Calculating Electric Field in a Charged Tube Using Gauss's Law

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the electric field within a charged hollow tube using Gauss's Law. The problem involves a tube with a uniform charge density and specific inner and outer radii.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply Gauss's Law, questioning the appropriate Gaussian surface and charge enclosed. Some participants express confusion about the applicability of Gauss's Law given the tube's structure, while others seek clarification on whether the tube is closed.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem and questioning the assumptions regarding the tube's geometry and the use of Gauss's Law. There is no explicit consensus on the correct approach yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants are discussing the implications of the tube being hollow and whether this affects the application of Gauss's Law. There is uncertainty about the conditions under which Gauss's Law can be applied in this scenario.

yevi
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A long tube charge with charged with uniform spatial density [tex]\rho[/tex].
The inner radius of the tube is: a
The outer radius of the tube is: b

Need to find the electric field in: a<r<b

My approach is Gauss:

E*S=4 [tex]\pi[/tex] kq

The S is the Gaussean Surface it should be 2 [tex]\pi[/tex] r^2 ??

and q should be [tex]\rho[/tex]*(r^2-a^2)??
 
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The answer should be:
E=2 [tex]\pi[/tex] k[tex]\rho[/tex][tex]\frac{r^2-a^2}{r}[/tex][tex]\hat{r}[/tex]

So I did something wrong...
 
yevi said:
The answer should be:
E=2 [tex]\pi[/tex] k[tex]\rho[/tex][tex]\frac{r^2-a^2}{r}[/tex][tex]\hat{r}[/tex]

So I did something wrong...

Is the tube closed? because if it isn't then Gauss law can't be used.
 
what do you mean closed?
The tube is hollow...

If I can't use gauss, what should i use?
 
I still don't understand why I can't use gauss here.
 
Anyone? :)
 

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