Charged enclosed by the sphere“Find the net force the southern hemisphere of a uniformly charged sphere...

Six real numbers so that product of any five is the sixth one

When was drinking water recognized as crucial in marathon running?

What type of postprocessing gives the effect of people standing out

Understanding Kramnik's play in game 1 of Candidates 2018

Is there a German word for “analytics”?

It took me a lot of time to make this, pls like. (YouTube Comments #1)

How to speed up a process

When should a commit not be version tagged?

How do I implement simple JS code to deploy a compiled smart contract to ganache-cli?

Is there a frame of reference in which I was born before I was conceived?

Whom do I have to contact for a ticket refund in case of denied boarding (in the EU)?

If nine coins are tossed, what is the probability that the number of heads is even?

What to do when being responsible for data protection in your lab, yet advice is ignored?

Equivalent to "source" in OpenBSD?

Why do members of Congress in committee hearings ask witnesses the same question multiple times?

What is the wife of a henpecked husband called?

Did 5.25" floppies undergo a change in magnetic coating?

Is there a low-level alternative to Animate Objects?

What am I? I am in theaters and computer programs

Why is working on the same position for more than 15 years not a red flag?

Why does Starman/Roadster have radial acceleration?

Exponential growth/decay formula: what happened to the other constant of integration?

Can chords be played on the flute?

I am on the US no-fly list. What can I do in order to be allowed on flights which go through US airspace?



Charged enclosed by the sphere


“Find the net force the southern hemisphere of a uniformly charged sphere exerts on the northern hemisphere”Find Electric Field at certain radii for a sphereHow does Gauss's Law imply that the electric field is zero inside a hollow sphere?Gauss's Law - Charge EnclosedElectric field from metal rod with surface chargeConfused about a question about a dielectric sphereElectric Charge enclosed in a sphere using vector calculusWhy doesn't fully integrating Gauss' law give the correct linear charge density here?Electrostatic force per unit area on a hemisphere due to its other halfHow to calculate the electric field using Gauss' s Law in this example?













4












$begingroup$


I'm reviewing the book "Conquering the Physics GRE" for my upcoming Physics GRE. I came across this problem which I'm having trouble with understanding. In particular, I understand the solution that the author provides but I don't understand what is wrong with my approach.




Q. The Electric field inside a sphere of radius $R$ is given by $E = E_0 z^2 hat{textbf{z}}$. What is the total charge of the sphere?




The authors approach involving taking the divergence of the electric field to get the charge density and then integrating the density over the volume of the sphere to get charged enclosed, which in their case turns out to be $0$.



But we can also just use a concentric sphere of radius $r$ ($0 < r le R$) as a Gaussian surface and just use the integral form of Maxwell's equation to calculate the charge enclosed.



$$ oint limits_{S} vec{E} cdot dvec{S} = frac{Q_{enc}}{epsilon_0} .$$



Since the area vector points in the radial direction, if we assume it makes an angle $theta$ with the Electric Field vector, and given $z = r cos(theta)$, we have



$$ Q_{enc} = epsilon_0 int limits_{0}^{pi} int limits_{0}^{2pi} E_0 r^2 cos^2(theta) r^2 sin(theta) dtheta dphi,$$



$$ Q_{enc} = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} r^4 . $$



If we want the charge enclosed by the sphere, we just set $r = R$, so we get



$$ Q = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} R^4 .$$



which isn't zero.



I'm having trouble figuring out where I'm going wrong. Any suggestions appreciated.










share|cite|improve this question









New contributor




timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







$endgroup$

















    4












    $begingroup$


    I'm reviewing the book "Conquering the Physics GRE" for my upcoming Physics GRE. I came across this problem which I'm having trouble with understanding. In particular, I understand the solution that the author provides but I don't understand what is wrong with my approach.




    Q. The Electric field inside a sphere of radius $R$ is given by $E = E_0 z^2 hat{textbf{z}}$. What is the total charge of the sphere?




    The authors approach involving taking the divergence of the electric field to get the charge density and then integrating the density over the volume of the sphere to get charged enclosed, which in their case turns out to be $0$.



