Solution A single charge represents

Solution A single charge represents the simplest possible charge distribution, and we use this familiar case to show
how to solve for the electric field with Gauss’s law. Figure 24.10 and our discussion of the electric field due to a point
charge in Chapter 23 help us to conceptualize the physical situation. Because the space around the single charge has
spherical symmetry, we categorize this problem as one in which there is enough symmetry to apply Gauss’s law. To
analyze any Gauss’s law problem, we consider the details of the electric field and choose a gaussian surface that satisfies
some or all of the conditions that we have listed above. We choose a spherical gaussian surface of radius r centered on
the point charge, as shown in Figure 24.10. The electric field due to a positive point charge is directed radially outward by