Why doesn't the outer charge affect the electric flux in Gauss's law?

In summary: Hence, the outer charge has no effect on the flux of the surface that we created. This is because the flux is dependent on the charge enclosed within the surface, not the external charges. In summary, when calculating the flux between two concentric charged spheres, only the charge enclosed within the gaussian surface is considered, not the external charges. This is because the electric field due to the outer sphere is zero inside it, and even if it was non zero, it would still give a net zero flux due to the arrangement of its field lines.
  • #1
oneplusone
127
2
Suppose you have a sphere (sphere A) with net positive charge 2Q. A conducting spherical shell (sphere B) of inner radius b and outer radius c is concentric with the solid sphere and carries a net charge -Q.

When you calculate the flux between both spheres (gaussian surface with radius between both of the spheres), you're suppose to only add up the charges INSIDE the gaussian surface--that is just sphere A.
I understand that this is because of the formula which has ##q_{enclosed}/\epsilon_0## , but don't get this visually. Ill rephrase it: Why does the outer charge (sphere B) have no effect on the flux of the surface that we created? Doesn't the electric field have a relation to the flux? [tex]\int \vec{E}\vec{dA} = \Phi [/tex] ?
Cheers,
oneplueone

P.S. why doesn't # work for latex?
EDIT: i realized this is in the wrong forum, can a mod please move this
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
oneplusone said:
Why does the outer charge (sphere B) have no effect on the flux of the surface that we created? Doesn't the electric field have a relation to the flux? [tex]\int \vec{E}\vec{dA} = \Phi [/tex]
Don't forget that the integral is taken over the entire Gaussian surface. If you have a positive charge outside and to the left of some Gaussian surface then the E field will give an inward (negative) flux on the left side of the surface but an outward (positive) flux on the right side. The net flux will be 0. Only when the charge is inside the surface will the fluxes on all sides be outward giving a net nonzero flux.
 
  • #3
The electric field due to the outer sphere (B) is zero inside it. So it does not add into the electric flux expression and you get only the charge enclosed.

Even if the charge distribution on the outer sphere was non uniform such that its electric field was non zero,its field lines would be such that they would pierce into the gaussian surface at some point and pierce out of it at another.Ultimately you would still end up with a zero flux for the outer charge.
 

Related to Why doesn't the outer charge affect the electric flux in Gauss's law?

1. What is Gauss's law?

Gauss's law is a fundamental law in electromagnetism that relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field. It states that the electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the total charge enclosed by that surface divided by the permittivity of free space.

2. How is Gauss's law used in physics?

Gauss's law is used to calculate the electric field produced by a given distribution of electric charge. It is also used to determine the total charge enclosed within a closed surface, given the electric field at every point on that surface.

3. What is the equation for Gauss's law?

The mathematical equation for Gauss's law is: ∮SE · dA = Qenc0, where ∮SE · dA represents the electric flux through a closed surface S, Qenc is the total charge enclosed by that surface, and ε0 is the permittivity of free space.

4. What is the significance of Gauss's law?

Gauss's law is significant because it allows us to understand and predict the behavior of electric fields due to various charge distributions. It also helps us to determine the total electric charge within a given region, which is useful in many practical applications.

5. How is Gauss's law related to Coulomb's law?

Gauss's law and Coulomb's law are closely related. Gauss's law is a generalization of Coulomb's law, as it applies to any charge distribution, while Coulomb's law only applies to point charges. Gauss's law can also be derived from Coulomb's law using vector calculus.

Similar threads

Replies
8
Views
842
  • Classical Physics
Replies
20
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
694
  • Classical Physics
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
17
Views
468
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • Classical Physics
Replies
2
Views
918
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
12
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
945
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
10
Views
787
Back
Top