Gauss’s law

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Gauss’s law is a fundamental principle of electromagnetism that relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the electric charge enclosed within that surface.

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Observed surface forms (2)

Surface form Occurrences
Gauss's law 1
Gauss's law for electricity 2

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf law of electromagnetism
physical law
appliesTo closed surface
electrostatics
time-varying fields in Maxwell's theory
assumes validity of classical electromagnetism
category electrostatic law
consequenceOf inverse-square nature of electrostatic force
constantIn vacuum permittivity
coreIdea electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to enclosed charge
differentialForm ∇ · E = ρ / ε₀
equivalentTo Coulomb's law under appropriate symmetry conditions
expresses relationship between electric flux through a closed surface and enclosed charge
field classical physics
electromagnetism
generalizedForm ∮_S D · dA = Q_free_enclosed
historicalAttribution formulated by Carl Friedrich Gauss in early 19th century
holdsIn linear dielectric media
vacuum
implies electric field lines originate and terminate on charges
mathematicalForm ∮_S E · dA = Q_enclosed / ε₀
MaxwellEquationNumber first Maxwell equation in differential form
namedAfter Carl Friedrich Gauss
partOf Maxwell's equations
relatedConcept Coulomb's law
Gaussian surface
Maxwell's equations
charge density
electric flux
relates electric charge
electric displacement field to free charge
electric field divergence to charge density
electric flux
requires Gaussian surface selection
symbol ∮_S E · dA = Q_enc / ε₀
usedFor calculating electric fields with high symmetry
cylindrical charge distributions
planar charge distributions
spherical charge distributions
usedIn electrical engineering
electrostatics problem solving
physics education
usesSymbol D
E
Q_enclosed
dA
ε₀
ρ

Referenced by (5)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

this entity surface form: Gauss's law for electricity
Maxwell's equations consistsOf Gauss’s law
this entity surface form: Gauss's law
this entity surface form: Gauss's law for electricity
Carl Friedrich Gauss notableWork Gauss’s law