Confused on determining an enclosed a postive/negative/no net charge

In summary, the electric field is outward for all points on the surface of a Gaussian cube, which means the flux of the electric field is + and the enclosed charge is 0.
  • #1
mr_coffee
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1
Hello everyone, I'm stuck on a check point. The figure shows three situations in which a Gaussian cube sits in an electric field. The arrows and hte values indicate the directions of th field lines and the magnitudes of the flux through the six sides of each cube. (The ligther arrrows are for the hidden faces.) In which situation does the cube enclose (a) a positive net charge,l (b) a negative net charge, and (c) no net charge. The image attached is the diagram from the book. I understood the concept when i read it. It said, If the electric field is outward for all points on its surface, the flux of the electric field is + and so is the enclosed charge. It also said, if the elelctric field is inward then the flux is - and so is the enclosed charge. If the positive and negative charges have equal magnitudes (there are as many field lines leaving surface as entering it) then there is no net charge or flux. The answer is, cube 1, no net charge. (2) positive net charge. (3) negative net charge. To start off, why is C no net charge? Maybe I don't know how to interpret the magnitudes. I see 4 going in and 7 going out, meaning +2 flux. 3 in, 2 out = -1 flux. 7 in, 5 out = -2. If i add up all these results i get -1 flux, wouldn't this mean it would be a overal net charge of negative? Am i totally not reading these right? :bugeye: I had to touch up the picture because you couldn't see the arrows or magnitudes after i scanned it, sorry about the sloppiness, paint sucks! Okay i just viewed the image and it sucks even more then I realized. So I'm going to list the magnitudes going in and out just to make sure.

Cube 2: Magnitude of arrows going into cube: 4, 3, 6; Going out of cube: 10, 3, 5.

Cube 3: In: 6,5,7; Out: 8,2,5
 

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  • #2
mr_coffee said:
To start off, why is C no net charge? Maybe I don't know how to interpret the magnitudes. I see 4 going in and 7 going out, meaning +2 flux. 3 in, 2 out = -1 flux. 7 in, 5 out = -2. If i add up all these results i get -1 flux, wouldn't this mean it would be a overal net charge of negative?
You made an arithmetic error. The net flux is 0.
 
  • #3
ahhh, my bad, thanks! I get it now! :biggrin:
 

1. What is an enclosed charge?

An enclosed charge refers to the net electric charge contained within a specific region. This region can be a closed surface or a volume. The enclosed charge can be positive, negative, or neutral.

2. How do you determine the enclosed charge?

To determine the enclosed charge, you first need to choose a closed surface or volume. Then, you can use Gauss's Law, which states that the electric flux through any closed surface is equal to the net enclosed charge divided by the permittivity of free space. The direction of the electric flux can also help determine the sign of the enclosed charge.

3. What does a positive enclosed charge mean?

A positive enclosed charge means that there is a net positive charge inside the chosen region. This can be caused by an excess of positively charged particles or a lack of negatively charged particles.

4. What does a negative enclosed charge mean?

A negative enclosed charge means that there is a net negative charge inside the chosen region. This can be caused by an excess of negatively charged particles or a lack of positively charged particles.

5. What does a no net charge enclosed mean?

A no net charge enclosed means that the total amount of positive and negative charges inside the chosen region is equal, resulting in a neutral charge. This can occur when there are equal amounts of positively and negatively charged particles or when there are no charged particles present.

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