Electronics

Chapter No: 03

Lecturer: Sharifullah Shiam

Contact Cell: +93784822580
Email: Sharifullahshiam@gmail.com
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

Course Outline:
1. Electric field
2. Electric field strength
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

1. Electric field

The region around a charged particle within which other charged particle will experience
an electrostatic repulsive or attractive force is called electric field.

Electric field is also called as electrostatic field. The electrostatic force or electric force is
exerted by the static electric charges I.e. electrons and protons.
Electric Field Chapter No: 03
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

• The strength or intensity of the electric field at any point within the electric
field is called electric field strength.

• To describe an electric field, we must specify its strength. The strength of

electric field at any point within the electric field is determined by placing the
unit charge at that point.

• When the unit charge is placed in an electric field, it will experience an electric
force. This electric force is either attractive or repulsive.
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

 The amount of electric force acting on a unit charge placed at any point within
the electric field is called electric field strength or electric field intensity.

 If the amount of force acting on a unit charge at a given point is less, the
electric field strength at that point is less. In the similar way, if the amount of
force acting on a unit charge at a given point is high, the electric field strength
at that point is high. Electric field strength or intensity is a vector quantity; it
has both magnitude and direction.
Electric Field Chapter No: 03
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

Electric Field Lines

 We know that, when a unit charge or point charge is placed in the electric field of
another charged particle, it will experience a force.

 The direction of this force can be represented by the imaginary lines. These imaginary
lines are called electric lines of force. Electric lines of force are also called as electric
field lines. The concept of electric lines of forces was introduced by Michael Faraday in
1837.

 The direction of electric lines of force for positive and negative charge is shown in the
below figure. For positive charge, the electric lines of force move away from the center
of the charge. But in case of negative charge, the electric lines of force move towards
the center of the charge.
Electric Field Chapter No: 03
 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

Opposite charges attract

 Electric Field Chapter No: 03

Like charges repel