The Electric Field and

Gausss Law
BUDI ARIFVIANTO
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, INDONESIA

The electric field

A general formulation to
quantify the existence of
electrical influence
It can be calculated by
placing point of charge with
which the electrostatic force
is apparent subsequently,
find the ratio of the force and
the charge
Electric field is a vector
quantity as well as the
electrostatic force

F = E.q

Calculation of Electric Field

r
1 qq '
o
t
c
F
e
2
v
4 r
0

F
1
E
q ' 4 0

q
2
r

The direction of the field is away

from the charge q if the latter is
positive, toward q if it is negative.
r is the distance from the charge
to point P. When q is negative, the
direction of E is toward q,
opposite to

1 qr
E
4 0 r 2

E E1 E 2 ...
1
E
4 0

q1 r1 q 2 r2

2 ...
2
r1

r2

The direction of the electric field

caused by a point charge is
represented conveniently by use of
unit vectors.

Study case 1

Point charges:
q1 = +12 x 10-9C (lower left), q2
= -12 x 10-9C (lower right),
r = 10 cm
Find E at point P!

Calculation of electric field: the sum of electric segments

[Study case 2 is inserted]

1
E
4 0
z

1
E
4 0

rdq
r2

q r
r2

The limit of integration must be assigned so as to include all charges

contributing to the field.
Study case 2: Find the model of electric field at a distance z above the midpoint of a straight
line segment of length 2L which carries a uniform line charge! (Model of a transmission line)

Field Lines
The concept of field lines was introduced by Michael
Faraday (1791-1867) as an aid in visualizing electric
(and magnetic) field.

A field line (in a

electric field) is an
imaginary line drawn
in such a way that its
direction at any point
(i.e., the direction of
its tangent) is the
same as the direction
of the field at that
point. See figure

Gausss Law
Gauss Law: The net flux through any
Karl Friedrich
closed surface is proportional to the
Gauss (1777-1855)
net charge enclosed by that surface,
was a German
i.e.,
scientist and
mathematician who
made many
q
contribution to
EA
experimental and
0
theoretical physics Electric
flux
and to
mathematics.
Permittivity is a physical quantity
that describes how an electric field
Recall the Coulombs law:
affects and is affected by a dielectric
medium, and is determined by the
ability of a material to polarize in
q.q '
1 q.q '
response to the field, and thereby
F k 2
2
reduce the field inside the material.
4 0 r
r
Thus, permittivity relates to a
material's ability to transmit (or
"permit") an electric field.

About the flux

Compare the water flux

in the following three
situations. Rank the flux
in cases (a), (b), and
(c), from largest to
smallest.

q
EA
0

E A

1
0

Applications of Gausss law

Location of excess charge on a conductor

Coulombs law
Field of a charged conducting sphere
Field of a line charge and of a charged cylindrical
conductor
Field of an infinite plane sheet of charge
Field of an infinite plane charged conducting
plate
Field between oppositely charged parallel
conducting plates
Field just outside any charged conductor