General Physics (2) (PHYS 102) –

Chapter 6: Electric Field

Text books : Fundamentals of Physics, 9th edition, David Halliday,

Rebert Resnick and Jearl Walker, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2011).
Chapter 22

• 22-1 The electric field

• Electric field lines
• 22-2 The Electric Field Due to a point Charge
• 22-3 The electric field due to dipole
• Electric dipole
• 22-6 Motion of Charged particles in Uniform electric field
• 22-7 A dipole in an electric field
 22-1 The Electric Field
An electric field is said to exist in the region of space around a
charged object—the source charge. When another charged object—
the test charge—enters this electric field, an electric force acts on it.

1. The magnitude of the force of a 400-N/C electric field on a 0.02-C point charge is:
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A. 8.0N B. 8 × 10−5 N C. 8 × 10−3 N D. 0.08N
E. 2 × 1011 N
 Electric Field Lines

Electric Dipole
Positive Point Negative Point Like Charges
(Unlike charges)
Charge Charge

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 Electric Field Lines…….
 The lines must 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 drawn leaving a positive
charge or approaching a negative charge is
proportional to the magnitude of the charge.
 The electric field lines for a point charge +2q and a
second point charge “-q. Note that two lines leave
+2q for every one that terminates on "q.
 No two field lines can cross.

9. Choose the correct statement concerning electric field lines:

A. field lines may cross
B. field lines are close together where the field is large
C. field lines point away from a negatively charged particle
D. a charged point particle released from rest moves along a field September
line 18, 2007
E. none of these are correct
 Electric Field Lines……. .B
10. Rank the magnitudes E of the electric field at
points A, B, and C shown in the figure.
A) EC>EB>EA B) EB>EC>EA .C
C) EA>EC>EB D) EB>EA>EC
E) EA>EB>EC .A

11. The diagram shows the electric field lines in a region of

space containing two small charged spheres (Y and Z).
Then:
A. Y is negative and Z is positive
B. the magnitude of the electric field is the same everywhere
C. the electric field is strongest midway between Y and Z
D. the electric field is not zero anywhere (except infinitely
far from the spheres)
E. Y and Z must have the same sign September 18, 2007
12. Which of the following statements about electric field lines associated with
electric charges is false?
(a) Electric field lines can be either straight or
curved.
(b) Electric field lines can form closed loops.
(c) Electric field lines begin on positive charges and end on negative charges.
(d) Electric field lines can never intersect with one another.
More About Electric Field Direction

 q is positive, the force is directed away from q

 The direction of the field is also away from the positive
source charge

 q is negative, the force is directed toward q

 The field is also toward the negative source charge

Superposition with Electric Fields

qi
E  ke  rˆ
2 i
i ri
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 22-2 Electric Field due to a Point Charge q
 1 qq0
F r̂
4 0 r 2


 F 1 q
E  r̂
q0 4 0 r 2 B

q A
 Direction is radial: outward for +|Q| 
inward for -|Q| r
 Magnitude: constant on any spherical shell
q0
 Flux through any shell enclosing Q is the same:
EAAA = EBAB

2. The electric field at a distance of 10 cm from an isolated point particle with a

charge of 2×10−9 C is:
A.1.8N/C B. 180N/C C. 18N/C D. 1800N/C
E. none of these
September 18, 2007
 Quick Quiz
3. A test charge of +3 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 happens to the external electric field at P ?
A. It is unaffected.
B. It reverses direction.
C. It changes in a way that cannot be determined.
4. Which diagram could be considered to show the correct electric force on a positive
test charge due to a point charge?
 22-3 Electric Field Due to Electric Dipole
An electric dipole consists of two charges of equal magnitude and
opposite sign separated by a very small distance of d.
The electric dipole moment p is directed from -q toward +q.
p  qd

q  d 
2
 d  
2

E 2 
1    1   
4 0 z  2 z   2 z  

q  2d   2d  q 2d 1 2p
E        
4 0 z 2  2 z   2 z  4 0 z 2 z
1 1 E 
September 18, 2007
4 0 z 3
 Continuous Charge Distributions

 The system of closely spaced charges is equivalent to a total charge that is continuously
distributed along some line, over some surface, or throughout some volume
Procedure:
 Divide the charge distribution into small elements, each of which contains Δq
Calculate the electric field due to one of these elements at point P q

E  ke ˆ r
r2
 Evaluate the total field by summing the contributions of all the charge elements

qi dq
E  ke lim
qi 0

i ri 2
ˆ
ri  k e 2 r
r
ˆ

Charge Densities:
 Volume charge density: when a charge is distributed evenly throughout a volume
 ρ ≡ Q / V with units C/m3
 Surface charge density: when a charge is distributed evenly over a surface area
 σ ≡ Q / A with units C/m2
 Linear charge density: when a charge is distributed along a line
 λ ≡ Q / ℓ with units C/m

 If the charge is non-uniformly distributed over a volume, surface, or line, the amount of
charge, dq, is given by
 For the volume: dq = ρ dV, For the surface: dq = σ dA For the length element: dq = λ
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dℓ 12
Dr. M. T. Khan Islamic University
September 18, 2007
 22-6 A point Charged in a Uniform Electric Field

E +

 If E is uniform, then the acceleration is constant

 If the particle has a positive charge, its acceleration is in the direction of the field
 If the particle has a negative charge, its acceleration is in the direction opposite the
electric field
 Since the acceleration is constant, the kinematic equations can be used

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7. A particle (q = 3.0 mC, m = 20 g) has a speed of 20 m/s when it enters a region where the
electric field has a constant magnitude of 80 N/C and a direction which is the same as the
velocity of the particle. What is the speed of the particle 3.0 s after it enters this
region?
a . 68 m/s b. 44 m/s c. 56 m/s d. 80 m/s e. 36 m/s

15
 22-6 A point Charged in a Uniform Electric Field

The Millikan oil-drop apparatus

for measuring the elementary
charge

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 22-6 A point Charged in a Uniform Electric Field

 The electron is projected horizontally into a uniform electric field

 The electron undergoes a downward acceleration
 It is negative, so the acceleration is opposite the direction of the field
 Its motion is parabolic while between the plates

The components of the velocity at time t are:

The coordinate if the position at time t are:

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 Sample Problem 22.01 Net electric field due to three charged particles

Figure a shows three particles with

charges q1 = 2Q, q2 = -2Q, and q3= -
4Q, each a distance d from the
origin. What net electric field is
produced at the origin?
Solution

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22-7 A DIPOLE IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD

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22-7 A DIPOLE IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD

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22-7 A DIPOLE IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD

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 Sample Problem 22.05
Torque and energy of an electric dipole in an electric field
A neutral water molecule (H2O) in its vapor state has an electric dipole
moment of magnitude 6.2×10-30 Cm.
(a) How far apart are the molecule’s centers of positive and negative
charge?
(b) If the molecule is placed in an electric field of 1.5×104 N/C, what
maximum torque can the field exert on it?
(c) How much work must an external agent do to rotate this molecule by
180 degree in this field, starting from its fully aligned position, for
which ɵ = 0?

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22-7 A DIPOLE IN AN ELECTRIC FIELD

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