Find the electric field of the three charges at

point P:
Electric Fields II
y-axis
Lecture 3 q2  20 C
P

Electric field produced by point charges 300mm

Continuous charge distributions 400mm x-axis

q3  30 C q1  10C

Serway: sections 22.5, 23.1

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 2

Solution: Solution: E3

P E2

E1

E1  0.999x 106 N C

E 2  1.124x 106 N C

E 3  1.079x 106 N C

 ETOTAL  (1.99 106 i  0.35 106 j) N
C
Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 3 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 4

1
 Example: Electric Dipole
Example: Dipole
An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite charges

placed a short distance (2a in the diagram) apart. Derive an expression for E at point B.

Derive an expression for E at point B. y

y B : (0,y)

B : (0,y)
a a A : (x,0)
x
a a -q +q
A : (x,0)
x
-q +q

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 5 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 8

Solution: Fields at B ke q
Total, E x  2 cos   r cos   a
E

a r2
 y cos  
 r k qa
E   2 e 3
r  a2  y2 r


E r

r cos   a Ey  0 (cancel)
r
 
a a x
-q +q
  kq
Magnitudes: E   E   e 2
r
ke q
X-components: E x  E x   cos 
r2

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 9 10

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3

2
 Electric Dipole
2qa 2qa
Answer: | E | ke  ke 3 • A system of two equal and opposite sign charges,
r3 ( y  a2 ) 2
2
+q and –q, separated by a distance d.
1
where r  ( y2  a2 ) 2
+ –

d
 1
Note… E 3 (dipole)
r • The total charge of an electric dipole is zero.
A note on “style”: the final result is given in terms • Example:
of the variables in the original problem (a, q, and y).
– Molecule of Water
For fun: find E at point A, and show that it is
approximately proportional to x 3, at large distance x.

11 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 12

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3

Electric Dipole Continuous Charge Distributions


• Dipole Moment p:
+ dq
+ 
• For an electric dipole of two charges + + r dE
+ + E=?
separated by distance d, the dipole moment is + +
 + dq
defined as:  ++ r
 dE
p  qd +
Source
• The direction of p is taken as from the •Cut source into small (“infinitesimal”) charges dq
negative charge to the positive charge ( dq )  dq
•Each produces: dE  ke 2 rˆ dE  ke 2
r r
–
+ Total,
 E   dE   ke
( dq )
rˆ E  ke
dq
rˆ
p r2
source
r2
Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 13 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 14

3
 Example: Uniformly-Charged Thin Rod Steps:

•Put a coordinate system on the diagram

(length L, charge Q) •Draw an infinitesimal element dq

•Choose an integration variable (e.g., x)

E ? L •Write r and any other variables in terms of x
b
•Write dq in terms of dx
•Put limits on the integral
Charge/Length = “Linear Charge Density” 
•Do the integral or look it up in tables.
= constant = Q/L

dq keQ
E   dE   ke rˆ Result: E (ˆi )
r2 (b  L)b
rod rod

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 15 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 16

Solution: Solution:

y
L
b dq

0 r x
x
dx

dq: charge on piece between “x” and “x+dx”

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 17 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 18

4
 Solution: dq
E   dE   ke rˆ
r2  b L k dx
dq so...... E   e 2 ( iˆ) Q
rod rod
( )
b x L
b L dx
0 r  ke  ( iˆ)
1
 ke  (iˆ) (- |bb L

b x2 x
x
dx  - 1  1
 ke  (iˆ)  
dq: charge on piece between “x” and “x+dx”  b  L b 
rx, rˆ  iˆ 
L
dq  (
charge
)  (length of " piece" )  ke  (iˆ)
b (b  L )
unit length
ke Q
dq    dx
Q Q
or   ( )  dq  ( )  dx  (iˆ)
L L (b  L)b
 b L k dx
so...... E   e 2 ( iˆ)
b x
Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 19 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 20

Bonus Example: Uniformly-Charged Semicircle

In 2D problems, integrate components separately:
y
dq
E x   dE x   k 2 (cos  )
r
x-component of r̂
R
x
E y   dE y  .......

Charge/unit length,

 , is uniform
Find: E at origin

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 21 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 22

5
 
Solution: So .... dEy   dE sin 
y

1) dE of small piece dq: ds  Rd kdq
 sin 
R2
d dq kR
dE x    2 sin d
x R

 dE y
dE k 
ds E y   dE y    sin d
 in radians ; dq  R 0
R
dq  ds  Rd  =+2
2k
 dq  Ey  
| dE | k R
R2
Exercise: show E x  0 by integrating
Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 24 25
Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3

Exercise: Uniformly-Charged Ring

Summary
y
• Field of several point charges qi:
R  qi
E   ke rˆ
x i ri 2 i
(x,0)
• Field of continuous charge distribution:
 dq
E   ke rˆ
Total charge Q, uniform charge/unit length, r2
radius R

Find: E at any point (x, 0) on the axis of the ring

Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 26 Physics 1E03 - Lecture 3 27