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Q.State Gauss's law. Derive an expression for electric field due to an infinite plane sheet of charge. OR Give the principle, construction and working of Van de Graff's generator.

Jammu Kashmir JkboseJKBOSE Class 12 Annual Regular Examination 2019Subjective· 5mImportance★★★★★
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Gauss's law relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the charge it encloses; applied to an infinite charged sheet it gives a field E=σ/(2ε0)E=\sigma/(2\varepsilon_0) that does not fall off with distance.

Gauss's law

The total electric flux through any closed (Gaussian) surface equals 1/ε01/\varepsilon_0 times the net charge enclosed:

∮E⃗⋅dA⃗=qencε0\oint \vec{E}\cdot d\vec{A} = \frac{q_{enc}}{\varepsilon_0}

Field of an infinite plane sheet of charge

Let the sheet carry a uniform surface charge density σ\sigma. By symmetry E⃗\vec E must be perpendicular to the sheet, pointing away from it on both sides (for σ>0\sigma>0), with equal magnitude at equal distances.

Take a cylindrical Gaussian pillbox of cross-sectional area AA whose axis is perpendicular to the sheet, with its two flat faces equidistant from the sheet, one on each side.

  • Curved surface: E⃗\vec E is parallel to it, so flux =0=0.
  • Each flat face: E⃗\vec E is normal to it, magnitude EE, so flux =EA=EA; total over both faces =2EA=2EA.

Charge enclosed: qenc=σAq_{enc}=\sigma A.

By Gauss's law: 2EA=σAε0⇒E=σ2ε02EA=\dfrac{\sigma A}{\varepsilon_0} \Rightarrow E=\dfrac{\sigma}{2\varepsilon_0}

This field is uniform — it does not depend on the distance from the sheet.

OR — Van de Graaff generator

Principle: charge given to a hollow conductor always moves entirely to its outer surface, however much charge is already there — so a hollow conductor can be charged to a very high potential by repeated transfers.

Construction: a large hollow metal sphere on an insulating stand; an insulating belt runs over a lower pulley (near the ground) and an upper pulley (inside the sphere), driven by a motor. A spray comb at the lower pulley, connected to a high-voltage supply (∼104\sim 10^4 V), sprays positive charge onto the belt by corona discharge. A collecting comb near the upper pulley, connected to the sphere, removes this charge from the belt.

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