๐Ÿ’กap physics c: e&m review

Gauss's Law

Written by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 examโ€ขWritten by the Fiveable Content Team โ€ข Last updated September 2025

Definition

Gauss's Law relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the charge enclosed by that surface. It states that the total electric flux passing through any closed surface is equal to the net charge enclosed by that surface divided by the permittivity of free space.