Chapter 22: GAUSS’ LAW

Exercises: 1, 3, 5, 11, 17, 19, 21, 27

Problems: 33(35), 35, 39(45), 43(49), 45(37), 47(39), 51(53), 55(55), 57(57), 61(61), 63(63)
G
22.(33)35. The electric field E1, at one face of a parallelepiped is uniform over the
entire face and is directed out of the face. At the opposite face, the electric field
G
E2 is also uniform over the entire face and is directed into that face (Fig. ).
G
The two faces in question are inclined at 30.00 from the horizontal, while E1,
G G G
and E2 are both horizontal; E1 has a magnitude of 2.50x104 N/C, and E2 has a
magnitude of 7.00x104 N/C. (a) Assuming that no other electric field lines cross
the surfaces of the parallelepiped, determine the net charge contained within. (b)
Is the electric field produced ouly by the charges within the parallelepiped, or
is the field also due to charges outside the parallelepiped? How can you tell?

22.35. An insulating sphere with radius 0.120 m has 0.900 nC of charge uniformly distributed throughout its
volume. The center of the sphere is 0.240 m above a large uniform sheet that has charge density -8.00 nC/m2. Find
all points inside the sphere where the electric field is zero. Or, show that there is no such points.

22.39(45). Concentric Spherical Shells. A small conducting spherical shell with inner radius
a and outer radius b is concentric with a larger conducting spherical shell with inner
radius c and outer radius d. The inner shell has total charge +2q, and the outer shell has
charge +4q. (a) Calculate the electric field (magnitude and direction) in terms of q and
the distance r from the common center of the two shells for (i) r < a; (ii) a< r < b; (iii) b
< r < c; (iv) c < r < d; (v) r > d. Show your results in a graph of the radial component of
G
E as a function of r. (b) What is the total charge on the (i) inner surface of the small shell;
(ii) outer surface of the small shell; (iii) inner surface of the large shell; (iv) outer surface
of the large shell?

22.43(49).Negative charge -Q is distributed uniformly over the surface of a thin spherical insulating shell with radius R.
Calculate the force (magnitude and direction) that the shell exerts on a positive point charge q located (a) a distance r
> R from the center of the shell (outside the shell) and (b) a distance r < R from the center of the shell (inside the
shell).

22.45(37).The Coaxial Cable. A long coaxial cable consists of an inner cylindrical conductor with radius a and an outer
coaxial cylinder with inner radius b and outer radius c. The outer cylinder is mounted on insulating supports and
has no net charge. The inner cylinder has a uniform positive charge per unit length α. Calculate the electric field
(a) at any point between the cylinders a distance r from the axis and (b) at any point outside the outer cylinder.
(c) Graph the magnitude of the electric field as a function of the distance r from the axis of the cable, from r = 0 to
r = 2c. (d) Find the charge per unit length on the inner surface and on the outer surface of the outer cylinder.

22.47(39). A very long conducting tube (bollow cylinder) has inner radius a and outer radius b. It carries charge per unit
length -α, where α is a positive constant with units of C/m. A line of charge lies along the axis of the tube. The line of
charge has charge per unit length +α. (a) Calculate the electric field in terms of α and the distance r from the axis of
the tube for (i) r < a; (ii) a < r < b; (iii) r > b. Show your results in a graph of E as a function of r. (b) What is the
charge per unitlength on (i) the inner surface of the tube and (ii) the outer surface of the tube?

3
22.51(53). Thomson’s Model or the Atom. In Thomson’s model, an atom consisted of a sphere
of positively charged material in which were embedded negatively charged electrons, like
chocolate chips in a ball of cookie dough. Consider an atom consisting of two electrons, each
of charge -e, embedded in a sphere of charge + 2e and radius R. In equilibrium, each electron
is a distance d from the center of the atom (Fig.). Find the distance d in terms of the other
properties of the atom.

22.55(55). A Uniformly Charged Slab. A slab of insulating material has thickness 2d and is oriented so that its faces are
parallel to the yz-plane and given by the planes x = d and x = -d. The y- and z-dimensions of the slab are very large
compared to d and may be treated as essentially infinite. The charge density of the slab is given by U(x) = U (x/d)
0
2
,
where U is0 a positive constant (a) Explain why the electric field due to the slab is zero at the center of the slab (x =
0). (b) Using Gauss’s law, find the electric field due to the slab (magnitude and direction) at all points in space.

22.57(57). A nonuniform, but spherically symmetric, distribution of charge has a charge density U(r) given as follows:

where U 0 = 3Q/SR3 is a positive constant. (a) Show that the total charge contained in the charge distribution is Q.
(b) Show that the electric field in the region r t R is identical to that produced by a point charge Q at r = 0.
(c) Obtain an expression for the electric field in the region r d R. (d) Graph the electric field magnitude E as a func-
tion of r. (e) Find the value of r at which the electric field is maximum, and find the value of that maximum field.

22.61(61). (a) An insulating sphere with radius a has a uniform charge density U. The sphere
G G
is not centered at the origin but at r = b. Show that the electric field inside the sphere is
G G G
given by E = U(r - b)/3P0 . (b) An insulating sphere of radius R has a spherical hole of
radius a located within its volume and centered a distance b from the center of the sphere,
where a < b < R (a cross section of the sphere is shown in Fig.). The solid part of the
sphere has a uniform
G volume charge density U. Find the magnitude and direction of the
G
electric field E inside the hole, and show that E is uniform over the entire hole. [Hint: Use
the principle of superposition and the result of part (a).]

22.63(63). Positive charge Q is distributed uniformly over each of two spherical volumes
with radius R. One sphere of charge is centered at the origin and the other at x = 2R
(Fig.). Find the magnitude and direction of the net electric field due to these two dis-
tributions of charge at the following points on the x-axis: (a) x = 0; (b) x = R/2; (c) x =
R; (d) x = 3R.

QUESTIONS
1. A point charge is located at the center of a spherical Gauss’ surface. How the flux will be changed if we: (a) replace
the spherical surface by a cube of the same volume with the sphere; (b) shift the point charge from the center of the
sphere; (c) take the charge out of the sphere; (d) place another charge outside the sphere; (e) place another charge
inside the sphere
2. Would Gauss’ law still be valid if Coulomb force between two point charges were not proporttional to square of the
distance between them?