Askiitians Tutor Team
Last Activity: 5 Months ago
The electric field you've described, which acts radially outward and is given by \( E = Ar \), suggests a scenario where the electric field strength increases linearly with distance from the origin. To determine the charge contained within a sphere of radius \( a \) centered at the origin, we can apply Gauss's Law, which relates the electric field to the charge enclosed by a surface. Let's break this down step by step.
Understanding Gauss's Law
Gauss's Law states that the electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the charge enclosed within that surface. Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
Φ = ∮ E · dA = Q_enc / ε₀
Where:
- Φ is the electric flux through the surface.
- E is the electric field.
- dA is the differential area vector on the surface.
- Q_enc is the total charge enclosed within the surface.
- ε₀ is the permittivity of free space.
Applying Gauss's Law to the Given Electric Field
In your case, the electric field \( E \) is given as \( E = Ar \), where \( A \) is a constant and \( r \) is the radial distance from the origin. To find the charge enclosed within a sphere of radius \( a \), we will calculate the electric flux through the surface of that sphere.
Calculating the Electric Flux
The surface area \( A \) of a sphere is given by:
A = 4πa²
Since the electric field is radial and uniform over the surface of the sphere, we can simplify the flux calculation:
Φ = E · A = (Ar) · (4πa²)
Substituting \( r \) with \( a \) (the radius of the sphere), we have:
Φ = A(a) · (4πa²) = 4πAa³
Finding the Enclosed Charge
Now, we can use Gauss's Law to find the enclosed charge \( Q_enc \):
Q_enc = ε₀ · Φ
Substituting the expression for flux we found earlier:
Q_enc = ε₀ · (4πAa³)
Final Expression for Charge
Thus, the total charge contained within the sphere of radius \( a \) centered at the origin is:
Q_enc = 4πε₀Aa³
This result shows how the charge enclosed within the sphere depends on the constant \( A \) and the cube of the radius \( a \). The linear relationship of the electric field with distance leads to a cubic relationship for the charge, illustrating how electric fields can influence charge distributions in space.