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Lecture 3: Gauss's Law
January 27, 2026
Reading Assignment
- Read: 21.1-21.4
- Study: Eqs 21.1, 21.2, 21.3, 21.6, 21.7; “Problem Solving Strategy 21.1” starting on p. 396; Exs 21.1, 21.3, 21.4, 21.6
Objectives
- (Continuing objective) Describe applications of the concepts of electricity and magnetism to everyday “real-life” situations.
- Represent and interpret electric fields using both field line and vector field diagrams.
- Relate the electric flux through a surface to the electric field and geometry of the surface.
- Use Gauss's Law to relate electric flux through a closed surface to the net enclosed charge.
- Use Gauss's Law to calculate the electric fields due to symmetric charge distributions.
- Correctly use expressions for the electric field due to an infinite line of charge or an infinite sheet of charge.
Homework
- Wednesday's Assigned Problems:
CH 21 2, 3, 7, 8, 15, 19, 23ac, 27, 55
Notes: For CH 21 #23, #27 and #55, show all the steps needed to clarify how you get the electric field from Gauss's Law.
- Monday's Hand-In Problems:
CH 21 14, 20, 24, 38
Notes: For CH 21 #24, show all the steps needed to clarify how you get the electric field from Gauss's law.
Note: this is only the first half of the hand-in set.
Lecture Materials
- Click here for the Lecture overheads. Answers: CT1 - 3; CT2 - 3; CT3 - 1; CT4a - 1; CT4b - 6
Videos of example problems
To see the problem statement, click on the link below. To play the video example, click on the underlined words "Video Demonstration" near the top of the page with the problem statement.- Electric flux calculation with and without Gauss' Law.
- Finding E-field for nested spheres using Gauss's Law.
- Finding the E-field for a problem with cylindrical symmetry using Gauss's Law.
- Finding E-field near middle of a large sheet, using Gauss's Law.
Pre-Class Entertainment
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Temptations
- Pomp and Pride - Toots and the Maytals
- Moondance - Van Morrison
- Ironic - Alanis Morissette
- Smooth - Santana