Gauss's law

Gauss's Law is a fundamental law in electrostatics that describes the relationship between electric fields and the charges that cause them. Named after the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss, this law is one of the four Maxwell's equations that form the foundation of classical electrodynamics, classical optics, and electric circuits.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The law is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to many fields, including number theory, algebra, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, mechanics, electrostatics, magnetic fields, astronomy, matrix theory, and optics.

Definition[edit | edit source]

Gauss's Law states that the total electric flux out of a closed surface is equal to the charge enclosed divided by the electric constant. Mathematically, it is expressed as:

∮ E • dA = Q / ε0

where:

∮ E • dA is the electric flux through a closed surface,
Q is the total charge enclosed by the surface, and
ε0 is the electric constant.

Applications[edit | edit source]

Gauss's Law is used in various fields of physics, including electrostatics and magnetostatics. It is also used to derive Coulomb's Law, and to calculate the electric field in various situations.

Related Terms[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

Gauss's law Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.