
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the total number of electric lines of force or electric field lines that intersect a given area in a unit of time. Electric field lines originate on positive electric charges and terminate on negative charges. The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-metre (V·m), or, equivalently, newton-meter squared per coulomb (N·m2·C−1).
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What You'll Learn
- Electric flux is the number of electric field lines that intersect a given area
- The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-metre (V·m)
- Electric flux is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines
- The mathematical relationship between electric charge and electric flux is Gauss's law
- Electric flux can be thought of as a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a surface

Electric flux is the number of electric field lines that intersect a given area
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the number of electric field lines that intersect a given area. In other words, it is the total number of electric field lines passing through a given area in a unit of time. The concept of flux describes how much of something passes through a given area. The larger the area, the more field lines go through it, and hence, the greater the flux. Similarly, the stronger the electric field, the greater the density of lines, and the greater the flux.
The SI base unit of electric flux is volt-meters (V·m), or, equivalently, newton-meters squared per coulomb (N·m^2·C^-1). The mathematical relationship between enclosed charge and electric flux is known as Gauss's law.
The electric flux through an area of an element is given by the formula: Φ=EAcosθ. From the formula, we see that electric flux depends on the magnitude of the electric field and the area, as well as the relative orientation of the area with respect to the field. For a uniform electric field, the electric flux passing through a surface of vector area A is given by Φ_E=E⋅A=EA⋅cosθ, where E is the electric field, E is its magnitude, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field lines and the normal (perpendicular) to A.
The concept of electric flux is useful for calculations when high degrees of symmetry exist in the electric field, such as in cases of spherical and cylindrical symmetry.
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The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-metre (V·m)
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the number of electric field lines that intersect a given area. The concept of flux describes how much of something goes through a given area. The larger the area, the more field lines go through it, and hence, the greater the flux. The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-metre (V·m) or, equivalently, newton-metre squared per coulomb (N·m2·C−1). The unit of electric flux expressed in terms of SI base units is kg·m3·s−3·A−1.
The numerical value of the electric flux depends on the magnitudes of the electric field and the area, as well as the relative orientation of the area with respect to the field. Electric flux is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines going through a surface. For simplicity in calculations, it is often convenient to consider a surface perpendicular to the flux lines. If the electric field is uniform, the electric flux passing through a surface of vector area A is given by the formula:
> {\displaystyle \Phi _{\text{E}}=\mathbf {E} \cdot \mathbf {A} =EA\cos \theta}
Where E is the electric field (having the unit V/m), E is its magnitude, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field lines and the normal (perpendicular) to A.
In the metre-kilogram-second system and the International System of Units (SI), the net flux of an electric field through any closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge, in units of coulombs, divided by a constant called the permittivity of free space. This relation is known as Gauss's law for electric fields in its integral form and it is one of Maxwell's equations.
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Electric flux is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the total number of electric field lines passing through a given area per unit of time. It is a scalar quantity, and its SI unit is volt-meters (V·m) or newton-meters squared per coulomb (N·m^2·C^-1).
The mathematical relationship between the enclosed charge and electric flux is known as Gauss's law. The electric flux through an area of an element is given by the formula: Φ=EAcosθ, where E is the electric field, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field lines and the normal (perpendicular) to A.
The concept of electric flux is useful for calculations when high degrees of symmetry exist in the electric field, such as spherical and cylindrical symmetry. It is also useful for understanding the physical significance of the electric field and the charge enclosed within a given surface.
In summary, electric flux is a measure of the number of electric field lines passing through a given area, and it is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines. The electric flux depends on the magnitude of the electric field, the area through which it passes, and the relative orientation of the area with respect to the field lines.
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The mathematical relationship between electric charge and electric flux is Gauss's law
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the number of electric lines of force (or electric field lines) that intersect a given area. The concept of flux describes how much of something goes through a given area. Electric flux is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines going through a surface. The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-meter (V·m), or, equivalently, newton-meter squared per coulomb (N·m2·C−1).
Gauss's law, also known as Gauss's flux theorem, is a law that relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field. It was formulated by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1835 but was not published until 1867. Gauss's law is one of the four Maxwell's equations that form the basis of classical electrodynamics. The other three equations are Gauss's law for magnetism, Faraday's law of induction, and Ampère's law with Maxwell's correction.
Gauss's law states that the net outward normal electric flux through any closed surface is proportional to the total electric charge enclosed within that closed surface. In other words, the net electric flux through any hypothetical closed surface is equal to 1/ε0 times the net electric charge enclosed within that closed surface. The closed surface is also referred to as the Gaussian surface. The electric flux over a surface S can be described as the surface integral:
> \(\Phi _ { \mathrm { E } } = \iint _ { \mathrm { S } } \mathbf { E } \cdot \mathrm { d } \mathbf { S } \)
Where E is the electric field and dS is a differential area on the closed surface S with an outward-facing surface normal defining its direction. Gauss's law can be expressed mathematically using vector calculus in integral form and differential form, both of which are equivalent since they are related by the divergence theorem, also called Gauss's theorem.
The mathematical relationship between electric charge and electric flux, as described by Gauss's law, states that the electric flux through a surface is directly proportional to the total electric charge enclosed within that surface. This relationship holds true regardless of the shape or size of the closed surface. Gauss's law provides valuable insights into the character of electric fields and is particularly useful for "by hand" calculations when high degrees of symmetry exist in the electric field, such as spherical and cylindrical symmetry.
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Electric flux can be thought of as a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a surface
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a surface. It is directly proportional to the total number of electric field lines going through a given area in a unit of time. The electric flux through an area of an element is given by the formula: Φ=EAcosθ. Here, E is the electric field (having the unit V/m), E is its magnitude, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field lines and the normal (perpendicular) to A.
The concept of flux describes how much of something goes through a given area. It is the dot product of a vector field (in this case, the electric field) with an area. The larger the area, the more field lines go through it, and hence, the greater the flux. Similarly, the stronger the electric field, the greater the flux. On the other hand, if the area is rotated so that the plane is aligned with the field lines, none will pass through, and there will be no flux.
In the metre-kilogram-second system and the International System of Units (SI), the net flux of an electric field through any closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge (in units of coulombs) divided by a constant called the permittivity of free space. The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-meter (V·m), or, equivalently, newton-meter squared per coulomb (N·m2·C−1).
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Frequently asked questions
Electric flux is a property of an electric field that can be thought of as the number of electric lines of force (or electric field lines) that intersect a given area.
The formula for calculating electric flux is Φ=EAcosθ, where E is the electric field, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field lines and the normal (perpendicular) to A.
The SI unit of electric flux is the volt-meter (V·m), or, equivalently, newton-meter squared per coulomb (N·m^2·C^-1).
Gauss's Law states that the electric flux through a closed Gaussian surface is given by the electric constant (permittivity of free space) multiplied by the total charge enclosed by the surface. This law relates to electric flux as the electric flux is directly proportional to the total charge enclosed by the surface.
The electric flux is maximum when the surface is perpendicular to the electric field and minimum when the surface is parallel to the electric field. When the surface is parallel, the flux is zero as no field lines pass through it.





































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