Objectives:

• Calculate electric field strength.

• Draw and interpret electric field lines.
• Identify the four properties associated
with a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium.
 Electric Field
• Electric Field is the field that fills the space around a
charged object and makes another charged object
experiences an electric force.

• Electric Field is a ratio of Force to Charge

𝐹
𝐸=
𝑞0
• The direction of E is at the direction of the electric force
that would be exerted on a small positive test charge (q0)
 Electric Field
Note:
• Electric Field of a positive charge is in the
same direction of the field.
• Electric Field of a negative charge is in
opposite direction of the field.
Electric Field Strength
kc qqo
Felectric  2
r

Felectric qqo
E  kc 2
qo r qo
q
E  kc 2
r
 Electric Field
A vector quantity…..

MAGNITUDE is determined by: E = kq N/C

r2

DIRECTION is determined by: the force of a charge (q)

exerts on a small positive
test charge placed in its
vicinity
 Electric Field Lines

• Electric Field Lines are lines that represent

both the magnitude and the direction of the
electric field.

• The number of lines shown is proportional to

the electric field strength. As lines get closer
together, the field strength increases.
Electric Field Lines – Rules for Drawing
• Lines begin on + charges (or at infinity) and
terminate on – charges (or at infinity)

• The number of lines drawn leaving a + or

terminating on a – is proportional to the
magnitude of the charge

• No two field lines can cross one another.

Electric Field Lines - Monopoles

The electric field from an

isolated positive charge

The electric field from an

isolated negative charge
Dipoles
E-Field Lines: Point source vs Uniform source
 The Parallel Plate Capacitor
𝑞 𝜎
𝐸= =
𝜀0 𝐴 𝜀0

where ɛ0 is the permittivity of free space. In this expression the

Greek symbol sigma 𝜎 denotes the charge per unit area (q/A)
and is sometimes called the charge density.

Except in the region near the edges, the field has the same value
at all places between the plates. The field does not depend on
the distance from the charges, in distinct contrast to the field
created by an isolated point charge.
An isolated conductor with
no net motion of charge is
said to be in a state of…..

Electrostatic Equilibrium
Four Properties of Electrostatic Equilibrium
1. The electric field is zero inside a conductor.
2. Any excess charge resides entirely on the surface of
the conductor.
3. The electric field just outside a charged conductor is
perpendicular to the conductor’s surface.
4. On an irregularly shaped conductor, charge tends to
accumulate where the radius of curvature is
smallest.
 Sample Problem
1. The positive test charge is q0=+3.0x10-8 C
and experiences a force F=6.0x10-8 N.
(a)Find the force per coulomb that the test
charge experiences.
(b)Using the result of part (a), predict the
force that a charge of +12x10-8 C would
experience if it replaced q0.
 Sample Problem
2. In the figure, the charges on the two metal spheres and
the ebonite rod create an electric field at the spot
indicated. This field has a magnitude of 2.0 N/C.
Determine the force on a charge placed at that spot, if the
charge has a value of
(a) q0=+18x10-8 C
(b) q0=-24x10-8 C
 Sample Problem
3. Two positive point charges, q1=+16 µC and
q2=+4.0 µC, are separated in a vacuum by a
distance of 3.0 m, as the figure illustrates.
Find the spot on the line between the
charges where the net electric field is zero.
 Sample Problem
4. In a vacuum, a proton is moving parallel to a
uniform electric field that is directed along the +x
axis. The proton starts with a velocity of +2.5x104
m/s and accelerates in the same direction as the
electric field, which has a value of +2.3x103 N/C.
Find the velocity of the proton when its
displacement is +2.0 mm from the starting point.