Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2015/prelims/mathematics-v/7/b/ii/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford 2015 Prelims Mathematics V 7 b ii Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-25
Set in the enclosed electric charge formula:Outside the entire charge distribution, Gauss's law gives . Integrating with givesThus the exterior electric potential and electric field are exactly those of a point charge placed at the center. This is the electrostatic shell theorem: outside a spherically symmetric charge distribution, only its total electric charge affects the electric field, not how that electric charge is distributed radially. If positive and negative electric charges cancel to give , both exterior quantities vanish.
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