    But we can also just use a concentric sphere of radius $r$ ($0 < r le R$) as a Gaussian surface and just use the integral form of Maxwell's equation to calculate the charge enclosed.



    $$ oint limits_{S} vec{E} cdot dvec{S} = frac{Q_{enc}}{epsilon_0} .$$



    Since the area vector points in the radial direction, if we assume it makes an angle $theta$ with the Electric Field vector, and given $z = r cos(theta)$, we have



    $$ Q_{enc} = epsilon_0 int limits_{0}^{pi} int limits_{0}^{2pi} E_0 r^2 cos^2(theta) r^2 sin(theta) dtheta dphi,$$



    $$ Q_{enc} = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} r^4 . $$



    If we want the charge enclosed by the sphere, we just set $r = R$, so we get



    $$ Q = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} R^4 .$$



    which isn't zero.



    I'm having trouble figuring out where I'm going wrong. Any suggestions appreciated.










    share|cite|improve this question









    New contributor




    timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.







    $endgroup$















      4












      4








      4


      3



      $begingroup$


      I'm reviewing the book "Conquering the Physics GRE" for my upcoming Physics GRE. I came across this problem which I'm having trouble with understanding. In particular, I understand the solution that the author provides but I don't understand what is wrong with my approach.




      Q. The Electric field inside a sphere of radius $R$ is given by $E = E_0 z^2 hat{textbf{z}}$. What is the total charge of the sphere?




      The authors approach involving taking the divergence of the electric field to get the charge density and then integrating the density over the volume of the sphere to get charged enclosed, which in their case turns out to be $0$.



      But we can also just use a concentric sphere of radius $r$ ($0 < r le R$) as a Gaussian surface and just use the integral form of Maxwell's equation to calculate the charge enclosed.



      $$ oint limits_{S} vec{E} cdot dvec{S} = frac{Q_{enc}}{epsilon_0} .$$



      Since the area vector points in the radial direction, if we assume it makes an angle $theta$ with the Electric Field vector, and given $z = r cos(theta)$, we have



      $$ Q_{enc} = epsilon_0 int limits_{0}^{pi} int limits_{0}^{2pi} E_0 r^2 cos^2(theta) r^2 sin(theta) dtheta dphi,$$



      $$ Q_{enc} = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} r^4 . $$



      If we want the charge enclosed by the sphere, we just set $r = R$, so we get



      $$ Q = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} R^4 .$$



      which isn't zero.



      I'm having trouble figuring out where I'm going wrong. Any suggestions appreciated.










      share|cite|improve this question









      New contributor




      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.







      $endgroup$




      I'm reviewing the book "Conquering the Physics GRE" for my upcoming Physics GRE. I came across this problem which I'm having trouble with understanding. In particular, I understand the solution that the author provides but I don't understand what is wrong with my approach.




      Q. The Electric field inside a sphere of radius $R$ is given by $E = E_0 z^2 hat{textbf{z}}$. What is the total charge of the sphere?




      The authors approach involving taking the divergence of the electric field to get the charge density and then integrating the density over the volume of the sphere to get charged enclosed, which in their case turns out to be $0$.



      But we can also just use a concentric sphere of radius $r$ ($0 < r le R$) as a Gaussian surface and just use the integral form of Maxwell's equation to calculate the charge enclosed.



      $$ oint limits_{S} vec{E} cdot dvec{S} = frac{Q_{enc}}{epsilon_0} .$$



      Since the area vector points in the radial direction, if we assume it makes an angle $theta$ with the Electric Field vector, and given $z = r cos(theta)$, we have



      $$ Q_{enc} = epsilon_0 int limits_{0}^{pi} int limits_{0}^{2pi} E_0 r^2 cos^2(theta) r^2 sin(theta) dtheta dphi,$$



      $$ Q_{enc} = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} r^4 . $$



      If we want the charge enclosed by the sphere, we just set $r = R$, so we get



      $$ Q = frac{4 pi epsilon_0 E_0}{3} R^4 .$$



      which isn't zero.



