At what point is the electric field intensity due to a uniformly charg...
By Gauss Law,
Electric Field due to spherical shell shows the following behavior:
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At what point is the electric field intensity due to a uniformly charg...
Explanation:
The electric field intensity due to a uniformly charged spherical shell is given by the equation:
E = kQ/r²
where k is Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge on the spherical shell, and r is the distance from the center of the spherical shell.
Maximum electric field intensity:
At the surface of spherical shell:
At the surface of the spherical shell, the distance from the center of the shell is equal to the radius of the shell, which is denoted by R. Thus, the electric field intensity at the surface of the shell is given by:
E = kQ/R²
Since the charge on the spherical shell is uniformly distributed over its surface, the electric field intensity at every point on the surface is the same. Therefore, the maximum electric field intensity is at the surface of the spherical shell.
Other options:
Outside the spherical shell:
If a point is outside the spherical shell, the distance from the center of the shell is greater than the radius of the shell (r > R). Thus, the electric field intensity at a point outside the shell is given by:
E = kQ/r²
Since r² > R², the electric field intensity decreases as the distance from the center of the shell increases. Therefore, the electric field intensity is not maximum outside the spherical shell.
Inside the spherical shell:
If a point is inside the spherical shell, the distance from the center of the shell is less than the radius of the shell (r < r).="" thus,="" the="" electric="" field="" intensity="" at="" a="" point="" inside="" the="" shell="" is="" given="" />
E = kQ/r²
Since r² < r²,="" the="" electric="" field="" intensity="" increases="" as="" the="" distance="" from="" the="" center="" of="" the="" shell="" decreases.="" however,="" the="" charge="" on="" the="" spherical="" shell="" does="" not="" contribute="" to="" the="" electric="" field="" inside="" the="" shell.="" therefore,="" the="" electric="" field="" intensity="" is="" not="" maximum="" inside="" the="" spherical="" />
At the center of spherical shell:
At the center of the spherical shell, the distance from the center of the shell is zero (r = 0). Thus, the electric field intensity at the center of the shell is given by:
E = kQ/0
This equation is undefined since division by zero is not allowed. Therefore, the electric field intensity is not defined at the center of the spherical shell.
Conclusion:
The maximum electric field intensity due to a uniformly charged spherical shell is at the surface of the shell.