What is the Electric Field Inside and Outside of a Sphere?

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SUMMARY

The electric field inside and outside a sphere is determined by the charge distribution and the application of Gauss's Law. Inside a uniformly charged sphere, the electric field increases linearly with distance from the center until reaching the surface, where it becomes constant. Outside the sphere, the electric field behaves as if all the charge were concentrated at the center. In the context of Griffith's problems 2.8 and 2.15, the distinction lies in the charge distribution; problem 2.8 involves a non-zero enclosed charge, while problem 2.15 involves zero enclosed charge, leading to different electric field outcomes.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Gauss's Law
  • Familiarity with electric field concepts
  • Knowledge of charge distribution in electrostatics
  • Basic principles of electrostatics from Griffith's "Introduction to Electrodynamics"
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Gauss's Law applications in various geometries
  • Explore electric field calculations for non-uniform charge distributions
  • Review Griffith's problems related to electrostatics for deeper insights
  • Learn about electric flux and its implications in electrostatics
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Students of electrodynamics, physics educators, and anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of electric fields and charge distributions in electrostatics.

cooper607
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hi guys, i have been following griffith's book on electrodynamics and i m stuck with probably one of the basic concepts on electric field. i did not understand what would be the electric field, 1) inside and 2)outside of a sphere with radius R ?

also there are two problems which deals with spheres, the first one be prob 2.8 says there should be some electric field inside but prob 2.15 says the total enclosed charge inside is zero, hence field zero. maybe i m not so clear on the idea of electric field, but on which context we can say the inside charge is zero or not.
someone please make me clear on this.
regards
 
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Compare problem 2.8 with 2.15 - either there is a different method being used or there is some other important difference.

Note: zero total charge enclosed in a Gaussian surface does not mean zero field - it means there is net zero flux going through the surface. i.e. as many flux lines leave as enter.
 

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