Electric flux \Phi is defined as EAcos\theta to represent the projection of the electric field E through a surface area A. The cosine factor accounts for the angle \theta between the electric field and the normal to the surface, affecting the amount of field passing through. This concept is similar to counting the number of bugs hitting a tilted windscreen, where the impact decreases as the angle increases. The mathematical representation of flux involves the dot product of the electric field and the differential area vector. Understanding this definition is crucial for applying Gauss's law in physics.