SENIOR

HIGH SCHOOL

GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Quarter 3 – Module 2
Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law

i
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the General Physics 2 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Electric Flux
and Gauss’s Law!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed, and reviewed by educators both from
public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping the learners
meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social,
and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent learning
activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help learners acquire
the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of the
module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You also
need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their own learning.
Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks
included in the module.
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the Electric Charge, Electric Forces and Electric Fields. The scope of this module permits
it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used recognizes the
diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to
correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The module consists of 1 lesson, namely:

• Lesson 1 – Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. calculate the electric flux;
2. use Gauss’s law to infer electric field due to uniformly distributed charges on long
wires, spheres, and large plates; and
3. solve problems involving electric charges, dipoles, forces, fields, and flux in
contexts such as, but not limited to, systems of point charges, electrical
breakdown of air, charged pendulums, electrostatic ink-jet printers.

1
 What I Know

Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write the chosen letter on a separate sheet of
paper or in your notebook.
1. A point charge is placed at the center of a spherical gaussian surface. Which of the
following will make the electric flux changed?
A. If the point charge is moved outside the sphere
B. If a second point charge is placed outside the sphere
C. If the sphere is replaced by a cube of the same volume
D. If the point charge is moved to its position but still inside the sphere
2. A charge Q is spread equally throughout the insulating shell. What is the net electric
flux through the inner surface of the shell?
A. 0
B. 2Q / ε0
C. Q / ε0
D. Q / 4π ε0
3. Which of the following best describes electric field lines?
A. physically existing
B. have the same pattern around regardless of the number of point charges
C. are close together where the electric field is weak.
D. enters negative charges and leaves positive charges
4. Which of the following best describes Gauss’s law?
A. A law that describes what an electric field will look like due to a known
distribution of charge.
B. A law that describes what an electric field will look like due to an unknown
distribution of charge.
C. A law that describes what a magnetic field will look like due to a known
distribution of charge.
D. A law that describes what a magnetic field will look like due to an unknown
distribution of charge.
5. What is the electric field at a distance of 10 cm from an isolated point charge of
2 x 10 -9 C?
A. 1. 8 N/C
B. 18 N/C
C. 180 N/C
D. 1800 N/C

2
 Lesson

1 Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law

What’s In

Complete the table below by giving the unknown quantity or equation of

thefollowing:

Charge of 1 electron

Number of electrons in 1 Coulomb

Electric field strength

Electric field of a point charge

Coulombs law

Charge density
Charge density is a measure of electric charge per unit volume of space, in one, two or
three dimensions. (how much electric charge accumulated in a given area)
The respective SI units are C⋅m−1, C⋅m−2 or C⋅m−3
Charge Density formula
𝜎=𝑄/𝐴
Where Q=electric charge
A = area (for cylinder conductor or sphere)
𝜎=𝑄/𝐿
L = length for line conductor

3
 What’s New

In the previous lesson, we learned that the

number of lines per unit is (density) is
proportional to the magnitude of the electric field.
If a uniform electric field, both in
magnitude and direction, penetrates a surface of
the area, A which is perpendicular to the field, the
total number of lines penetrating the surface is
proportional to the product of electric field, E, and
area, A. We call this product the Electric Flux,
Φ.
𝚽 = 𝑬.𝑨

Since the electric field has a unit Newton per Coulomb (N/C) and the area has
a unit meter (m), therefore the SI unit of electric flux is Newton-mete squared per
Coulomb (Nm2/C).

Sample Problem:
Find electric field:
What is the electric flux 𝒒
through a sphere that has a radius of 𝑬=𝒌
𝒓𝟐
1.00 m and carries a charge of +1.00 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎 µ𝑪

µC at its center? 𝑬 = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟗 𝒙 𝟏𝟎 𝟗 (𝑵. 𝒎𝟐)/𝑪𝟐

𝐍 𝟏. 𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
𝑬 = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟗 𝐱 𝟏𝟎 𝟗
Given: 𝑪
r = 1.00 m
Solve for electric flux:
q = 1.00 µC 𝚽 = 𝑬 .𝑨
k = 8.99 x 10 9 (N.m2)/C2 𝐍
𝚽 = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟗 𝐱 𝟏𝟎𝟗 (𝟏𝟐. 𝟔 𝒎𝟐)
Asphere = 4πr2 = 12.6 m2 𝑪
Φ=? 𝚽 = 𝟏. 𝟏𝟑 𝐱 𝟏𝟎𝟓 Nm2/C

If the surface is not perpendicular to the field,

we consider the angle, Ø, normal to the surface area. A’ A
The number of lines that cross the area is equal in
and out of the surface, therefore we can say that,

4
 The flux through a surface is has a maximum value if it is perpendicular to the
field, that is Ø = 90o. When the normal surface parallel to the field, Ø = 0o, the flux is
zero.