      I'm having trouble figuring out where I'm going wrong. Any suggestions appreciated.







      homework-and-exercises electrostatics electric-fields charge gauss-law






      share|cite|improve this question









      New contributor




      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.











      share|cite|improve this question









      New contributor




      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.









      share|cite|improve this question




      share|cite|improve this question








      edited 10 hours ago









      Qmechanic

      105k121921208




      105k121921208






      New contributor




      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.









      asked 21 hours ago









      timoneotimoneo

      233




      233




      New contributor




      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.





      New contributor





      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






      timoneo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.






















          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          6












          $begingroup$

          I think you forgot to account for $mathbf{hat{z}}$



          Let $mathbf{hat{r}}$ be the normal to the surface of our sphere. If you take the route of integrating the electric field over the surface of the sphere that contains the charge, then you will be evaluating the following quantity.



          $z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{hat{r}}=z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{r}/r=z^2, z/r=z^3/r$



          So you will be integrating $z^3$ over the surface of the sphere centered on the origin. Since $z^3$ is an odd function the integral will vanish.






          share|cite|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
            $endgroup$
            – timoneo
            20 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago








          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago








          • 2




            $begingroup$
            @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago



















          5












          $begingroup$

          There is also a nice geometrical argument for this. Since the field is $vec E=z^2hat z$, the fields lines always point along $+hat z$ and the magnitude of the field does not depend on the position in the $xy$-plane. As a result, every field line that enters the sphere must also exit the sphere, so the net flux must be $0$, and therefore the net enclosed charge must be $0$.



          enter image description here






          share|cite|improve this answer











          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
            $endgroup$
            – lalala
            11 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
            $endgroup$
            – infinitezero
            9 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
            $endgroup$
            – ZeroTheHero
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            5 hours ago











          Your Answer





          StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
          return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
          StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
          StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
          });
          });
          }, "mathjax-editing");

          StackExchange.ready(function() {
          var channelOptions = {
          tags: "".split(" "),
          id: "151"
          };
          initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

          StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
          // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
          if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
          StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
          createEditor();
          });
          }
          else {
          createEditor();
          }
          });

          function createEditor() {
          StackExchange.prepareEditor({
          heartbeatType: 'answer',
          autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
          convertImagesToLinks: false,
          noModals: true,
          showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
          reputationToPostImages: null,
          bindNavPrevention: true,
          postfix: "",
          imageUploader: {
          brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
          contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
          allowUrls: true
          },
          noCode: true, onDemand: true,
          discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
          ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
          });


          }
          });






          timoneo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










          draft saved

          draft discarded


















          StackExchange.ready(
          function () {
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f464265%2fcharged-enclosed-by-the-sphere%23new-answer', 'question_page');
          }
          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown

























          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes








          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes









          6












          $begingroup$

          I think you forgot to account for $mathbf{hat{z}}$



          Let $mathbf{hat{r}}$ be the normal to the surface of our sphere. If you take the route of integrating the electric field over the surface of the sphere that contains the charge, then you will be evaluating the following quantity.



          $z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{hat{r}}=z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{r}/r=z^2, z/r=z^3/r$



          So you will be integrating $z^3$ over the surface of the sphere centered on the origin. Since $z^3$ is an odd function the integral will vanish.






          share|cite|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
            $endgroup$
            – timoneo
            20 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago








          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago








          • 2




            $begingroup$
            @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago
















          6












          $begingroup$

          I think you forgot to account for $mathbf{hat{z}}$



          Let $mathbf{hat{r}}$ be the normal to the surface of our sphere. If you take the route of integrating the electric field over the surface of the sphere that contains the charge, then you will be evaluating the following quantity.



          $z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{hat{r}}=z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{r}/r=z^2, z/r=z^3/r$



          So you will be integrating $z^3$ over the surface of the sphere centered on the origin. Since $z^3$ is an odd function the integral will vanish.






          share|cite|improve this answer









          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
            $endgroup$
            – timoneo
            20 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago








          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago








          • 2




            $begingroup$
            @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago














          6












          6








          6





          $begingroup$

          I think you forgot to account for $mathbf{hat{z}}$



          Let $mathbf{hat{r}}$ be the normal to the surface of our sphere. If you take the route of integrating the electric field over the surface of the sphere that contains the charge, then you will be evaluating the following quantity.



