1.

8 Electric Field
 Electric field is a region of space around a charge or a system of charges,
within which other charge particles experience electrostatic forces.
ELECTRIC FIELD INTENSITY : It is defined as the electric force per unit charge.
E = F/ q
• If a charge q is brought at any point around Q, Q itself is bound to experience an electrical force due to q0 and will tend
to move. A way out of this difficulty is to make q negligibly small. The force F is then negligibly small but the ratio F/q0 is
finite and defines the electric field: E = Lim ( F/q0).
q0  0
• Since the ratio F/q does not depend on q0. The force F on the charge q due to the charge Q depends on the particular
location of charge q0 which may take any value in the space around the charge Q. Thus, the electric field E due to Q is also
dependent on the space coordinate r. For different positions of the charge q0 all over the space, we get different values of
electric field E. The field exists at every point in three-dimensional space.

• Thus at equal distances from the charge Q, the magnitude of its electric field E is same. The magnitude of electric field E
due to a point charge is thus same on a sphere with the point charge at its center; in other words, it has a spherical
symmetry.
• For a positive charge, the electric field will be directed radially outwards from the charge. On the
other hand, if the source charge is negative, the electric field vector, at each point, points radially
inwards.
 • Let us consider electric field due to a system
1.8.1 Electric field due to system of charges of charges q1, q2, q3,….qn described by position
vectors r1,r2,r3, ….rn respectively relative to
origin. The electric field E1 at a point P due to
a charge at a distance r1 is given by

• Simillarly , the electric field E2 at a point P due

to a charge at a distance r2 is given by

• Hence, according to the principle of super

position , the resultant elecctric field is given
by
1.8.2 PHYSICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ELECTRIC FIELD

• It helps in finding the electric force experienced by a unit positive charge

when placed at a point in the system of multiple charges.

• Electric field is a property of system of charges.

• It gives the direction and magnitude of the electric force.

• In time varying electromagnetic properties, the concept of electric field

intensity becomes very important.
 1.9 Electric field lines
• An electric field of force is an imaginary straight or curved path along which a unit positive
charge is supposed to move when free to do so in an electric field.
• It helps in revealing the direction, strength and other properties of electric field.
Dependence of Electric field strength on the distance and its relation to the number of field
lines: