PHYS 142 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Gaussian Surface, Electric Flux, Electric Field

• School: McGill University
• Department: Physics
• Course: PHYS 142
• Professor: Guillaume Gervais

Document Summary

Phys 142: electromagnetism and optics - lecture 5 : gauss" law part 1. Symmetry represents a group of geometric transformations that do not cause any change in the structure of an object or image. Translation, rotation, and reflection are the basic forms of symmetry. The symmetry of an electric field must match the symmetry of the charge distribution. The fundamental symmetries of electric fields are planar, cylindrical, and spherical. Cylindrical symmetry involves symmetry with respect to a component parallel to the cylinder axis or a component tangent to the circular cross section. Spherical symmetry involves rotation with respect to an axis passing through the center point or reflection in any plane containing the central point. The electric field that passes through an object is related directly to the type of charge held by the object. A closed surface through which an electric field passes is called a gaussian surface. This is an imaginary, mathematical surface, not a physical surface.