          $z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{hat{r}}=z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{r}/r=z^2, z/r=z^3/r$



          So you will be integrating $z^3$ over the surface of the sphere centered on the origin. Since $z^3$ is an odd function the integral will vanish.






          share|cite|improve this answer









          $endgroup$



          I think you forgot to account for $mathbf{hat{z}}$



          Let $mathbf{hat{r}}$ be the normal to the surface of our sphere. If you take the route of integrating the electric field over the surface of the sphere that contains the charge, then you will be evaluating the following quantity.



          $z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{hat{r}}=z^2 mathbf{hat{z}}.mathbf{r}/r=z^2, z/r=z^3/r$



          So you will be integrating $z^3$ over the surface of the sphere centered on the origin. Since $z^3$ is an odd function the integral will vanish.







          share|cite|improve this answer












          share|cite|improve this answer



          share|cite|improve this answer










          answered 20 hours ago









          CryoCryo

          41815




          41815












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
            $endgroup$
            – timoneo
            20 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago








          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago








          • 2




            $begingroup$
            @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago


















          • $begingroup$
            Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
            $endgroup$
            – timoneo
            20 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago








          • 1




            $begingroup$
            @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago








          • 2




            $begingroup$
            @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
            $endgroup$
            – Cryo
            19 hours ago












          • $begingroup$
            Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
            $endgroup$
            – lamplamp
            19 hours ago
















          $begingroup$
          Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
          $endgroup$
          – timoneo
          20 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          Thanks! Indeed I forgot the $hat{z}$. FYI, I marked your answer as correct, but I don't have enough reputation to publicly upvote you, so just thanking you via this comment.
          $endgroup$
          – timoneo
          20 hours ago












          $begingroup$
          I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
          $endgroup$
          – lamplamp
          19 hours ago






          $begingroup$
          I thought this question was fascinating. I don't understand where the minus sign appears to make the function odd. Shouldn't ^z and ^r point in the same direction over the entire surface of the sphere, giving a positive dot product over the entire surface?
          $endgroup$
          – lamplamp
          19 hours ago






          1




          1




          $begingroup$
          @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
          $endgroup$
          – Cryo
          19 hours ago






          $begingroup$
          @timoneo: good question. Glad I could help
          $endgroup$
          – Cryo
          19 hours ago






          2




          2




          $begingroup$
          @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
          $endgroup$
          – Cryo
          19 hours ago






          $begingroup$
          @lamplamp: $mathbf{hat{z}}$ does point in the same direction at all points, but $mathbf{hat{r}}$ does not since it is normal and points out of the sphere. If this sphere was Earth, $mathbf{hat{r}}$ would point in the direction of the rocket taking off the Earth and flying to space, so on north pole $mathbf{hat{r}}$ points "up", whilst on south pole it points "down".
          $endgroup$
          – Cryo
          19 hours ago














          $begingroup$
          Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
          $endgroup$
          – lamplamp
          19 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          Thanks, when I read the question, I assumed that z was referencing a radial coordinate as a dummy variable to distinguish from r. From the thread here, I now believe that z was chosen to as standard Cartesian, which makes perfect sense about the function being odd.
          $endgroup$
          – lamplamp
          19 hours ago











          5












          $begingroup$

          There is also a nice geometrical argument for this. Since the field is $vec E=z^2hat z$, the fields lines always point along $+hat z$ and the magnitude of the field does not depend on the position in the $xy$-plane. As a result, every field line that enters the sphere must also exit the sphere, so the net flux must be $0$, and therefore the net enclosed charge must be $0$.



          enter image description here






          share|cite|improve this answer











          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
            $endgroup$
            – lalala
            11 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
            $endgroup$
            – infinitezero
            9 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
            $endgroup$
            – ZeroTheHero
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            5 hours ago
















          5












          $begingroup$

          There is also a nice geometrical argument for this. Since the field is $vec E=z^2hat z$, the fields lines always point along $+hat z$ and the magnitude of the field does not depend on the position in the $xy$-plane. As a result, every field line that enters the sphere must also exit the sphere, so the net flux must be $0$, and therefore the net enclosed charge must be $0$.



