The flux through the hemispherical surface

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The discussion revolves around calculating the electric flux through a hemispherical surface. Initially, there is confusion regarding the application of Gauss's law and the correct formula for flux, with participants debating the flux values of Q/2ε0 and πR^2E. It is clarified that when considering a closed surface formed by adding a disk to the hemisphere, the flux through the disk is -πR^2E, which leads to the conclusion that the flux through the hemispherical surface must equal this value in magnitude but opposite in sign. The conversation also touches on the distinction between area and surface area, emphasizing that both concepts can apply in different contexts. Ultimately, the correct flux through the hemispherical surface is confirmed as πR^2E.
  • #31
gracy said:
What is surface area of disk?
A disk can be a three-dimensional body like a floppy disk http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disk. In that case, it is a flat right cylinder, having a side and two bases. The surface are is twice the area of the base plus the area of the side.
In your problem, the disk is a circle. You need to calculate the flux through the circle .
 
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  • #32
gracy said:
So,how surface area of sphere comes out to be 4 pi r^2?Does it include 4 circles?I don't think so
Gracy, I can not believe that you never learned the area of the sphere. It does not mean that it consists of 4 circles.
 
  • #33
gracy said:
So,how surface area of sphere comes out to be 4 pi r^2?Does it include 4 circles?I don't think so
It happens to have the same area as four circles of the same radius. But it's a curved surface, so you would have to cut it into infinitely many pieces to compose it of plane areas. Anyway, I was not suggesting the closed surface necessarily be cut into plane areas. You could cut it into eight octants, say, and each would turn out to have an area ##\pi r^2/2##. I was just trying to show you that there is no fundamental difference between surface area of a closed 3D region and area of a surface (which might or might not be a plane surface).
 
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  • #34
ehild said:
I can not believe that you never learned the area of the sphere.
Yes! I never heard ,I only knew surface area of sphere.
 
  • #35
gracy said:
Yes! I never heard ,I only knew surface area of sphere.
ehild is referring to the surface area of a sphere. There is an ambiguity here. The term sphere is used equally to mean a solid sphere or a spherical surface. The area of a spherical surface means the same as the surface area of a solid sphere. The qualifier "surface" area is only needed/appropriate when "sphere" means a solid sphere.
 
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  • #36
gracy said:
it should be πR^2E
I got why!Thanks haru!
 
  • #37
gracy said:
It was always there!
This does not help me at all. Sorry.
 
  • #38
BvU said:
This does not help me at all
What do you mean?
 
  • #39
BvU said:
This does not help me at all
Oh!understood.Even when you say/write something straight forward I tend to take it logically or sarcastically to be more precise.
 

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