ELECTRIC|

FIELD
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 Electric field
 Where there is a charged object
(called source charge) electric
field exist in the region of space
around it.

• It’s magnitude can be + +

“measured” using very small + +
+
+
+

“test charges”, then dividing + +

the measured force by the

magnitude of the known test
charge.

 By test charge, we mean

• Small and positive, and
• Something that doesn’ t affect 2
the overall distribution of the
 Electric field
 The magnitude of the electric field qo
is

F
E  + +
+
+
+ +
+
+ +

q0
 Direction: the same as the force
that acts on the positive test
charge
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 Unit: N/C
 Electric field
 A test charge of +5 µC is at a point P where an external
electric field is directed to the right and has a magnitude
of 4× 106 N/C. If the test charge is replaced with another
test charge of –3 µC, what will happen to the external
electric field at P?

• It is unaffected.
• It reverses direction.
• It’s magnitude will increase.
 Remarks:
 the existence of an electric field is a property of its source, and
 the presence of a test charge is not necessary for it to exist.

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 Electric field magnitude

Situation Value
Inside a copper wire of household circuits 10-2 N/C
Near a charged comb 103 N/C
Inside a TV picture tube 105 N/C
Near the charged drum of a photocopier 105 N/C
Electric breakdown across an air gap 3 ×106 N/C
At the electron’s orbit in a hydrogen atom 5 ×1011
N/C
On the surface of a Uranium nucleus 3 ×1021
N/C 5
 E-Field: Point charge
B
Q
A  Qq 0
F  ke 2 rˆ
r
  F

r E
Q
 ke 2 rˆ
q0 r
q0
 The direction is radial: outward for +|Q|
inward for -|Q|
 The magnitude is constant on any spherical shell
 The flux through any shell enclosing Q is the same: EAAA =
6
EBAB
 Several point charges
 Question: How do we figure out the field due to several
point charges?

 Answer: Use supersposition!

• Consider one charge at a time
• Calculate the electric field vector produced by each
charge
• Then add all the vectors!

 It is also very useful to look out for SYMMETRY to simplify

calculations!
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 4 Point charges
 Four charges are placed at the corners of a square as
shown. What is the direction of the electric field at the center
of the square?
Total electric field
+q -2q
• Field is ZERO!
• Along +y
• Along +x

-q +2q

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 E-field due to a group of pt. charges
 Generalized form for N-number of point charges

F0 F01 F02 F0n

E    ...
q0 q0 q0 q0
 E1  E 2  ... E n

E  ke  2 r i
qi ^
i ri
 9
 Electric dipole
 An electric dipole is an arrangement of two point charges,
+q and –q, separated by a distance d
• common arrangement in Nature: molecules, antennae,
…

 It is defined by a “dipole moment” vector, p

• directed from –q to +q
• and with magnitude qd

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© Walt Disney Co.
 On the axis of a dipole
-q +q
P
a
x

Superposit ion : E  E  E
kq ^ kq ^
E  2 i
E   2 i
 a   a 
x   x  
 2   2 
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 E-field on a dipole’s axis
-q +q
P
a
x

 
 ^
1 1 2xa ^
E  kq  i  kq i
 a   a  
2 2
 2 a 2 
2

x   x   
 2   2   x  
 4  12
 E-field on a dipole’s axis
 In terms of the dipole moment, p = qd

2 xa 2kpx
E  kq 
 2 a 2 2  2 a 2 2
x   x  
   
 4   4  13
E-field very far from a dipole’s axis
 But what if x >> a? (i.e. very far away)

 
2kpx 2kp p
E 4  3 E 3
x x r
E~p/r3 is true for ANY point far from a dipole (and not just
along the axis)

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 Continuous charge distribution
 Thus far, we have only dealt with discrete, point Q
charges.

 Imagine instead that a charge Q is smeared

Q out
over a:
Q
Q
• LINE
• AREA
• VOLUME

 How do we now compute now the electric field E?

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 Charge densities
 A very useful idea is to use appropriate
charge density
 = Q/L
• Line of charge (lambda):
 charge per unit length = 

 = Q/A
• Sheet of charge (sigma):
 charge per unit area = 

• Volume of charge (rho):

 = Q/V
 charge per unit volume = 
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 E-field of continuous charge distribution
 Find an expression for dq:
• dq = λdl for a line distribution
• dq = σdA for a surface distribution
• dq = ρdV for a volume distribution
 Represent the field contributions at P
due to the point charges dq.
dq ^
dE  ke 2 r i
r
 Then add up or integrate over the whole
distribution.
qi ^
E  ke lim  2 r i  ke 
dq ^
2
r
q 0 r
i ri 17
 Along the bisector of a line of charge
 Uniform line of charge +Q is spread over length L. What is the
direction of the electric field at a point P on the perpendicular
bisector?
• Field is 0.
• Along +y
• Along +x P

• Hint:
y a
• Choose symmetrically located
x
elements of length dx
• x components of E cancel
q
dx o dx
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L
 Along the bisector of a line of charge
 Calculate explicitly the magnitude of E at point P on the
perpendicular bisector.
q
dE Charge per unit length: 
L
P
k ( dx)a
d  a2  x2 dE y  dE cos  2
a (a  x 2 )3 / 2
d
k (dq)
dx where
dE  2
d
a
x o
Q
cos  2
(a  x )1/ 2 19
2
L
 Along the bisector of a line of charge
L/2
L/2
dx  x 
E y  k a   k a  2 2 
L / 2
(a  x )
2 2 3/ 2
 a x  a  L / 2
2

2kL

a 4a  L
2 2

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 Along the bisector of a line of charge
2kL

a 4a  L
2 2

Follow-up:
What is E very far away from the line (L<<a)?
What is E if the line is infinitely long (L >> a)?

