CBSE
Class 10
Class 12
Types of continuous charged distributions:
The linear charge density λ of a wire is defined by
where Δl is a small line element of wire on the macroscopic scale, ΔQ is the charge contained in that line element. The units for λ are C/m.
The volume charge density is defined by,
where,
ΔQ is the charge
ΔV small volume element
The units for ρ are C/m3
When the charge distribution is over a particular area then the distribution is called as Surface charge distribution. It is denoted by σ.
where ΔS is an area element on the surface of a conductor and ΔQ is a charge on that element.The units for σ are C/m2.