If a positive point charge q, is located at the

center of the sphere of radius r, the field lines are
directed radially outward, hence perpendicular to
the surface at every point on the surface, that I, at
each surface point, electric field E is parallel to the
vector ∆A, therefore,
𝚽 = E . ∆A
Note that when the surface is curved or the
fields are not constant you have to perform an
integration
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.
𝚽 = ∫ 𝑬 . 𝒅𝑨

GAUSS’S LAW TO CHARGE INSULATORS:

Gauss’s law is useful in determining electric fields when the charge distribution is
characterized by a high degree of symmetry. The following examples demonstrate ways
of choosing the gaussian surface over which the surface integral can be simplified, and
the electric field determined. In choosing the surface, we should always take
advantage of the symmetry of the charge distribution so that we can remove E from
the integral and solve for it. The goal in this type of calculation is to determine a
surface that satisfies one or more of the following conditions:

1. The value of the electric field can be argued by symmetry to be constant over
the surface.
2. The dot product can be expressed as a simple algebraic product E dA because E
and dA are parallel.
3. The dot product is zero because E and dA are perpendiculars.
4. The field can be argued to be zero over the surface.

5
 What’s More

Activity 1 – Application of Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law

Solve the following word problems. Show complete solutions to your answers.

1. What are the electric field and electric flux of a sphere with a radius of 0.500 m and
carries a charge of +1.00 µC at its center?
2. A long straight wire has a charge per unit length of 3.00 pC/m. At what distance
from the wire is the electric field equal to 0.600 N/C
3. How many excess electrons must be added to an isolated spherical conductor
0.100 meters in diameter to produce an electric field of 1800 N/C just outside the
surface?
4. A closed irregular surface encloses a net charge of 1.50 µC. what is the net electric
flux through the surface?
5. What must be the charge of an isolated spherical conductor 30.0 cm in diameter to
produce an electric field of 150 N/C just outside the surface?

What I Have Learned

Complete the table about what you have learned about electric charge:

Things I learned… Things I found Question I still have…

interesting…

6
 What I Can Do

Solve the following word problems. Show complete solutions to your answers.

1. A square surface with side length 3.7mm is located in a uniform electric field
with magnitude 2400N/C as shown in the figure. The angle between the normal
to the surface and the electric field is 30ᵒ. What is the electric flux through the
surface, assuming that the normal is directed outward?

2. What is the electric field 2.5m away from a cylindrical conductor 100m long
with a radius of 25cm and a charge density of 1𝜇𝐶/𝑚^2?
3. What is the electric field 60cm away from a conductor 50m long that has a
linear charge density of 35𝜇𝐶/𝑚?
4. What is the electric field 4 m away from a spherical conductor with a radius of
1 m and a charge density of 3.5𝜇𝐶/𝑚2 ?

7
 Assessment

Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter in your notebook.

1. A Gaussian surface is a hypothetical surface whether open or closed.

A. True
B. False
C. Possible
D. Cannot be determined.
2. The direction of the flux depends on the magnitude of the net charge of the enclosed
surface.
A. True
B. False
C. Possible
D. Cannot be determined.
3. Gauss’s law relates the electric field of a surface to the net charge enclosed within
that surface.
A. True
B. False
C. Possible
D. Cannot be determined.
4. The electric flux flowing from inside to outside is negative
A. True
B. False
C. Possible
D. Cannot be determined.
5. The electric flux of a Gaussian surface is equal to zero if it does not enclose a
charged particle.
A. True
B. False
C. Possible
D. Cannot be determined.

Additional Activities

Illustrate (by drawing) problems in “What Can I Do” Section (particularly problems 2,3,
and 4). Label the parts and observe proper electric field direction.