SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Quarter 3 – Module 4:
ELECTRIC FLUX

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General Physics 2 – Senior High School
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 3 – Module 4: Electric Flux
First Edition, 2020

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Published by the Department of Education

Secretary: Leonor Magtolis Briones
Undersecretary: Diosdado M. San Antonio

DEVELOPMENT TEAM OF THE MODULE

WRITERS: MARIA CHARLENE D. DIPAD

EDITORS: WELIMEN C. OSEO

REVIEWERS: MICHELLE H. GUADAMOR

WELIMEN C. OSEO

ILLUSTRATOR: JERIEL G. MARTIREZ

LAYOUT ARTIST: SEVERINO R. CANTUBA JR.

ROMAN B. JEBULAN
KEVIN H. OJOS
JERIEL G. MARTIREZ
DAVE B. FORTES

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 SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

GENERAL PHYSICS 2
Quarter 3 – Module 4:
Electric Flux

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Most Essential Learning Competency

Calculate electric flux.

(GP12EMIII b-12)

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 Electric Flux

Introduction

A charge is surrounded by an electric field.

When the electric field pierces through a surface
area, you will get a quantity that’s very important in
studying Gauss’s Law.
In this module, you will learn more about a
quantitative way of determining how much electric
field pierces a surface area.

Most Essential Learning

Competency & Objectives

In this module, you will learn to calculate the electric flux. (GP12EMIIIb-12)
Specifically, you should be able to:
1. Define electric flux.
2. Calculate the electric flux through a surface given the electric field.

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 Pre-Test

Before we start our lesson, try to answer these

ten (10) questions below.
low.

Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. What is an electric flux?

a. It is space around a charge where electric force acts.
b. It refers to the total number of electric lines of force passing through a
surface area.
c. It refers to the attractive or repulsive force acting between charges.
d. It is the line of electric force drawn from a point charge.

2. Which of the following equations is used to calculate electric flux?

𝐸
a. ΦE = cos ϴ c. ΦE = E· A cos ϴ
𝐴
𝑞
b. ΦE = 𝐴 cos ϴ d. ΦE = q· A cos ϴ

3. In which situation electric flux is at maximum?

a. A surface area is placed face to face to the electric field.
b. A surface area is parallel to the electric field.
c. Electric field line passing through an area inclined at 450.
d. Electric field lines coming from a box with charges of equal magnitude
but opposite signs.

4. An electric field of 30 N/C passes face to face through a surface area of 1 m2.
What is the electric flux?
a. 0 Nm2/C c. 20 Nm2/C
b. 10 Nm2/C d. 30 Nm2/C

5. An electric field of 30 N/C passes parallel through a surface area of 1 m 2.

What is the electric flux?
a. 0 Nm2/C c. 20 Nm2/C
b. 10 Nm2/C d. 30 Nm2/C

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For numbers 6-7, study the diagram below.
Diagram A Diagram B Diagram C

6. Which diagram has the maximum magnitude of electric flux?

a. Diagram A b. Diagram B c. Diagram C

7. Which diagram has zero electric flux?

a. Diagram A b. Diagram B c. Diagram C

8. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m2.The

angle between E and A is 900. The diagram is shown below. Determine the
electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

9. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m 2. The

diagram is shown below. Determine the electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

10. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m 2. The
surface is oriented at an angle of 300 as shown in the diagram. Determine the
electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

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 How did you find the test? If you got a
score of 10/10, you can proceed to the next
module. It is alright if you don’t get a perfect
score. As you go on with this module, you will
learn more about electric flux. So get ready
as you go on with another journey ahead of
you.

Learning Activities

E licit/ Engage

Let us recall the concept of electric field by

drawing electric field lines around a point charge.

Based on your illustration, how will you describe the electric field lines of a
positive charge? How about the negative charge?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

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 We need the concept of electric field to
better understand the lesson in this module.