          enter image description here






          share|cite|improve this answer











          $endgroup$













          • $begingroup$
            Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
            $endgroup$
            – lalala
            11 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
            $endgroup$
            – infinitezero
            9 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
            $endgroup$
            – ZeroTheHero
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            5 hours ago














          5












          5








          5





          $begingroup$

          There is also a nice geometrical argument for this. Since the field is $vec E=z^2hat z$, the fields lines always point along $+hat z$ and the magnitude of the field does not depend on the position in the $xy$-plane. As a result, every field line that enters the sphere must also exit the sphere, so the net flux must be $0$, and therefore the net enclosed charge must be $0$.



          enter image description here






          share|cite|improve this answer











          $endgroup$



          There is also a nice geometrical argument for this. Since the field is $vec E=z^2hat z$, the fields lines always point along $+hat z$ and the magnitude of the field does not depend on the position in the $xy$-plane. As a result, every field line that enters the sphere must also exit the sphere, so the net flux must be $0$, and therefore the net enclosed charge must be $0$.



          enter image description here







          share|cite|improve this answer














          share|cite|improve this answer



          share|cite|improve this answer








          edited 2 hours ago

























          answered 18 hours ago









          ZeroTheHeroZeroTheHero

          20.6k53260




          20.6k53260












          • $begingroup$
            Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
            $endgroup$
            – lalala
            11 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
            $endgroup$
            – infinitezero
            9 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
            $endgroup$
            – ZeroTheHero
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            5 hours ago


















          • $begingroup$
            Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
            $endgroup$
            – lalala
            11 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
            $endgroup$
            – infinitezero
            9 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
            $endgroup$
            – ZeroTheHero
            8 hours ago










          • $begingroup$
            @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
            $endgroup$
            – Emilio Pisanty
            5 hours ago
















          $begingroup$
          Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
          $endgroup$
          – lalala
          11 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          Arrows point in the z direction? I have somehow a hard time understanding your graph.
          $endgroup$
          – lalala
          11 hours ago












          $begingroup$
          The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
          $endgroup$
          – infinitezero
          9 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          The arrows represent the vector field $vec{E}$. The z-axis is the axis going from left to right. The circle is a cross section of the sphere.
          $endgroup$
          – infinitezero
          9 hours ago












          $begingroup$
          Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
          $endgroup$
          – Emilio Pisanty
          8 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          Frankly, this is a pretty misleading plot. The streamline density is completely wrong - it hints at an electric field density which increases along x and y instead of z.
          $endgroup$
          – Emilio Pisanty
          8 hours ago












          $begingroup$
          @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
          $endgroup$
          – ZeroTheHero
          8 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          @EmilioPisanty I added the axes.
          $endgroup$
          – ZeroTheHero
          8 hours ago












          $begingroup$
          @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
          $endgroup$
          – Emilio Pisanty
          5 hours ago




          $begingroup$
          @ZeroTheHero The problem is with the plot, not with the axes. While the streamlines are indeed streamlines, the streamline density is wrong.
          $endgroup$
          – Emilio Pisanty
          5 hours ago










          timoneo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










          draft saved

          draft discarded


















          timoneo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













          timoneo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












          timoneo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
















          Thanks for contributing an answer to Physics Stack Exchange!


          • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

          But avoid



          • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

          • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


          Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.


          To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




          draft saved


          draft discarded














          StackExchange.ready(
          function () {
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fphysics.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f464265%2fcharged-enclosed-by-the-sphere%23new-answer', 'question_page');
          }
          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown





















































          Required, but never shown














          Required, but never shown












          Required, but never shown







          Required, but never shown

































          Required, but never shown














          Required, but never shown












          Required, but never shown







          Required, but never shown







          Popular posts from this blog

          El tren de la libertad Índice Antecedentes "Porque yo decido" Desarrollo de la...

          Puerta de Hutt Referencias Enlaces externos Menú de navegación15°58′00″S 5°42′00″O /...

          Castillo d'Acher Características Menú de navegación