A point charge Q is placed at the center of a cube. What is the electric flux th
Practice Questions
Q1
A point charge Q is placed at the center of a cube. What is the electric flux through one face of the cube?
Q/ε₀
Q/6ε₀
Q/4ε₀
0
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
A point charge Q is placed at the center of a cube. What is the electric flux through one face of the cube?
Step 1: Understand that electric flux is related to the charge inside a closed surface.
Step 2: Recognize that the cube has 6 faces and the point charge Q is at the center.
Step 3: Use Gauss's Law, which states that the total electric flux (Φ) through a closed surface is equal to the charge (Q) enclosed divided by the permittivity of free space (ε₀).
Step 4: Calculate the total electric flux through the entire cube: Φ_total = Q / ε₀.
Step 5: Since the cube has 6 identical faces, the electric flux through one face is the total flux divided by 6.
Step 6: Therefore, the electric flux through one face of the cube is Φ_face = Q / (6ε₀).
Gauss's Law – The total electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the charge enclosed within that surface.
Symmetry in Electric Fields – The uniform distribution of electric flux across symmetrical surfaces, such as the faces of a cube.