8.5 Electric Flux

Describe the electric flux through an arbitrary area or geometric shape.

• Flux describes the amount of a given quantity that passes through a given area.
• For an electric field  E that is constant across an area A, the electric flux through the area is defined as
  • i. The direction of the area vector is defined as perpendicular to the plane of the surface and outward from a closed surface.
  • ii. The sign of flux is given by the dot product of the electric field vector and the area vector.
• The total electric flux passing through a surface is defined by the surface integral of the electric field over the surface. Relevant equation: TOPIC 8.6 Gauss’s Law