MCQEasyJEE 2024Electric Field & Field Lines

JEE Physics 2024 Question with Solution

An electric field is given by E=(6i^+5j^+3k^)N/C\vec{E} = (6\hat{i} + 5\hat{j} + 3\hat{k}) \, \text{N/C}. The electric flux through a surface area 30i^m230\hat{i} \, \text{m}^2 lying in the YZ-plane (in SI units) is:

  • A

    9090

  • B

    150150

  • C

    180180

  • D

    6060

Answer

Correct answer:C

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: E=(6i^+5j^+3k^)N/C\vec{E} = (6\hat{i} + 5\hat{j} + 3\hat{k}) \, \text{N/C} and A=30i^m2\vec{A} = 30\hat{i} \, \text{m}^2.

Find: Electric flux through the given surface.

Electric flux is given by the dot product of the electric field vector and the area vector:

Φ=EA\Phi = \vec{E} \cdot \vec{A}

Since the surface lies in the YZ-plane, its area vector is along the i^\hat{i} direction. Therefore,

Φ=(6i^+5j^+3k^)(30i^)\Phi = (6\hat{i} + 5\hat{j} + 3\hat{k}) \cdot (30\hat{i})

Only the components along the same direction contribute in the dot product, so

Φ=6×30\Phi = 6 \times 30 Φ=180N m2/C\Phi = 180 \, \text{N m}^2/\text{C}

Therefore, the electric flux through the surface is 180N m2/C180 \, \text{N m}^2/\text{C}. The correct option is C.

Common mistakes

  • Using the full magnitude of E\vec{E} instead of taking the dot product is incorrect because electric flux depends only on the component of the field along the area vector. Use Φ=EA\Phi = \vec{E} \cdot \vec{A}, not EA|\vec{E}|\,|\vec{A}| unless the vectors are parallel.

  • Taking the area vector in the wrong direction is incorrect because a surface in the YZ-plane has its normal along the xx-axis, that is, along i^\hat{i}. Do not use j^\hat{j} or k^\hat{k} for the area vector here.

  • Adding all components 6+5+36 + 5 + 3 is wrong because only the component parallel to i^\hat{i} contributes to the flux through this surface. Use only the 6i^6\hat{i} term while evaluating the dot product.

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