Introduction

Introduction

• Uptill now Coulomb's law and electric field intensity are discussed. The various possible charge distributions and corresponding electric field intensities are also discussed in the last chapter. Another important concept in electrostatics is electric flux. If a unit test charge is placed near a point charge, it experiences a force. The direction of this force can be represented by the lines, radially coming outward from a positive charge. These lines are called streamlines or flux lines. Thus the electric field due to a charge can be imagined to be present around it interms of a quantity called electric flux. The flux lines give the pictorial representation of distribution of electric flux around a charge. This chapter explains the concept of electric flux, electric flux density, Gauss's law, applications of Gauss's law and the divergence theorem.