LECTURE 5

Electric Flux

Gauss’s Law

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Objectives

Evaluate the electric flux through Use Gauss’s law to calculate the
a surface given the electric field electric flux through a surface

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WHAT’S IN THE BOX???
Consider an imaginary closed surface, which
may or may not contain electric charge.

How can you determine how much (if any) electric charge lies within the box?
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Charge and electric flux
How to determine electric charge
inside the box?

1. Measure force experienced by a

test charge at different positions.
2. Map out the electric field
outside the box.

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Charge and electric flux
To determine the “contents” of the box,
we simply measure the electric field on
the surface of the box.

Alternatively, we can measure the flux, or

the “flow” of the electric field through
some imaginary surface enclosing the
“content.”

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Charge and electric flux

“outward flux”
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Charge and electric flux

“inward flux”
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Zero net charge and electric flux
3 Cases:

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Electric flux

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 Summary
1. Whether there is a net outward or inward electric flux through a closed
surface depends on the sign of the enclosed charge.
2. Charges outside the surface do not give a net electric flux through the
surface.
3. The net electric flux is directly proportional to the net amount of charge
enclosed within the surface.
4. The net electric flux due to a charge distribution inside a closed surface
is independent of the size and shape of the closed surface.

Gauss’ Law!
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ConcepTest!

-Q

+2Q

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ConcepTest!

-Q

+2Q

The net electric flux due to a charge distribution inside a closed

surface is independent of the size and shape of the closed
surface.

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Recall: Fluid flow and the Continuity equation

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Recall: Fluid flow and the Continuity equation

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Flux of a uniform electric field

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 In a closed surface, we choose
the directions of the area
vectors to be pointing away
from the polyhedron.

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Electric flux through a flat surface

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Electric flux through a flat surface

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Electric flux through a flat surface

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Example

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Solution

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Flux of a non-uniform electric field

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General definition of electric flux
where

Uniform Electric Field Non-uniform Electric Field

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Electric flux through a disk

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Electric flux through a disk - Solution

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Electric flux through a cube

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Electric flux through a cube - Solution

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Electric flux through a cube
Remark: There is zero net flux on a closed surface that contains no
electric charge.

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Electric flux through a sphere

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Electric flux through a sphere - Solution

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Electric flux through a sphere - Solution

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Electric flux through a sphere

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Prelude to Gauss’ Law

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EXAMPLE
Determine the net electric flux of each Gaussian surface shown. (1 pt
each) Rank their net electric flux according to their signed value. (2pts)
All the charges are of equal magnitude, |q|.

+ + +
- + + +
+ -
-
- - +
+ +
A B C
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Solution

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Gauss’ Law
• An alternative to Coulomb’s Law
• Formulated by the mathematician Carl
Friedrich Gauss
• A different way of expressing the Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss
relationship between electric charge and (1777-1855)

electric field

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 Gauss’ Law

valid for any distribution of charges and for any closed surface

Two applications:
1. Symmetric charge distribution + evaluate integral = Electric Field

1. Electric Field + Gauss’ Law = Knowledge of Charge Distribution

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Point charge inside a spherical surface
Consider a point charge +q placed at the center of a spherical
Gaussian surface with radius R.

+q
R

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Point charge inside a spherical surface
Consider a point charge +q placed at the center of a spherical
Gaussian surface with radius R.

+q
R

(Flux is independent of
radius R of sphere)

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2 spheres with radii R and 2R centered on the point charge +q

4dA

R dA
q
2R

The same number of field lines and thus the

same flux pass through each of the area
elements.
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Point charge inside a non-spherical surface
For irregular surface:
+q
If enclosed charge is positive (+q):

Holds for any size or shape of

closed surface

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Point charge inside a non-spherical surface
For irregular surface:
-q If enclosed charge is negative (-q):

Holds for any size or shape of

closed surface

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Point charge inside a non-spherical surface
For irregular surface:
If there is no enclosed charge:

Holds for any size or shape of

closed surface

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 Gauss’ Law
q q1 q2
qn

Enclosed charge
Electric field
on Gaussian surface

Electric flux

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General Form of Gauss’ Law

Note: Surface area of the

Gaussian surface!

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Example
A positive point charge Q is located at the center of a cube of side-
length L. In addition, six other identical positive point charges q are
positioned symmetrically around Q, as shown in the figure. What is
the electric flux through one face of the cube?

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TRY THIS
1. A spherical Gaussian surface (#1) encloses and
is centered on a point charge +q. A second
spherical Gaussian surface (#2) of the same size
also encloses the charge but is not centered on it.
Compared to the electric flux through surface #1, +q
the flux through surface #2 is:
A. greater. D. zero.
B. the same. E. not enough information
C. less, but not zero. Gaussian Gaussian
surface #1 surface #2

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TRY THIS
2. Two point charges, +q (in red) and
–q (in blue), are arranged as shown.
Through which closed surface(s) is
the net electric flux equal to zero?
A. surface A
B. surface B
C. surface C
D. surface D
E. both surface C and surface D

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TRY THIS - ANSWERS
1. B: Electric flux is the number of electric field lines passing through a surface. By Gauss’s
Law, the net electric flux due to a charge distribution enclosed by an imaginary closed
surface (also known as Gaussian surface) is independent of the size and the shape of the
closed surface. The net flux is only dependent on the amount of charge enclosed by the
Gaussian surface.
2. E:
Surface A has a positive enclosed charge, thus a positive electric flux (Φ > 0)
Surface B has a negative enclosed charge, thus a negative electric flux (Φ < 0)
Surface C has a zero-net enclosed charge, thus a zero net electric flux (Φ = 0)
Surface D has no enclosed charges, thus a zero electric flux (Φ = 0)

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Objectives

Holds for any shape or size, as

Use Gauss’s law to calculate the
long as it closed enclosing total electric flux through a surface
charge 𝑄𝑒𝑛𝑐

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