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Electric Fields
and Potential
Eleanor Roosevelt High School
Chin-Sung Lin
Electric Fields
Gravitational & Electric
Forces
What are the formulas for the following physics laws?
m 1 m2 q1 q2
Fg = G Fe = k
r 2 r 2
Gravitational Field
What’s the definition of gravitational field?
Gravitational Field
Gravitational Field: Force per unit mass
Fg
g=
m
• Fg: gravitational force (N)
• m: mass (kg)
• g: gravitational field strength (N/kg, or m/s2)
Electric Field
Electric Field: Force per unit charge
Fe
E=
q
• Fe: electric force (N)
• q: charge (C)
• E: electric field strength (N/C)
Gravitational & Electric Fields
Gravitational Field Electric Field
Fg Fe
g= E=
m q
Electric Field
Fe
E=
q
Electric Field
Fe
E=
q
Electric Field
Electric field is a vector
A vector includes ___________ and ____________
Fe
E= = ???
q
Source Charge Test Charge
+Q +q
r
Fe
Electric Field
Electric Field: Force per unit charge
Fe qQ Q
E= =k = k
q r q
2
r2
• Fe: electric force (N)
• q: test charge (C)
• Q: source charge (C)
• E: electric field strength (N/C)
• r: distance between charges (m)
• k: electrostatic constant (N m2/C2)
Electric Field Example
What is the magnitude of the electric field strength
when an electron experiences a 5.0N force?
Electric Field Example
What is the magnitude of the electric field strength
when an electron experiences a 5.0N force?
E = Fe / q
E = 5 N / (1.6 x 10-19 C)
= 8.4 N/C
= 1.15 x 10-10 N
Aim: Electric Field
DoNow: (4 minutes)
Write down the definition of Electric Field in words
Write down the formulas of Electric Field in two
different forms
Define every symbol in the formula and identify
their units
Identify the relationships between Electric Field
and other variables
Aim: Electric Field
Electric Field
Electric Field: Force per unit charge
Fe Q
E= = k
q r2
• Fe: electric force (N)
• q: test charge (C)
• Q: source charge (C)
• E: electric field strength (N/C)
• r: distance between charges (m)
• k: electrostatic constant (N m2/C2)
Electric Field
Electric Field: Force per unit charge
1 1
E ~ Fe E ~ Q E~ q E~ 2
r
• Fe: electric force (N)
• q: test charge (C)
• Q: source charge (C)
• E: electric field strength (N/C)
• r: distance between charges (m)
• k: electrostatic constant (N m2/C2)
Electric Field
If you shift the test charge around, where can you
find the electric field with the same magnitude?
Fe
E=
q
Electric Field
E Fe
F
e
Electric Field
What will happen if you move the test charges
away from the source charge?
E Fe
F
e
Electric Field
Source Charge Test Charge
+Q +q
E
Fe
E
E Fe
E Fe
F
e
Electric Field
Source Charge Test Charge
+Q +q
E E
Fe Fe
E
E Fe E
Fe
E Fe
E
Fe
F
e
E
F
e
Electric Field
Source Charge Test Charge Test Charge
+Q +q +q
E E
Fe Fe
E
E Fe E
Fe
E Fe
E
Fe
F
e
E
F
e
Electric Field Representation
Vector representation
+ -
Electric Field Representation
Line-of-Force representation
+ -
Electric Field Representation
How do you decide the strength of electric field?
+ -
Electric Field Representation
When the field lines are denser, the field is stronger
+ -
Electric Field Representation
Where can you find the the strongest electric field?
E
B D
Electric Field: Point Charge
Line-of-Force representation
+ -
Electric Field: Pair of Charges
Line-of-Force representation
Electric Field: Pair of Charges
Sketch the electric field for like charges?
+ +
Electric Field: Pair of Charges
Line-of-Force representation
+ +
Electric Field: Pair of Charges
Line-of-Force representation
Electric Field: Parallel Plates
Line-of-Force representation
Electric Field: Parallel Plates
Anything special for the electric field between the
parallel plates charged with opposite charges?
Electric Field: Parallel Plates
The electric field between the parallel plates is
uniform except at both ends
Electric Field Example
A charged droplet of mass 5.87 x 10-10 kg is hovering
motionless between two parallel plates. The
parallel plates have a electric field of 1.2 x 107 N/C
and are 2.00 mm apart. (a) What is the charge on
the particle? (b) By how many electrons is the
particle deficient?
Electric Field Example
A charged droplet of mass 5.87 x 10-10 kg is hovering
motionless between two parallel plates. The
parallel plates have a electric field of 1.2 x 107 N/C
and are 2.00 mm apart. (a) What is the charge on
the particle?
E = Fe / q Fe = E q Fg = m g Fe = F g
Eq=mg
q = 4.80 x 10-16 C
Electric Field Example
A charged droplet of mass 5.87 x 10-10 kg is hovering
motionless between two parallel plates. The
parallel plates have a electric field of 1.2 x 107 N/C
and are 2.00 mm apart. (b) By how many electrons
is the particle deficient?
e - = 1.6 x 10-19 C
Eq=mg
q = 6.0 x 10-16 C
Electric Field Exercise
A positively charged ball with mass 20 g is hanging
between two charged parallel plates from the
ceiling through an insulating wire with length 0.1 m.
