If the charge density of a non-conducting sphere increases linearly with radius,
Practice Questions
Q1
If the charge density of a non-conducting sphere increases linearly with radius, how does the electric field vary inside the sphere?
Linearly with radius
Quadratically with radius
Constant
Inversely with radius
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the charge density of a non-conducting sphere increases linearly with radius, how does the electric field vary inside the sphere?
Step 1: Understand that the charge density is the amount of charge per unit volume. In this case, it increases linearly with the radius of the sphere.
Step 2: Recognize that inside a non-conducting sphere, the electric field is influenced by the charge contained within a certain radius.
Step 3: Use Gauss's Law, which relates the electric field to the charge enclosed within a Gaussian surface.
Step 4: As the radius increases, the charge density increases, leading to more charge being enclosed within the Gaussian surface.
Step 5: Since the charge density increases linearly, the total charge enclosed also increases in a way that is proportional to the volume of the sphere up to that radius.
Step 6: As a result, the electric field, which depends on the total charge enclosed, will also increase linearly with the radius inside the sphere.
Electric Field in Non-Conducting Materials – Understanding how electric fields behave in materials with varying charge densities, particularly in non-conducting spheres.
Charge Density Variation – Analyzing how a linearly increasing charge density affects the electric field within a sphere.
Gauss's Law Application – Applying Gauss's Law to derive the relationship between charge density and electric field in a non-conducting sphere.