Electric Flux, Electric Flux
Density and Gauss Law
- Electric flux, property of an electric field that may be thought of as the number of electric
lines of force (or electric field lines) that intersect a given area. Electric field lines are
considered to originate on positive electric charges and to terminate on negative charges.
-Electric flux, symbolized as (Φ), is the total number of electric lines of force emanating from a
charged object.
- An Electric field can be considered an electric property associated with each point in the
space where a charge is present in any form. An electric field is also described as the
electric force per unit charge. Electric fields are usually caused by varying magnetic fields
or electric charges. Electric field strength is measured in the SI unit volt per metre (V/m).
- An electric field is represented by electric flux.
- Electric Flux Density: Electric flux density is defined as the amount of electric flux
passing through a unit surface area, providing insight into the field’s intensity at various
points.
-Electric flux density, denoted as D, is calculated using the charge and the surface area of
a hypothetical sphere centered on the charge.
The mathematical relation between electric flux and enclosed charge is known as Gauss’s law for
the electric field, one of the fundamental laws of electromagnetism.
In physics (specifically electromagnetism), Gauss's law, also known as Gauss's flux
theorem (or sometimes Gauss's theorem), is one of Maxwell's equations. It relates the
distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field.
Gauss's law for electricity states that the electric flux Φ across any closed surface is
proportional to the net electric charge q enclosed by the surface; that is, Φ = q/ε0, where ε0 is
the electric permittivity of free space and has a value of 8.854 × 10 –12 square coulombs per
newton per square metre.
It is one of the four equations of Maxwell's laws of electromagnetism. It was initially
formulated by Carl Friedrich Gauss in the year 1835 and relates the electric fields at the
points on a closed surface and the net charge enclosed by that surface.
We define A to be a vector having a magnitude equal
to the area of the surface, in a direction normal to the
surface. A
E
The “amount of surface” perpendicular to the electric
field is A cos .
Therefore, the amount of surface area effectively “cut through” by the electric field is A cos
.
AEffective = A cos so E = EAEffective = EA cos .
E E A
We define A to be a vector having a magnitude equal
to the area of the surface, in a direction normal to the
surface. A
E
The “amount of surface” perpendicular to the electric
field is A cos .
Therefore, the amount of surface area effectively “cut through” by the electric field is A cos
.
AEffective = A cos so E = EAEffective = EA cos .
E E A
If the electric field is not uniform, or the surface is not flat…
divide the surface into
infinitesimal surface elements and
add the flux through each…
E E lim E i A i
Ai 0
dA
A i
E E dA
a surface integral, therefore a
double integral
Remember, the direction of
dA is normal to the
surface.
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