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Electric Charges And Fields

Question
CBSEENPH12037161

Careful measurement of the electric field at the surface of a black box indicates that the net outward flux through the surface of the box is 8.0 x 103 Nm2/C.  (a) What is the net charge inside the box? (b) If the net outward flux through the surface of the box were zero, could you conclude that there were no charges inside the box? Why or why not?

Solution

Given,   Net outward flux through the surface of the box, ϕ = 8.0 × 103 Nm2/C

(a) According to gauss law as  ϕ=qε0
Hence,             q = ϕ . ε0
or                   q = 8.0 × 103 × 8.854 × 10-12   = 0.07 × 10-6
i.e.,                q=0.07 μC

b) No, a conclusion cannot be made that there was no charge in the box. Perhaps, it can be concluded that the net charge inside the box is zero.