Study Guides/Physics/Unit of Electric Flux
Study Guide · Physics

Unit of Electric Flux

Electric Flux is a key concept in Class 12 Physics (Electric Charges and Fields chapter), central to understanding Gauss's Law.

Question (Click to Flip)

What is the SI unit of electric flux?

Answer

The SI unit of electric flux is Newton-metre squared per Coulomb (N·m²/C), which is also equal to Volt-metre (V·m).

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Key Facts

Symbol: Φ (Phi).

SI Unit: N·m²/C or V·m (both correct).

Formula: Φ = E·A·cosθ.

Gauss's Law: Φ = Q/ε₀.

What is Electric Flux?

Electric Flux (Φ) measures the total number of electric field lines passing through a given surface area.

Formula: Φ = E × A × cos θ

  • E = Electric field strength (N/C)
  • A = Area of the surface (m²)
  • θ = Angle between the electric field and the normal to the surface

SI Unit of Electric Flux

The SI unit of Electric Flux is:

Volt-metre (V·m) or equivalently Newton-metre² per Coulomb (N·m²/C).

Both are correct and acceptable:

  • From the formula: E(N/C) × A(m²) = N·m²/C
  • Since Volt = N·m/C, this simplifies to V·m

Gauss's Law

Gauss's Law: The total electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the total charge enclosed divided by the permittivity of free space (ε₀).

Φ = Q/ε₀

Questions and Answers

What is the SI unit of electric flux?+

The SI unit of electric flux is Newton-metre squared per Coulomb (N·m²/C), which is also equal to Volt-metre (V·m).

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