The third of Maxwell’s four equations is Gauss’ Law, named after
the German physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss. Gauss’ Law says that
electric charge, qv, (i.e., static electricity) generates an
electric field, E (voltage). This equation says that if you want
more electric field, just get more charge. You can get more
charge by using things like a Van de Graaff generator (a type of
electrostatic generator), or by simply shuffling your feet along
a rug on a dry day. If you get too much charge, Gauss’ Law says
you get too much electric field. Too much electric field means
too much voltage. An excess of voltage creates arcs and sparks.
The left hand side (that is, left of the equal sign) of Gauss’
Law says to add up all the electric field passing through a
closed surface, like a sphere [note the little circle on the two
integral signs (the S-like symbols)]. A surface like a disk or a
bowl is not a closed surface. Gauss’ Law works only with a
closed surface like a sphere. The right hand side, with the
three integratio