PHYS 212 Chapter 27: Chapter 27
Document Summary
A charge distribution is symmetric if there is a group of geometric transformations that don"t cause any physical change transformations include translation, rotation, and reflection. An infinite cylinder of charge has the following symmetries: translation parallel to the cylinder axis rotation around the cylinder axis. The symmetry of a charge distribution must match the symmetry of the electric field the electric field of a cylindrically symmetric charge distribution cannot have a component parallel to the cylinder axis. Symmetry enables deduction of the shape of the electric field with relatively little information rule out conceivable field shapes. Planar symmetry field perpendicular to infinite plane. Spherical symmetry field points radially toward or away from the cylinder axis field points radially toward or away from the center. Using the electric field, the charge of an object can be determined without necessarily seeing the charge (e. g. a positive or negative charge inside a box)