The electric field strength of the charged parallel
plates is 4.2 x 109 N/C. When the ball is in balance,
the wire and the vertical line form an angle of 60o.
What is the charge of the ball?
Electric Fields
Electric Fields
Electric Fields
Electric Fields
Electric Fields
Electric Fields and Shielding
E=0
Electric Shielding
Electric Fields and Shielding
Fe Q
E= = k
q r2
• Fe: electric force (N)
• q: test charge (C)
• Q: source charge (C)
• E: electric field strength (N/C)
• r: distance between charges (m)
• k: electrostatic constant (N m2/C2)
Electric Field: Pair of Charges
Line-of-Force representation
Electric Field: Parallel Plates
Line-of-Force representation
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
What happens in the
picture?
What types of energy
have been converted?
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
What happens in the
picture?
What types of energy
have been converted?
If we want to pull the
weight up back to its
original position, what
should we do?
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE)
What happens in the
picture?
What types of energy
have been converted?
If we want to pull the
weight up back to its
original position, what
should we do?
How much work do we
need?
Electric Potential Energy (EPE)
What are they in common?
+
+
+
- +
-
-
--
Electric Potential Energy (EPE)
What happens in the
picture?
+
What types of energy +
have been converted?
If we want to pull the
weight up back to its
original position, what
should we do?
+
How much work do we - +
need? -
-
--
Electric Potential Energy (EPE)
What are they different?
+
+
+
- +
-
-
--
Electric Potential Energy
What did the monkey do in order to bring a positively
charged ball toward a positively charged object?
Electric Potential Energy
What did the monkey do in order to bring a positively
charged ball toward a positively charged object?
A A
Electric Potential Energy
The work performed in taking a charge from A to B
does not depend on the path
A
Gravitational Potential Energy
What happens when we
double the mass?
x2
Gravitational Potential Energy
When mass is doubled, the
gravitational potential energy
is also doubled
PE2 = (2m)gh = 2(mgh) = 2PE1
x2
Electric Potential Energy
What did we double here?
+ +
+ +
x2
-
-
-
Electric Potential Energy
We doubled the charge.
What happens when we
+ +
+ + double the charge?
x2
-
-
-
Electric Potential Energy
When charge is doubled, the
electric potential energy is
+ + also doubled
+ +
x2
-
-
-
Electric Potential Energy
Potential Energy – Capability to Do Work
W or EPE
• W: electric (potential) energy
aka work (J)
W or EPE
• W: electric (potential) energy
aka work (J)
W ~ q
Electric Potential
Electric potential energy per unit charge
W
V= q
• W: electric (potential) energy, aka work (J)
W = qV
Electric potential (V) is based on a zero reference
point
Only the potential difference matters
Electric potential (Voltage, V) is the work (W)
required to bring a unit charge (1 C) from the zero
reference point
V is a scalar (not a vector)
Electric Potential Example
V=W/q W=qV
E E E
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
If we place test charge at different locations between
the charged parallel plates, compare the forces
experienced by these test charges
E E E
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Electric Force (Fe): experienced by a test charge is
constant due to Fe = qE
E E E
Fe
Fe
Fe
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Compare the work required to move test charges
from the negative plate to the positive plate
E E E
Fe Fe Fe d
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Electric potential energy / work (W): required to
move a test charge from negative plate to positive
plate is constant due to W = Fe d
E E E
Fe Fe Fe d
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Given the following formulas, can you derive the
formula for Electric potential (V) and Electric field
(E)?
W = Fe d
Fe = q E
V= q W
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Electric potential (V):
W = Fe d and Fe = q E
W=qEd
W qEd
V= q = q =Ed
V = Ed or
V
E= d
Electric Potential: Parallel Plates
Electric potential (V): relative to the negative plate
is proportional to the distance to it due to V = E d
E E E
V
d
Equipotential Lines: Parallel Plates
Equipotential Lines: on an equipotential line,
voltages are all the same
Equipotential lines are perpendicular to field lines
V2 V2 V2
E E E d2
V1 V1 V1
d1
Equipotential Lines: Point Charge
Equipotential Lines for a point charge:
Equipotential Lines: Point Charge
Equipotential Lines for a charge pair
Electric Field and Potential
Electric field
V Fe
E= d = q
• E: electric field (N/C or V/m)
• V: electric potential / potential difference /
voltage (V, Volts)
• d: distance between parallel plates (m)
• q: charge (C)
Electric Potential Example
A charged droplet of mass 5.87x 10-10 kg is hovering
motionless between two parallel plates. The
parallel plates have a potential difference of 24000
V and are 2.00 mm apart. What is the charge on the
particle?
Electric Potential Example
A charged droplet of mass 5.87x 10-10 kg is hovering
motionless between two parallel plates. The
parallel plates have a potential difference of 24000
V and are 2.00 mm apart. What is the charge on the
particle?
E = Fe / q Fe = E q Fg = m g Fe = F g
q = 4.80 x 10-16 C
The End