In introducing beginners to Gauss's law, we first emphasize the separate roles played by charges within and outside a Gaussian surface. We illustrate this in detail for the specific simple example of finite and infinite line charges. Students can thereby see more tangibly how unenclosed charges affect the flux distribution and the electric field, but not the total flux magnitude, on a Gaussian surface. The exact role of symmetry in Gauss's law applications to electric-field computations is also thereby elucidated for beginners.
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© 1972 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1972
American Association of Physics Teachers
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