E NGAGE

Suppose a box is enclosed with an unknown

amount of charge. How can you measure the charge
inside a box without opening it?
Write down your initial ideas on the space
provided below.

How can I measure the charge inside the box without

opening it?

You will learn more about these as you go on

the succeeding activities.

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 E xplore

Activity 1: Electric Flux

A 50 N/C uniform electric field passes through a surface area of 1m2

with different orientations. Study the diagram carefully then answer the following
guide questions.

Situation Electric Flux

Electric field lines passing face to face
through a surface area.

Electric flux is maximum. It is equal to

50 Nm2/C.

Electric field lines passing through a

surface area inclined at 300.

Electric flux is equal to 43.3 Nm 2/C.

Surface is edge-on to electric field. E and

A are perpendicular.

There is no electric flux.

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Guide Questions:

1. Did the electric field lines pass through the surface area even though it has
different orientations?
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

2. How did you compute the magnitude of electric flux? What formula did you
use?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

3. How would you define electric flux?

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

4. Using the formula you’ve formulated in question no.2, answer the problem
below.

An electric field of 10 N/C passed perpendicularly through a surface

area of 2m2. Compute for the magnitude of the electric flux.

given:

find:

solution:

Were you able to answer the guide

questions? All of these describe electric flux. Let’s
find out more about electric flux.

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 E xplain
The word “flux” comes from a Latin
word meaning “flow”. The idea of flux involves both
the electric field and the surface through which it
passes. It is defined as the total number of electric
lines of force passing through a unit area of a
surface. Mathematically, electric flux is defined as
the dot product of electric field density and the area.

The symbol for electric flux ΦE (the capital Greek letter phi; the subscript E is
electric flux. If you have a flat area of surface A perpendicular to a uniform electric
field, then electric flux through this area is the product of the field magnitude E and
area A.
ΦE = E· A

Electric flux can be picture in terms of the field lines passing through area.
Increasing the area means more lines of electric field pass through the area,
increasing the flux; stronger field means more closely spaced lines of electric field
and therefore more lines per unit area, so again the flux increases.
If the area is not flat but not perpendicular to the electric field, then fewer lines
pass through it. In this case, electric flux for a uniform electric field is given as:

ΦE = E· A cosϴ

As shown in the diagram below, the magnitude of electric flux depends on the
magnitude of uniform electric field and orientation of the surface area.

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 E laborate
Let’s read the application of electric flux.

Application: Flux Through a Basking Shark’s Mouth

Unlike aggressive carnivorous sharks such as great whites, a basking shark

feeds passively on plankton in the water that passes through the shark’s gills as it
swims. To survive on these tiny organisms requires
a huge flux of water through a basking shark’s
immense mouth, which can be up to a meter across.
The water flux- the product of the shark’s speed
through the water and the area of its mouth-can be
up to 0.5 m3/s (500 liters per second, or almost 5 x
105 gallons per hour) In a similar way, the flux of
electric field through a surface depends on the
magnitude of the field and the area of the surface
(as well as the relative orientation of the field and
surface).

Now, it is time for you to reflect and write what have

you learned from this module.

1. How would you define 2. What problem-solving

electric flux? technique would help
you to calculate electric
flux?

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 E xtend
So far, you have calculated electric flux of a uniform
electric field. But what if the electric field is not uniform? Or
what if area, A, is part of a curved surface? To calculate
the electric flux, you have to apply you’re knowledge in
integration to obtain the total flux.

Below is the general definition of electric flux.

You call this integral the surface integral of the component E over the area or
the surface integral of E·dA. The next example illustrates the use of this equation.
Example 1: Electric flux through a sphere
A positive point charge q = +3.0 uC is surrounded by a sphere with radius
0.20 m centered on the charge. Find the electric flux through the sphere due to this
charge.

Electric flux through a sphere centered on a point

charge.

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 Good job for studying this problem. You will
learn more about it as you study Gauss’s Law. You
are now ready to take our post test. But before taking
the test, kindly review the physics terms used in this
module.

Vocabulary List

You may refer to the following vocabulary words used in this module:
electric field – a force field that fills the space around every charge or group
of charges. It is equal to the electric force experienced by a test
charge at the point divided by the charge.
electric flux - rate of flow of the electric field through a given area. It is equal
to the dot product of the field magnitude, E and the area A.

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 Post-Test

E valuate
Directions: Read the questions carefully and choose the letter of the correct
answer.

1. What is an electric flux?

a. It is space around a charge where electric force acts.
b. It refers to the total number of electric lines of force passing through a
surface area.
c. It refers to the attractive or repulsive force acting between charges.
d. It is the line of electric force drawn from a point charge.

2. Which of the following equations is used to calculate electric flux?

𝐸
a. ΦE = 𝐴 cos ϴ c. ΦE = E· A cos ϴ
𝑞
b. ΦE = 𝐴 cos ϴ d. ΦE = q· A cos ϴ

3. In which situation electric flux is at maximum?

a. A surface area is placed face to face to the electric field.
b. A surface area is parallel to the electric field.
c. Electric field line passing through an area inclined at 450.
d. Electric field lines coming from a box with charges of equal magnitude
but opposite signs.

4. An electric field of 30 N/C passes face to face through a surface area of 1 m2.
What is the electric flux?
a. 0 Nm2/C c. 20 Nm2/C
b. 10 Nm2/C d. 30 Nm2/C

5. An electric field of 30 N/C passes parallel through a surface area of 1 m 2.

What is the electric flux?
a. 0 Nm2/C c. 20 Nm2/C
b. 10 Nm2/C d. 30 Nm2/C

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For numbers 6-7, study the diagram below.

Diagram A Diagram B Diagram C

6. Which diagram has the maximum magnitude of electric flux?

a. Diagram A b. Diagram B c. Diagram C

7. Which diagram has zero electric flux?

b. Diagram A b. Diagram B c. Diagram C

8. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m 2. The

angle between E and A is 900. The diagram is shown below. Determine the
electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

9. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m 2. The

diagram is shown below. Determine the electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

10. A uniform electric field of 40 N/C passes through a flat surface of 1 m 2. The
surface is oriented at an angle of 300 as shown in the diagram. Determine the
electric flux.

a. 0 Nm2/C c. 40 Nm2/C
b. 35 Nm2/C d. 50 Nm2/C

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 Answer Keys

Pre-Test Answer Keys

1. B 6. C
2. C 7. A
3. A 8. A
4. D 9. C
5. A 10. B

Learning Activities Answer Keys

Elicit
•
The electric field of a positive charge points radially outward while the
electric field of a negative charge points radially inward.
Engage
• The magnitude of the charge can be measured without opening it by
using a test charge outside the box to probe the amount of charge
inside the box. Knowing that a charge produces electric field and that
an electric field exerts a force on a test charge placed around the box.
By measuring the force experienced by the test charge at different
positions, you make a map of the electric field. The magnitude of the
electric field depends on the size of the charge enclosed by the box.
Explore
1. Yes, electric field lines pass through the surface area even though is has
different orientations.
2. ΦE = E· A cos ϴ
3. Electric flux is the rate of flow of electric field lines through a surface area.
4. ΦE = 20 Nm2/C

Post-Test Answer Keys

1. B 6. C
2. C 7. A
3. A 8. A
4. D 9. C
5. A 10. B

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 References

Young, Hugh D. , Freedman, Roger A., University Physics with Modern

Physics. Technology Update, 13th edition. 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

Loo Wan Yong, Loo Kwok Wai and See Toh Weng Fong. Physics Insights.
Pearson Education (Asia) Pte Ltd. 2004

Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law. Boundless Learning of Lumen Learning.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com Accessed on June 21, 2020

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