lOMoARcPSD|21507424

lOMoARcPSD|21507424

Lesson 5: Ch. 23 (1-3) – Electric Flux

1 Electric Flux
• Sum of electric field over an area.
• Units are N m2/C
• Area is defined as a vector that
points perpendicular to the surface.
• The direction is also called the
“Normal” to the surface.
2 Gauss’s Law
• One of Maxwell’s equations.
• Philosophically says that charge
makes electric field since Electric
field lines come from charge and a
net Electric flux represents a set of
field lines that had to source or sink
inside the surface..
• In terms of flux: ǫ0Φ = qenc
4 How Gauss’s Law
Works as an Example
Consider the examples pictured below.
• The Gaussian surface is blue in each
case.
• On the left, the charge is inside the
surface. The field lines it sendsout
all leave the surface – meaning a
positive net flux and a positive

• If E were not constant, integrate: • In an integral: E · dA = qenc charge inside.

Φ= E ·d A ǫ0
• On the right, the charge is not in

• But if E constant, this is actually
easy: Φ = E · A
• Remember a dot product is a cosine
of the angle between E and A
3 How
• Area is defined as a vector that
points normal to the surface.
• Can be used to “reason” out the the surface. You can see the field
equation for an electric field. lines leaving the charge go into and
then come out of the surface. They
subtract once and then add once to
Gauss’s Law the flux, so they have no net contri-
Works Geometrically bution to the flux. No net flux, no
charge inside.
• Electric field lines start on stop on
charge.

• An electric field line that goes into

a Gaussian surface and then comes
out adds no net flux (it adds once
and subtracts once and that adds to
zero).

• Only charges inside the surface

make field lines that only go
through the surface once.
 lOMoARcPSD|21507424

Exercise 1: (Text Checkpoint 1)The
figure here shows a Gaussian cube offace
area A immersed in a uniform elec- tric
field that points in the +z direction. In
terms of E and A, what is the flux through
(a) the front face (which is in the xy
plane), (b) the rear face, (c) the top face,
and (d) the whole cube?
Exercise 2: (Text Sample Problem
23.01) The figure shows a Gaussian cylin-
der of radius R. The electric field E is
uniform and in the direction of the cylin-
der axis. We will find the net flux Φ
through the cylinder.
Exercise 3: The opposing charges
here are of equal magnitude, and the
dashed lines represent closed boundaries
of 3D regions. For each surface a–d, is
the net flux through the surface positive,
negative, or zero?

(a) Is the cylinder a physical object or

is it imaginary?

(b) Find the flux through the left end.

Hints: What is E · dA on this end?

Can E come out of the integral E·

dA?

(c) Find the flux through the right end.

(d) Find the flux through the curved

“sides” of the cylinder.

(e) Add the flux from each of the pieces

to get the net flux from the closed
cylinder.