EE3321 ELECTROMAGENTIC

FIELD THEORY
Week 4
Gauss Law, Flux Density
Gaussian Surface
Electric Potential
Poissons Equation

Gauss Law
As it turns out, Coulomb's law is

actually a special case of Gauss' Law,

a more fundamental description of
the relationship between the
distribution of electric charge in space
and the resulting electric field.
Gauss's law is one of Maxwell's
equations, a set of four laws
governing electromagnetics.
The law bears the name of Karl
Friedrich Gauss (1755-1855), one of
the greatest mathematicians of all
time who also made significant
contributions to theoretical physics.

Differential form of
Gauss Law
In differential form, Gauss' law states that the

divergence of the E field is proportional to the

charge density that produces it:

where
is the total electric charge density (in units of
C/m)
o is the electric constant (8.854 x 10 -12F/m)

Exercise
Suppose that a charge is distributed in a

sphere of radius R =1 m. In the region 0 < R

< 1 m the electric field is given by E = 1 x 10
6
R aR. Find the charge density in this region.
Recall the expression for the divergence in

spherical coordinates.
Find the charge density for R< 1 m
Plot the charge density as a function of R.

Integral form of Gauss

Law
We can make use of the divergence

theorem to obtain the integral form of

Gausss law:

where
Q is the charge enclosed by the surface
of integration and is equal to the
volume integral of the charge density.

Flux Density
We define the electric

flux density as

Then, the electric flux is

given by

Electric Dipole
Consider the case of an electric dipole. What

is the total flux coming out of the rectangular

surface?

Gaussian Surface
A Gaussian surface is a closed two-dimensional surface

through which a flux or electric field is to be calculated.

The surface is used in conjunction with Gauss's law,
allowing one to calculate the total enclosed electric charge
by performing a surface integral.
Gaussian surfaces are usually carefully chosen to exploit
symmetries of a situation to simplify the calculation of the
surface integral.
If the Gaussian surface is chosen such that for every point
on the surface the component of the electric field along
the normal vector is constant, then the calculation will not
require difficult integration as the constant can be pulled
out of the integration sign.

Spherical Surface
A spherical Gaussian surface is

used when finding the electric

field or the flux produced by any
of the following:
a point charge
a uniformly distributed spherical

shell of charge
any other charge distribution
with spherical symmetry

The spherical Gaussian surface

is chosen so that it is concentric

with the charge distribution.

Point Electric Charge

What is the total flux out of a spherical

surface around a point charge?

What is the divergence of D?

Exercise
Let D = Do R aR for R a. Determine the

amount of charge enclosed by a spherical

surface of radius b for:
b<a
b=a
b>a

Exercise
Consider a charged

spherical shell of
negligible thickness,
with a uniformly
charge density s and
radius a.
Use Gauss's law to find
the magnitude of the
resultant electric field
E inside the charged
shell.

Tesla Cage
In a Tesla cage, the net flux is zero and the

magnitude of the electric field is also zero.

Cylindrical Gaussian
Surface
A cylindrical Gaussian surface is used when

finding the electric field or the flux produced

by an infinitely long line of uniform charge.

The Pillbox
This Gaussian surface is used to find the electric

field due to an infinite plane of uniform charge.

Electric Potential
The electrical potential difference is defined as

the amount of work needed to move a unit

electric charge from the second point to the
first, or equivalently, the amount of work that a
unit charge flowing from the first point to the
second can perform.
The potential difference between two points A
and B is the line integral of the electric field E

Line Integral
The integration path is an

arbitrary path connecting

point A of known
potential to the
observation point B as
shown below.
The value of V is
independent of the
integration path.

Line Integral
The value of V is independent of the

integration path.

Exercise
Let E = Eo az (V/m) for z>0.

Find the potential between

the points A and B:
A = (0, 0, 0) and B = (1, 1,

1)

Steps: set up the integral

following a simple path

A to (1, 0, 0)
(1, 0, 0) to (1, 1, 0)
(1, 1, 0) to B

Potential at Infinity
The potential at infinity is said to be zero.
If a test charge +q moves toward a charge

+Q starting at an infinite range it will gain

potential at point P.

Gradient of V
When the magnetic field is constant in time, it

is possible to express the electric field as the

gradient of the electrostatic potential.

Exercise
A spherically charged shell of radius a,

centered at the origin, creates the potential V

= Voa/R (Volts) for R>a.
Determine the corresponding electric field E.
Recall the expression of the gradient operator
in spherical coordinates.
Notice that the potential V is independent of
the azimuth and elevation angles.

Exercise
Consider the potential V = 4 ln ( a/r ) in

cylindrical coordinates. Find E.

Recall the expression for the gradient operator

in cylindrical coordinates.
Notice that the potential V is independent of
the azimuth angle and the elevation z.

Equipotential Lines and Surfaces

An equipotential line is a line in

space where the potential is

constant.
An equipotential surface is a
surface in space where the
potential is constant.
No work is required for a charge
to move along an equipotential
surface. Work is required for a
charge to move to a different
equipotential surface.

Point Charge
For a point charge, an equipotential line

takes the shape of a circle, and an

equipotential surface is a sphere centered on
the charge.

Capacitor
Consider two large

parallel plates separated

by a short distance L.
Assuming that the plates
have a uniform charge
distribution, the electric
field lines are
perpendicular to the
plates and the
equipotential lines are
parallel to the plates.

Potential Well
If a test charge

approaches the charged

sphere it will experience a
decreasing potential.
The potential is symmetric
and decreases as the
observation gets closer to
the sphere.
The concentric orbits in
the figure represent lines
of equal potential.

Poissons Equation
Poisson's equation relates the

potential V to the charge

density .

To determine V one needs to

make use of boundary

conditions.
If the charge density is zero,

then Laplace's equation results.

Cathode
Tube

Exercise
Let d2V/dz2 = 0 with boundary conditions V(0)

= 0 and V(z=d)=100 V.

Find for V(z).

Integrate Laplaces Equation over z.

Integrate again.
Apply boundary conditions.

Homework
Read sections 4-4 and 4-5
Solve the following end-of-chapter problems:

4.22, 4.24, 4.28, 4.30, 4.34

Review Hyperphysics