ELECTRIC FIELD

CALCULATIONS
WHAT IS AN ELECTRIC FIELD?

Electric field is defined as

the electric force per unit charge. The
direction of the field is taken to be the
direction of the force it would exert on a
positive test charge. The electric
field is radically outward from a positive
charge and radically in toward a negative
point charge.
The electric field \vec EEE, with, vector,
on top is a vector quantity that exists at
every point in space. The electric field at a
location indicates the force that would act
on a unit positive test charge if placed at
that location.
The electric field is related to the electric
force that acts on an arbitrary
charge qqq by,
\vec E = \dfrac{\vec F}{q}E=qF​E, with,
vector, on top, equals, start fraction, F,
with, vector, on top, divided by, q, end
fraction
The dimensions of electric field are
newtons/coulomb, \text{N/C}N/Cstart
text, N, slash, C, end text.
We can express the electric force in terms
of electric field,
\vec F = q\vec EF=qE
 Magnetic field lines were introduced by Michael
Faraday (1791-1867) who named them "lines of
force." Faraday was one of the great discoverers
in electricity and magnetism, responsible for the
principles by which electric generators and
transformers work, as well as for the foundations
of electrochemistry.
Coulomb's Law describes forces acting at a
distance between two charges. We can
reformulate the problem by breaking it into
two distinct steps, using the concept of
an electric field.
Think of one charge as producing
an electric field everywhere in space.
The force on another charge introduced
into the electric field of the first, is caused
by the electric field at the location of the
introduced charge.
Coulomb’s Law: F=4πϵ0​1​r2qqi​​r^i​newtons

Electric field: E=qF​=4πϵ0​1​r2qi​​r^i​
newtons/coulomb
 The Electric Field
 Groupof fixed charges exert a force F, given by
Coulomb’s law, on a test charge qtest at position
r.

qtest
F
r

• The electric field E (at a given point in space) is the

force per unit charge that would be experienced by
a test charge at that point.

E = F / qtest This is a vector function of position.

Electric field is said to exist in the region of
space around a charged object: the source
charge.
Concept of test charge:
Small and positive
Does not affect charge distribution
Electric field: 
 F
E
q0
Existence of an electric field is a property of
its source;
Presence of test charge is not necessary for
the field to exist;
Electric Field of a Point
Charge
F
qtest 
 1 Qqtest
F ˆr
 4 0 r
2
r̂ r

• Dividing out qtest gives the electric field at r:

 
  1 Q Radially outward,
E( r)  ˆ
2 r falling off as 1/r2
 4 0 r
Electric field equation
E is the magnitude of electric
field, Q is the charge point, r is
the distance from the point, k is
the Coulomb's constant k = 1/(4 *
π * ɛ0) = 8.9876 * 10^9 N * m² /
C² .
 The Electric Field

Strength of electric field

Direction of the
electric field Superposition of electric field
 Electric Field Lines
Electric field lines (lines of force) are continuous lines
whose direction is everywhere that of the electric field

Electric field lines:

1) Point in the direction of the electric field E
2) Start at positive charges or at infinity
3) End at negative charges or at infinity
4) Are more dense where the field has greater magnitude
Electric Field Lines
Electric Field Lines (Point
Charge)

Electric Field Field Lines

(vector) (Lines of
force)
Electric field lines (lines of force) are continuous lines
whose direction is everywhere that of the electric field
 Force Due to an Electric
Field
F=qE

Just turn the definition of E around.

q
If E(r) is known, the force F on a
charge q, at point r is:
+

F = q E(r)

The electric field at r

Electric field lines are
points in the direction
bunched closer where
that a positive charge
the field is stronger.
placed at r would be
pushed.
 The Electric Dipole
+q
d

-q
An electric dipole consists of two equal and opposite
charges (q and -q ) separated a distance d.
 The Electric Dipole
+q
d

-q

We define the Dipole Moment p

magnitude = qd,
p
direction = from -q to +q
 The Electric Dipole

E
+q
d

 -q

Suppose the dipole is placed in a uniform electric

field (i.e., E is the same everywhere in space).
Will the dipole move ??
 The Electric Dipole

E
+q
d

 -q

What is the total force acting on the dipole?

 The Electric Dipole

E F+
+q
d
F-
 -q

What is the total force acting on the dipole?

 The Electric Dipole

E F+
+q
d
F-
 -q

What is the total force acting on the dipole?

Zero, because the force on the two charges cancel:
both have magnitude qE. The center of mass does not
accelerate.
 The Electric Dipole

E F+
+q
d
F-
 -q

What is the total force acting on the dipole?

