Different shadings indicate different charge densities. Therefore, this charge distribution does have spherical symmetry.įigure 2.3.1 Illustrations of spherically symmetrical and nonsymmetrical systems. Although this is a situation where charge density in the full sphere is not uniform, the charge density function depends only on the distance from the centre and not on the direction. Thus, it is not the shape of the object but rather the shape of the charge distribution that determines whether or not a system has spherical symmetry.įigure 2.3.1(c) shows a sphere with four different shells, each with its own uniform charge density. On the other hand, if a sphere of radius is charged so that the top half of the sphere has uniform charge density and the bottom half has a uniform charge density, then the sphere does not have spherical symmetry because the charge density depends on the direction ( Figure 2.3.1(b)). For instance, if a sphere of radius is uniformly charged with charge density then the distribution has spherical symmetry ( Figure 2.3.1(a)). In other words, if you rotate the system, it doesn’t look different. Charge Distribution with Spherical SymmetryĪ charge distribution has spherical symmetry if the density of charge depends only on the distance from a point in space and not on the direction. To exploit the symmetry, we perform the calculations in appropriate coordinate systems and use the right kind of Gaussian surface for that symmetry, applying the remaining four steps.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |