In a region where the electric field is uniform, how does the electric flux through a surface depend on the angle between the field and the normal to the surface?
Practice Questions
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Q1
In a region where the electric field is uniform, how does the electric flux through a surface depend on the angle between the field and the normal to the surface?
It is maximum when the angle is 0°
It is maximum when the angle is 90°
It is independent of the angle
It is zero when the angle is 0°
The electric flux is maximum when the angle between the electric field and the normal to the surface is 0°, as Φ = E·A·cos(θ).
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: In a region where the electric field is uniform, how does the electric flux through a surface depend on the angle between the field and the normal to the surface?
Solution: The electric flux is maximum when the angle between the electric field and the normal to the surface is 0°, as Φ = E·A·cos(θ).
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand what electric flux is. Electric flux (Φ) measures how much electric field passes through a surface.
Step 2: Know the formula for electric flux: Φ = E · A · cos(θ), where E is the electric field strength, A is the area of the surface, and θ is the angle between the electric field and the normal (perpendicular) to the surface.
Step 3: Recognize that when θ = 0°, the electric field is perfectly aligned with the normal to the surface, which means cos(0°) = 1. This gives maximum electric flux.
Step 4: Understand that as the angle θ increases towards 90°, cos(θ) decreases, leading to less electric flux. At θ = 90°, cos(90°) = 0, meaning no electric field lines pass through the surface.
Step 5: Conclude that the electric flux is highest when the electric field is directly perpendicular to the surface and decreases as the angle increases.
