The flux through the hemispherical surface

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SUMMARY

The flux through a hemispherical surface in a uniform electric field is calculated using the formula πR²E, where R is the radius of the hemisphere and E is the electric field strength. The discussion clarifies that to apply Gauss's law, one must consider the closed surface formed by adding a flat disk to the hemisphere. The total flux through the closed surface equals zero, leading to the conclusion that the flux through the hemispherical surface is equal to the negative of the flux through the disk. This is a critical concept in electrostatics, particularly when dealing with non-closed surfaces.

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  • Understanding of Gauss's Law in electrostatics
  • Familiarity with electric flux and its mathematical representation
  • Knowledge of uniform electric fields and their properties
  • Basic geometry of hemispheres and disks
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  • Explore the concept of electric flux in non-closed surfaces
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Homework Statement


The flux through the hemispherical surface in the figure shown below is
HEMI.png


Homework Equations


25px-OiintLaTeX.svg.png
658ce88d8e6ff0b3aa4dc97ee27b244c.png


The Attempt at a Solution


But the above formula is for closed surface .But hemisphere is not a closed surface to make it closed surface we will need another hemisphere .
then the flux through the hemispherical surface should be =Q/2ε0
but this is wrong it should be πR^2E
 
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The flux = π*R2 * E.

Think about what π*R2 actually is.
 
Hesch said:
Think about what π*R2 actually is.
area of a circle.
 
gracy said:
the flux through the hemispherical surface should be =Q/2ε0
but this is wrong it should be πR^2E
The answer must be expressed in terms of the facts given. Your diagram indicates a (uniform?) field and a radius. It does not show a charge.
To answer the question in terms of E, imagine closing the hemisphere with a flat disc radius R. What is the flux of E through the disk? Do any flux lines pass through the hemispherical shell but not through the disk, or vice versa?
 
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haruspex said:
Do any flux lines pass through the hemispherical shell but not through the disk, or vice versa?
No.
 
haruspex said:
What is the flux of E through the disk?
If we go for finding flux for disk
It will be E cos 180 degrees 4pir^2
=-4pir^2E
which is not the answer
 
"which is not the answer" is not correct: Haru asks for the flux through the disk and that is ##-4\pi r^2\,E\ ##.

  1. [edit] sorry, overlooked the 4. flux through the disk and that is ##\ -\pi r^2\,E\ ##.

You did very well letting the area vector for the disk point to the left (the outside of the hemisphere).

Now your relevant equation comes in very handy: Let S be the hemisphere. There is no charge inside, so ##\oint \vec E \cdot d\vec S = 0##. For the disk part you have a value and the bowl has to have the equal and opposite value to get that zero.
 
Last edited:
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haruspex said:
What is the flux of E through the disk?
The flux through the disk = πR2*E.

The E-field is perpendicular to the disk ( not to the all over hemisphere ).

When you close a volume by the disk+hemisphere, that does not include any charge, the sum of the fluxes: ψdisk + ψhemis = 0 →
ψhemis = -ψdisk
 
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BvU said:
bowl
what's that?
 
  • #10
The curved part of the hemisphere
 
  • #11
Hesch said:
The flux through the disk = πR2*E.
How?Can you please elaborate.
 
  • #12
You said so yourself in #6 !
 
  • #13
BvU said:
You said so yourself in #6 !
I wrote
gracy said:
-4pir^2E
 
  • #14
BvU said:
the flux through the disk and that is ##-4\pi r^2\,E\ ##.
Agrees nicely, I would say !

[edit] Wow, now I see a 4. Where did you get that from
 
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  • #15
gracy said:
How?Can you please elaborate.
Ψ = Area*Ψdens*sin φ = πR2*E*1.

How does 4πR2 get into it ?
 
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  • #16
gracy said:
If we go for finding flux for disk
It will be E cos 180 degrees 4pir^2
=-4pir^2E
which is not the answer
How do you get ##4\pi R^2##? What's the area of a disk?
 
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  • #17
BvU said:
Where did you get that from
It was always there!
 
  • #18
haruspex said:
How do you get 4πR24\pi R^2? What's the area of a disk?
I thought we use surface area in gauss's formula,not area.
 
  • #19
Ok.Let me ask one thing
surface area is always of three dimensional figures?it can not be there in two dimensional figures such as circle and square?
 
  • #20
gracy said:
I thought we use surface area in gauss's formula,not area.
You have a uniform field E at right angles to a plane surface (disk) of area ##\pi R^2##. What flux does that give?
 
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  • #21
gracy said:
Ok.Let me ask one thing
surface area is always of three dimensional figures?it can not be there in two dimensional figures such as circle and square?
Disks and squares have areas. They might or might not happen to be part of the surface of a three dimensional shape.
 
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  • #22
what is difference between area and surface area?
 
  • #23
gracy said:
difference between area and surface area?
Don't reply me.I got the answer.
 
  • #24
haruspex said:
Disks and squares have areas. They might or might not happen to be part of the surface of a three dimensional shape.
So we will take surface area in gauss's law if there is any 3d figure otherwise we will use formula of area.
 
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  • #25
haruspex said:
What flux does that give?
-EπR2
 
  • #26
Hesch said:
When you close a volume by the disk+hemisphere, that does not include any charge
Then from where all these electric field lines are coming?Are these external electric fields?
 
  • #27
gracy said:
So we will take surface area in gauss's law if there is any 3d figures otherwise we will use formula of area.
There is no dichotomy here. The two methods are completely consistent.
Say you have a cube with a charge somewhere inside it. You can use Gauss' law to find the total flux very easily; but if you were to figure out exactly what the field looks like, integrate the field over each of the six square surfaces to find the flux through them then add these up, you would get the same answer. Just use the method that suits the question.

In the present case, you are given a uniform field E passing through a hemispherical shell parallel to its axis. You do not know what is generating that field, or where it is - it doesn't matter as far as the flux through the hemispherical surface is concerned. By presuming that the field remains continuous over the whole interior of the hemisphere, and adding a disk surface to enclose the region, we can do two things:
- easily compute the flux entering the half sphere region through the disk;
- use Gauss' law to deduce that an equal flux passes out through the hemispherical surface of the region.
 
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  • #28
What is surface area of disk?
 
  • #29
gracy said:
What is surface area of disk?
You seem to be stuck on the concept of surface area as though it is something distinct from area of a plane figure.
Take any closed 3D region. It has a bounding surface. You can cut that surface up into a number of surfaces, none of which in itself bounds a volume, but each still has an area. You could call each a surface area since it is the area of a surface, just not a closed surface. E.g., the six faces of a cube. The surface area of the 3D region is simply the sum of the areas of the pieces.
 
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  • #30
haruspex said:
The surface area of the 3D region is simply the sum of the areas of the pieces.
So,how surface area of sphere comes out to be 4 pi r^2?Does it include 4 circles?I don't think so
 

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