Final answer:
The correct component of Gauss's law for the problem is the electric flux. Gauss's law connects electric flux through a closed surface to the enclosed electric charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct left-hand side of Gauss's law for the student's problem is the electric flux. Gauss's law relates the electric flux Φ through a closed surface to the charge Qin enclosed by the surface and is represented by the equation Φ = Qin/ε0, where ε0 is the permittivity of free space.
Gauss's law is a powerful tool used to calculate the electric fields of spatially symmetrical charge distributions. The process involves selecting an appropriate Gaussian surface that simplifies the calculations, taking advantage of the symmetry of the charge distribution.