Electric Fields

-Electric Field: the region around a

charged particle through which a
force is exerted on another charged
particle
-Test Charge: an idealized model of
an object whose physical properties
(usually mass, charge, or size) are
assumed to be negligible except for
the property being studied.
- Electric Field Line: the imaginary
line along which a positive test
charge would move in an electric
field (from positive to negative)

Electric fields are vector

quantities
The following features are
common to all electric field
diagrams:
1. Field lines always begin on
positively charged objects
and terminate on negatively
charged objects.
2. Field lines never intersect
each other.
3. Field lines are perpendicular
to the surface of the charged
object they meet.

Electric Field Lines

Parallel Plates
When the distance between the
plates is much smaller than the
size of the plates and the charge
on the plates is uniformly
distributed, the field lines are
parallel to each other and
perpendicular to the plates
(except near the edges).
If a positive test charge is
released between the plates, it
will be pushed in a straight line
from the positive to the negative
plate.

 Since the field between the

plates is uniformly intense, the
magnitude of the force exerted
on a test charge is the same
everywhere in the region
between the plates (except
near the edges).
Outside the plates, the net
force is practically zero so no
field lines appear there.

 Electric field strength: the force

on a stationary positive test
charge per unit charge in an
electric field
The electric field strength is also
referred to as the electric field
intensity.
The closer the electric field lines,
the stronger the field strength
and vice versa.
The electric field strength is zero
everywhere inside the conducting
material.

E = Fe/q
Fe = electrostatic force (N)
q = charge (C)
E = electric field strength (N/C)
The electric field strength due to a
single charge is given by

E = kq/r2
- The intensity decreases inversely
with the square of the distance from
the point charge.

What is the magnitude of the electric

field strength at a point in a field
where an electron experiences a
1.0N force?
A positive test charge of 4.0x10-5C is
placed in an electric field. The force
acting on it is 0.60N. What is the
electric field strength at the location
of the test charge?
The electric field strength at a point is
4.0x104N/C. What is the force on a
charge of 0.50x10-6C placed at that
point?
What charge exists on a test charge
that experiences a force of 1.4x10-8
N at a point where the electric field
intensity is 2.0x10-4N/C?

Millikans Oil Drop

Experiment

Electric Potential
Like the gravitational force, the
electric force, can pull an
object through a distance and
therefore do work. It can also
push an object and do work.
A charged object has potential
energy due to its position in an
electric field.
If an electric field does work on
any charged object, electric
potential energy decreases
In this case PE is converted to
KE or heat

 If work is done against an

electric field, such as when a
positive charge is moved
closer to another positive
charge, electric potential
energy increases. This is
similar to lifting an object on
earth (doing work against the
gravitational field).
Electric potential energy is
larger when two like charges
are closer together and larger
when two unlike charges are
further apart.

 Electric potential: the total

amount of work required to
bring one Coulomb of positive
charge from infinity to that
point.
Electric potential is positive if
work must be done against the
field to move a positive test
charge from infinity to that
point.
Lines of equal electric potential
are perpendicular to the
electric field lines.

 Potential difference: the work done (or

change in potential energy) per unit
charge as a charged particle is moved
between the points.
V=W/q
V=potential difference (J/C or volt)
W=Work (J), q = charge (C)
If an elementary charge is moved
against an electric field through a
potential difference of one volt, the
amount of work or gain in potential
energy is called the electronvolt (eV)

1eV = 1.60x10-19J
W =Vq = 1V * (1.6x10-19C) =
1.60x10-19 J = 1eV

Example:Moving a point charge of 3.2x10-19

C between points A and B in an electric
field requires 4.8x10-18J of energy. What
is the potential difference between these
points?
Example: A 12V battery does 1200J of work
transferring a charge. How much charge
is transferred?
Example: Two parallel plates are 0.500m
apart. The electric field strength between
them is 6.00x103N/C. What is the
potential difference between the plates?
How much work is done moving a charge
equal to that of one electron from one
plate to another?
Example: A voltmeter measures the
potential difference between two parallel
plates to be 60.0V. The plates are 0.030m
apart. What is the magnitude of the
electric field intensity?

Potential Difference
between Parallel plates
Given: E = F/q , V = W/q, W=F*d

If we solve for q (charge)

F/E = q
W/V = q
Set the two equations equal to
each other
F/E =W/V
F/E = (F*d)/V divide by F
Therefore V=E*d we can rewrite
this as E = V/d.

Millikans Oil
Experiment
A potential difference was created
between two charged plates. A
charged drop of oil was dropped
between these plates.
Drop was suspended when Fg=Fe.
The magnitudes of the forces were
equal so we can set Eq=mg.
This will allow us to find the charge
on the drop.
Eventually Millikan realized that the
charge was always a multiple of
1.6x10-19C.

 Example: An oil drop weighs

1.9x10-14N. It is suspended in an
electric field of intensity
4.0x104N/C. What is the charge on
the oil drop? If the drop is attracted
toward the positive plate, how
many excess electrons does it
have?
Example: A negatively charged oil
drop weighs 8.5x10-15N. The drop is
suspended in an electric field
intensity of 5.3x103N/C. What is the
charge on the drop? How many
excess electrons does it have?