly charged pieces and using the principle of superposition to sum up the electric fields from each piece. This can be a more complex calculation, but the same principles still apply.

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