Zero, because the force on the two charges cancel:
both have magnitude qE. The center of mass does not
accelerate.
But the charges start to move (rotate). Why?
 The Electric Dipole

E F+
+q
d
F-
 -q

What is the total force acting on the dipole?

Zero, because the force on the two charges cancel:
both have magnitude qE. The center of mass does not
accelerate.
But the charges start to move (rotate). Why?
There’s a torque because the forces aren’t colinear.
 F+

d +q d sin 
F-
 -
q

The torque is:

magnitude of force) (moment arm)
  (qE)(d sin 

and the direction of  is (in this case)

into the page
 
d +q E
p

 -q

but we have defined : p = q d

and the direction of p is from -q to +q

Then, the torque can be written as:

pxE  = p E sin 

with an associated potential energy

U = - p.E
Electric fields due to
various charge
distributions

The electric field is a vector which

obeys the superposition principle.

The electric field of a charge distribution is the

sum of the fields
produced by individual charges,
or by differential elements of charge
 Field Due to an Electric Dipole
at a point x straight out from its midpoint
Y

Electric dipole moment

p = qd
+q
l

d X
x
E- E+
-q

E
 Y

+q
l

d x X
E- E+
-q
E
 Electric Fields From Continuous
Distributions of Charge

Up to now we have only considered the electric field of point

charges.
Now let’s look at continuous distributions of charge
lines - surfaces - volumes of charge
and determine the resulting electric fields.

Sphere Ring Sheet

 Electric Fields Produced by
Continuous Distributions of Charge

For discrete point charges, we can use the

Superposition Principle,
and sum the fields due to each point charge:

q2 Electric field
E experienced
q3 by q4
q1 q4
 Electric Fields From Continuous Distributions

For discrete point charges, we can use the superposition

principle and sum the fields due to each point charge:

q2  
q3 E(r)   Ei
i
q1 q4

What if we now have a continuous charge distribution?

q E(r)
 Electric Field Produced by a
Continuous Distribution of Charge

In the case of a continuous distribution of charge

we first divide the distribution up into small pieces,
and then we sum the contribution, to the field,
from each piece:

dEi
The small piece of charge dqi
r
produces a small field dEi at
the point r


Note: dqi and dEi are differentials

dqi

In the limit of very small pieces, the sum is an integral

 Electric Field Produced by a
Continuous Distribution of Charge

In the case of a continuous distribution of charge we first

divide the distribution up into small pieces, and then we
sum the contribution, to the field, from each piece:
In the limit of very small pieces, the sum is an integral
 dq
Each dq: dE(r)  k 2 r
dEi r
r Then: E =  dEi
  

For very small pieces: E ( r )   dE

dqi
 kdq
E( r )   2 r
r
 Example: An infinite thin line of charge

Y
Find the electric
P field E at point P

y
X
 
Charge per unit length
is 
 dE+
P
r x 2  y2
y
dq
 
x
 dq
dE   k r
r2 • Consider small element
of charge, dq, at position x.

• dq is distance r from P.
 dE 
E  yE

dE+ dE-


dq dq
 
-x x
 dq
dE   k r
r2 • Consider small element
of charge, dq, at position x.
dq
dE y  2k 2 cos • dq is distance r from P.
r
• For each dq at +x, there
is a dq at -x.
 dE

dE+ dE-


dq dq
 
-x x
 dq
dE   k r
r2

dq
dE y  2k 2 cos
r

dq= dx, cos=y/r

 dE

dE+ dE-


dq dq
 
-x x
 dq
dE   k r 2k dx y
r2 dE y  2 2 
(x  y ) r
dq
dE y  2k 2 cos x
r
2k y
E y   2 2 3/2 dx
dq= dx, cos=y/r
x 0
(x  y )
 dE

dE+ dE-


dq dq
 
-x x
 dq
dE   k r 2k dx y
r2 dE y  2 2 
(x  y ) r
dq
dE y  2k 2 cos x
r 2k y 2k
E y   2 2 3/2 dx 
dq= dx, cos=y/r x 0
(x  y ) y
Example of Continuous Distribution:
Ring of Charge

.
Thin ring with total charge q
dE charge per unit length is
q/R

z r

dq

R
 Continuous Charge Distributions
  LINE AREA VOLUME

charge density =Q/L =Q/A =Q/V

units C/m C / m2 C / m3

differential dq =  dL dq =  dA dq =  dV

Charge differential dq  kdq

to be used when finding
the electric field of a
E( r )   2 r
continuous charge distribution r