Name: PHY 227 F16 Pre-REC 1

Section: ________________ Due: Week of September 12

THE FIELD CONCEPT

The electrostatic field mediates interactions between the charged objects at rest. According to the concept
of electrostatic field, all charged objects generate the field around them, which, in its turn, interacts with
other charges. For example, when two point charges interact, we can designate one of them as the source
charge. The source charge creates an electrical influence or electric field in the surrounding region of
space. The other electric charge referred to as the probe charge or test charge responds to this field by
experiencing a force. Electric field ( ) due to the source charge can be practically measured as
follows:

= ,

where is the force felt by the probe charge and is the charge of the probe
charge.

The concept of the field helps to resolve the action-at-a-distance problem when the charges are in
motion. The electrostatic field, being a particular case of a more general electromagnetic field, is a
physical reality: for example, there is the energy density in space associated with this field.

The concept of electrostatic fields, being combined with the superposition principle, facilitates
calculation and visualization of the net force on a probe charge due to interactions with other charges. The
net force is proportional to the net field that is the vector sum of the fields of individual charges (sources of
field) at a given location.

The activities in recitation this week are intended to help you get more comfortable with the field
concept. Before recitation we want you to review an important topic from mechanics: gravity. Gravity, like
electrical and magnetic interactions, can be understood by using the field concept. Thinking about
gravitational fields can help you understand the concept of the electric field.

Overview of Index Quantities in Physics

An index is a number that helps people compare things. For example, gas mileage is an index of how
efficiently a car uses gas, and batting average is an index of how well a baseball player hits. Suppose that
driving back to campus after break, your car averaged 27 miles per gallon. The number 27 in this context
means the car traveled 27 miles for each gallon of fuel consumed, and could be computed by dividing the
trip distance by the total fuel used. Notice that the name of the index (gas mileage) is separate from its
interpretation.
A. Inventing a Planet Gravity Index
You are the Director of Exploration for the United Federation of Planets. Part of your job is to organize
data from survey missions to newly discovered planets. You want to devise a Planet Gravity Index to
help compare the effect of gravity at the surface of different planets.
Examine the data shown in the pictures on next page. Invent an index and use it to rank the cases
according to the strength of the gravity, from highest to lowest. We want you to follow two rules: 1) a
bigger index value should mean stronger gravity, and 2) measurements on the same planet should give the
same index value.

1
Name: PHY 227 F16 Pre-REC 1
Section: ________________ Due: Week of September 12

134.4 N
106.1 N
14.0 kg 8.70 kg

127.4 N 392.2 N

43.1 kg

14.0 kg
1. Write a one-sentence interpretation of the planet gravity index. Use the numerical result for the planet
with the strongest surface gravity for your interpretation. (Hint: Remember gravity index is nothing but a
measure of the gravitational field of the planet. Gravitational field is similar to electric field. In the above
picture the planet is comparable to a source charge, whereas the object that is being weighed is similar to
the test charge. If you need to, refer back to the overview paragraph above for clarification).

2. What if Mission OD-01 had used a 30 kg test mass (instead of 14 kg). How large of a force would the
30 kg test mass experience?

3. What is the value of the planet gravity index here on Earth? (Hint: What is the weight on Earth of a
1 kg object?)

We can think of the planet gravity index as the strength of the field. The planet is a source mass that
creates a gravitational influence. We refer to this influence as a gravitational field, and the index is a
measure of the strength of the field.

4. Suppose that Planet X has gravitational field strength of 4.6 N/kg at its surface. Invent a general
equation to relate the mass m of an object on the surface of Planet X and the gravitational force F that
the object experiences.