The discussion revolves around the use of the dot multiplication symbol in the context of integration, specifically in Gauss's law, where participants seek to understand its significance when integrating vector quantities.
Participants appear to agree on the explanation of the dot symbol as representing the scalar product, but the initial confusion indicates that understanding may vary among individuals.
The discussion does not address any underlying assumptions or definitions that may affect the understanding of the dot product in this context.
You are integrating two vector quantities. The dot is there to indicate the scalar product of the electric field E and the infinitesimal bit of surface area dA.Jatin Kaushal said:This is I think a really dumb question, but I never got it, why do we have that dot symbol when we integrate. Like in gauss's law, we have ∫E⋅dA . why is that ⋅ there?
Thank you for your help
The scalar product that SteamKing mentions is also called the "dot product."SteamKing said:You are integrating two vector quantities. The dot is there to indicate the scalar product of the electric field E and the infinitesimal bit of surface area dA.