PY 10.

1 Teacher Notes 1—Inquiry into Force Fields (Cause and Effect)

Teacher note: Sheet A is essentially revision from previous SL work

This sub-topic focuses on the similarities and difference between two fundamental forces:

 The electrostatic force

 The force of gravity

Before progressing further, it may help you review the ideas learned about:
 Coulomb’s law
 Newton’s law of gravitation
Note that similar parallels can be drawn with a third force, the magnetic force, but this introduces
some extra complications.
Discuss: Are there any other forces exist in nature that are not electrostatic, gravity, or magnetism?
Think –Pair–Share your ideas with the rest of the group.
Note to teacher: Class-guided discussion but suggest individual questions to answer.
 All forces observed on a day-to-day basis can be explained by these three forces
 Suggest showing a picture (e.g., sports situation, such as a tennis match or something
around the school) and getting students to identify and categorize forces that are being
demonstrated.
 It is worth mentioning that electric force and magnetic force can be unified into a single
electromagnetic force, but it often helps to treat them separately.
 Only other fundamental forces are nuclear (strong and weak).
 Now move into knowledge check and inquiry

Knowledge Check:

Complete the table below by answering: What force (if any) will be felt between the following
objects? The first one has been completed for you:

Objects
Two masses
Two positive charges
A positive charge and a
negative charge
A north magnetic pole and
another north magnetic
pole
A north magnetic pole and
a south magnetic pole
A positive charge and a
north pole
A negative charge and a
south pole
Force?
Attraction
Repulsion
Attraction
Repulsion
Attraction
No force—a moving charge would be a current and could feel a
magnetic force (depending on geometry of situation), but a
stationary one does not.
No force a moving charge would be a current and could feel a
magnetic force (depending on geometry of situation), but a
stationary one does not.

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For these forces (and for the magnetic force), it is often useful to consider the concept of an object’s
force field, which can be visualized using field lines. The actual value of the force felt by another
object depends on calculations involving the size of the field or the field strength.

Research Task

Do some research to complete the following table using the answers in the gravitational field column
as a guide:

Note to teacher: Magnetic field strength column could be omitted for this sub-topic, but it probably
helps to build understanding across topics.

Gravitational Field Electric Field Strength Magnetic Field

Strength Strength
Symbol g E B
Caused by Masses Charges Magnets (or electric
currents)
Affects Masses Charges Magnets (or electric
currents)
Number of “types” of Only one type of mass Two types of charge: Two types of magnet
things that can be positive and negative pole: North and South
affected
Simple force rule All masses attract Like charges repel, Like poles repel, unlike
unlike changes attract poles attract
Mathematical F F F
g= E= B=
definition of field m m IL sinθ
strength
“force felt per unit “force felt per unit “force felt per unit
test point mass” test positive point (current length) at
charge” angle q between field
and current”
OR

F
B=
qv sinθ

“force felt per unit

(charge velocity) at
angle q between field
and current”

Units of field strength N Kg-1 N C-1 N A-1 m-1

OR
OR OR T
OR
m s-2 V m-1 Wb m-2

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Representation of Fields Using Field Lines

All fields (e.g., gravitational, electric, and magnetic) must be vector quantities because at every point
in space they have both a magnitude and a direction. Field lines can be used to represent both
values in the following way:

 The direction of the field is represented by the direction of the field lines close to the point
being considered.
 The magnitude of the field is represented by the number of the field lines passing near the
point.

Look at the two example fields below.

A) electric field around point positive charge

B) gravitational field around a point mass

By referring to the diagrams, explain

a) How the field lines in A show that the electric field strength decreases as you get further
away from the point charge.
b) How the field lines in B show that the gravitation field strength increases as you get closer to
the point mass.
c) When these two diagrams are compared with one another, the patterns appear identical
with the only difference being the direction of the arrows (inwards in B, outwards in A).
I. Explain why diagrams are identical Electric and Magnetic fields are both inverse
square relationships with distance.
II. Explain why the arrows go inwards in B and outwards in A. Gravitational fields are
always attractive, so force always goes inwards towards the mass causing the field.
By convention, a test charge is positive so the force between charge causing the field
and the test charge will always be repulsive.

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Knowledge Check

Complete the following diagrams and briefly explain why the field lines are as you have drawn

A. The gravitational field above the surface of the Earth

Answer: Radial lines pointing IN towards centre of the Earth

B. The gravitational field in your Physics classroom

Answer: Equally spaced parallel vertical lines pointing downwards

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 C. The electric field around a negatively charged metal sphere

-
- -

- -

- -
-

Answer: Radial lines pointing in towards centre of the Sphere—suggest diagrams A and C could be
compared—should be identical.

D. (Optional extension) The magnetic field around a bar magnet

Note to teacher: While this doesn’t quite fit here, for those students finding this easy, it’s a
good reminder about the detail within the standard diagram of a bar magnet’s field. Look for
precision and detail in the answer (i.e., no field lines crossing, field lines closer together near
poles, or symmetrical field lines)

N S

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