Chapter 13: Gauss's Law

area vector

a vector with magnitude equal to the surface’s area and direction perpendicular to the area.

flux

the volume rate of flow of the liquid through the wire frame.

Electric flux

is more difficult to conceptualize because the electric field is more abstract than fluid velocity; furthermore, we generally deal with electric flux through imaginary surfaces.

Definition of Flux

Definition of Electric Flux

Gauss’s law

States that the electric flux out of a closed surface equals 1/ε0 times the charge enclosed within the surface.

Gauss's Law

Electric field lines

These begin or end only on positive and negative point charges, respectively.

Insulators

are materials that have no “free” electrons, so the charge is not free to move within them.

nonconductors

Consequently, all sorts of charge distributions are possible on \________; You can put charge wherever you want to and it stays there.

Conductors

have free electrons, so the charge is free to move within them.

V \= πr²L

volume of a cylinder