peaceandlove said:Homework Statement
A charge of 2.1 µC is 20 cm above the center of a square of side length 40 cm. The permittivity of free space is 8.85*10^-12 C^2/N*m^2. Find the flux through the square. Answer in units of N*m^2/C.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I really need some help with starting this problem... =(
peaceandlove said:I haven't exactly gotten used to constructing formulas for Gaussian surfaces so could you explain how to do it?
Electric flux through a square is the measure of the amount of electric field passing through a given surface. It is represented by the symbol ΦE and is measured in units of volts per meter squared (V/m2).
2.1µC (microcoulombs) is the amount of electric charge present in the given square. It is used in the calculation of electric flux as it represents the source of the electric field passing through the square.
The electric flux through a square can be calculated by multiplying the electric field strength (in V/m2) by the area of the square (in m2). It can be represented by the formula ΦE = E x A.
20 cm represents the distance from the source of the electric field (2.1µC) to the square. This distance is important in the calculation of electric flux as it determines the strength of the electric field passing through the square.
Yes, the electric flux through a square can be negative. This indicates that the electric field passing through the square is in the opposite direction of the normal vector of the surface. It is a common occurrence in cases where the electric field is due to a negative charge.