2kL 2k
Ey  
2 a
a L
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 Along the axis of a charged rod
 A rod of length l has a uniform positive charge per unit length
λ and a total charge Q. Calculate the electric field at a point P,
located along the long axis of the rod and a distance a from
one end.

dq dx
dE  ke 2  ke 2
x x 22
 Along the axis of a charged rod
 Then,
l a
l a l a
 1 
E   ke  2  k e  
dx dx
 k  
 
a x a x 2 e
 x a
 Finally,

Q 1 1  keQ
E  ke   
l a l  a  a(l  a)
Follow-up: What is E if, l => 0 ? a >> l ? 23
 At the center of an arc of charge
 The figure shows a uniformly charged rod of charge -Q
bent into a circular arc of radius R, centered at (0,0). What
is the direction of the electric field at the origin?
• Field is 0. y
• Along +y
• Along -y

• Choose symmetric elements

• x components cancel
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 At the center of an arc of charge
 The figure shows a uniformly charged rod of charge Q bent
into a circular arc of radius R, centered at (0,0). Compute the
direction & magnitude of E at the origin.
kdQ
y dQ =  Rdq dEx  dE cos  2 cos
R
dq  /2  /2
k (Rd ) cos k
q
Ex   R 2

R  cosd
0 0
x
k k k
 = 2Q/(R) Ex  Ey  E 2
R R R
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 Due to a disk of charge
 Given a uniformly charged circular disk (with positive charge).
What is the direction of E at point P on the axis?
• Field is 0.
• Along +z z
• Somewhere in the x-y plane
P
y

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 Electric field lines
 Field lines are useful visualization of electric fields
• At any point in space, E is tangential to a field line.

 Field lines begin on a positive charge and terminate on a

negative charge.
• In the case of an excess of one type of charge, some
lines will begin or end infinitely far away.

 The number of lines leaving a positive charge or

approaching a negative charge is always proportional to
the magnitude of the charge.

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 Electric field lines
 No two field lines can cross.

 The number of lines per unit area through a surface

perpendicular to the lines is proportional to the
magnitude of the electric field in that region.

• Thus, field lines are close together where the electric

field is strong and far apart where the field is weak.

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 Field lines of a point charge
 E field lines point away from positive charges; and point toward
negative charges

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 Field lines of 2 point charges
 2 charges of opposite sign, but same magnitude

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 Field lines of 2 point charges
 2 charges of same sign and magnitude

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 Field lines of 2 point charges
 2 charges of opposite signs and different magnitude

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 Field lines of a charged sheet
 A positive sheet/line of charge

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 Electric field lines
 Rank the magnitudes E of .B
the electric field at points A,
B, and C shown in the figure.

• EC>EB>EA
.C
• EB>EC>EA
.A
• EA>EC>EB
• EB>EA>EC
• EA>EB>EC

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 Electric Dipole in uniform E

p E

 Questions:
• What is the net force on a dipole?
• What is the direction of the net torque?
• What is its magnitude?
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 Electric dipole in uniform E
Follow-up: What
will happen if the
p field is not
E
uniform?

 Answers:
• About it’s center of mass, the net force is zero.
• The net TORQUE  is INTO page.
• It’s magnitude is
 |  | = 2(QE)(d/2)(sin)
= (Qd)(E)sin = |p| E sin = |p x E|

The electric dipole moment tends to “align” itself with the field
lines. 36
 Electric dipole in uniform E
dW  d  U f Ui 
 p E

f

 d 
f

  f

pE sin d  pE  sin d  pE[cos ] if  pE(cos i  cos f )



i i i

U  pE cos U  p  E
Thus, the a dipole (or its dipole moment) tends to align
itself to a position with minimum potential energy
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 Electric dipole in uniform E
 Now, determine in which of these configuration is the
potential energy of the dipole the greatest?

A B C

E-field
D E

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 Equilibrium conditions
Not in
equilibrium
(F≠0 and/or ≠0) Stable
equilibrium
Equilibrium (U is minimum)
(F=0 and =0)
Unstable
equilibrium
(U is maximum)
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 Charges in uniform E-field
 If the electric field E is uniform (magnitude and direction),
the electric force F on the particle
 is constant.

F  qE  ma

 qE
a
m
• If positive charge, its acceleration a and electric force F
are in the direction of the electric field E.
• If negative charge, its acceleration a and electric force F
are in the direction opposite the electric field E.

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 Accelerating positive charge

 A uniform electric field E is directed along

the x-axis between parallel plates of
charge separated by a distance d as
shown. A positive point charge q of mass
m is released from rest at a point A next to
the positive plate and accelerates to a
point B next to the negative plate. Find the
speed of the particle at B.
qE  2qEd
v f  2ad  2 d 
 m  m
Hint: Apply kinematic equations or use work-kinetic energy theorem
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 Now, try this…an accelerated electron
 This time, an electron enters a region of a uniform electric field as shown.
vi = 3.00 × 106 m/s and E = 200 N/C, the horizontal length of the plates
is L = 10 cm.
Questions:
Find the acceleration of the electron
while it is in the electric field.
Assuming the electron enters the
field at time t=0, find the time at which
it leaves the field.
Assuming the vertical position of the
electron as it enters the field is yi = 0,
what is its vertical position when it
leaves the field?
What is its vertical position when it
Application: CRTs
hits the screen?
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 Summary
 The electric field produced by a system of charges at any
point in space is the force per unit charge they produce at
that point.
 We can draw field lines to visualize the electric field
produced by electric charges.
 Electric field of a point charge: E=kq/r2
 Electric field of a dipole: E~kp/r3
 An electric dipole in an electric field rotates to align itself
with the field.
• Use CALCULUS to find E-field from a continuous charge
distribution.

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