ELECTRIC FIELDS

A CLOSER LOOK AT CHARGES AND FORCES

Recall Coulombs Law:
2
2 1
21 12
r
q q
k F F = =
F
12
= force exerted by q
2
on q
1
when q
1
is placed at a distance
r from q
2

F
21
= force exerted by q
1
on q
2
when q
2
is placed at a distance

r from q
1

action at a distance

How does either charge knows that the other charge is placed
at a distance r from it?
Ans: One charge sets up an electric field around it.
The second charge placed nearby interacts with the field and
experiences a force due to the field of the first one.
(Fig b) A charged object sets up an electric field E at point P
(and everywhere else around it of course).
(Fig a) A charge (positive) q
0
placed at P interacts with the field
and experiences a force F in the direction of the field E
THE ELECTRIC FIELD
defined) field (electric
0
q
F
E

=
Electric Field : force per unit charge that a charge q
o

experiences in a region of space where the electric field is set
up by a source charge.

Unit: Newtons per Coulomb; N/C
Electric Field Lines
used to visualize electric fields
the direction of a straight line or of the tangent to a curved line
gives the direction of the field at a given point
the density of the lines is proportional to the magnitude of the
field
applet1
Electric field lines (a) extend away from positive
charge and (b) toward negative charge.
applet1
(a) a positive test charge near a portion
of an infinitely large non-conducting
sheet (or plane) with uniform charge
distribution on one side
(b) E field vector at location of test
charge;
field lines in space near the
sheet.
Electric dipole
pair of charges of equal magnitude but opposite sign
A pair of like charges with
field lines around them
2d Field
3d Field
Electric Field Due To A Point Charge
2
0
r
q q
k F =
Force between q and q
0

Force on q
0
due to q
2
0
r
q
k
q
F
E = =
electric field due to point charge q
Net force on q
0
due to charges q
1
, q
2
, q
3
, q
n
:

F
0
= F
01
+ F
02
+ F
03
+ .+ F
0n

n
n
q q q q q
E E E E
F F F F F
E
+ + + + =
+ + + + = =
.......
........
q ......., , q , q , q to due q of position at field Net
3 2 1
0
0
0
03
0
02
0
01
0
0
n 3 2 1 0
Electric Field Due To A Dipole
Field at point P
(a distance z from dipole midpoint):
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
2
0
2
0
4
1
4
1
+
+
=
=
r
q
r
q
E E E
tc tc
( )
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
|
.
|

\
|
=
|
.
|

\
|
=
+
z
d
z d z r
( )
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
|
.
|

\
|
+ =

z
d
z d z r
Hence we get:
( ) ( )
1/ 2
2 2
2
0
2
0
2
0
1 1
2 2
4
2 2
1 1 (using binomial expansion)
2 1! 2 1!
4
1 1
4
q d d
E
z z
z
q d d
z z
z
q d d
z z
z
tc
tc
tc

(
| | | |
( = +
| |
\ . \ . (

(
| | | |
= + + +
( | |
| |
(
\ . \ .

(
| | | |
= + + +
| | (
\ . \ .

3
0
2
0
2
1 2
4 z
qd
z
d
z
q
E
tc tc
= =
magnitude moment dipole electric qd p =
= E
dipole) (electric
2
1
3
0
z
p
E
tc
=
Electric Field Due to A Line Charge
= line charge distribution
= Q/L = dq/ds
dq = ds
( )
2
2 2
0
2
0
2
0
4
1
4
1
4
1
R z
ds
r
ds
r
dq
dE
+
=
= =

tc

tc tc
( )
2 1
2 2
cos
R z
z
r
z
+
= = u
( )
ds
R z
z
dE
2 3
2 2
0
4
cos
+
=
tc

u
( )
( )
( )
2 3
2 2
0
2
0
2 3
2 2
0
4
2
4
cos
R z
R z
ds
R z
z
dE E
R
+
=
+
=
=
}
}
tc
t
tc

u
t
( ) R q t 2 =
( )
ring) (charged
4
2 3
2 2
0
R z
qz
E
+
=
tc
Large distance: z >>R,
distance) large at ring (charged
4
2
0
z
q
E
tc
=
Find the electric field at point P due to the bent rod with
charge Q uniformly distributed along the bent rod.
2
0
2
0
4
1
4
1
r
ds
r
dq
dE

tc tc
= =
) (r cos
4
1
cos
4
1
cos
2
0
2
0
u u

tc
u

tc
u d
r
ds
r
dE dE
x
= = =
| |
( ) | |
r
r
r
d
r
d
r
dE E
x
0
0 0
0
60
60
0
60
60
0
60
60
2
0
4
73 . 1
60 60 sin
4
sin
4
cos
4
1
cos
4
1
tc

tc

u
tc

u u

tc
u u

tc
=
=
= =
= =

}
} }
Electric Field Due to A Charged Disk
o = charge per unit area
( ) rdr dA dq t o o 2 = =
( )
R) radius of ring (charged
4
2 3
2 2
0
R z
qz
E
+
=
tc
Recall:
As ring element of the disk:
( ) ( )
( )
2 3
2 2
0
2 3
2 2
0
2 3
2 2
0
2
4

4
2

4

r z
rdr z
r z
rdr z
r z
z dq
dE
+
=
+
=
+
=
c
o
tc
t o
tc
( ) ( )
} }

+ = =
R
dr r r z
z
dE E
0
2 / 3
2 2
0
2
4c
o
( ) ( )
1
. 2 and , , Setting
1
2
3
2 2
+
=
= = + =
+
}
m
X
dX X
dr r dX m r z X
m
m
( )
R
r z z
E
0
2
1
2 / 1
2 2
0
4
(
(

+
=

c
o
disk) (charged 1
2
2 2
0
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
R z
z
E
c
o
sheet) (infinite
2
, R As
0
c
o
= E
A Point Charge In An Electric Field
E F q =
E = electric field
q = point charge
F = electrostatic force; same direction as E for (+)q ;
opposite direction of E for (-)q
Dipole In An Electric Field
u u u t
t
sin sin
2
sin
2
: dipole on net torque of Magnitude
Fd
d
F
d
F = + =
Using F=qE and p=qd :
u t sin pE =
dipole) on (torque E p


= t
Potential Energy of an Electric Dipole
in the diagram E tends to rotate p
clockwise towards u = 0
t = -pEsinu for clockwise rotation
potential energy is work W done
against E in rotating p from u to 90
0

potential energy is work (-)W done
by E in the opposite sense, from 90
0

to u.
} }
} }
= =
= = =
u u
u
u
u u u u
u t u t
90 90
90
90
sin sin d pE d pE
d d W U
u cos
g, Integratin
pE U =
dipole) of energy (potential E p

= U