21 Electric Fields

2 Applications of Electric Fields

MAINIDEA
Write the Main Idea for this section.

REVIEW VOCABULARY Recall and write the definition of the Review Vocabulary term.
work work

NEW VOCABULARY Use your book to define each term.

electric potential electric potential difference
difference
volt
equipotential
volt
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capacitor
capacitance

equipotential

capacitor

capacitance

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2 Applications of Electric Fields (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 577–581
Use with Example Problem 3.
Use this column for
scratch work and
sketches.
GET IT? Define electric potential difference in your own words, state
the equation used to find it, and explain what the variables represent.
TRY IT !
Problem
WORK REQUIRED TO MOVE A PROTON BETWEEN CHARGED
PARALLEL PLATES Two charged parallel plates are 1.0 cm apart. The
magnitude of the electric field between the plates is 1250 N/C.
a. What is the electric potential difference between the plates?
b. How much work is required to move a proton from the negative plate
to the positive plate?
1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM
KNOWNS UNKNOWN
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
E= =?
d= =?
q=
2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
a. Use the relationship between potential difference, the electric field,
and the distance between the plates.
b. Use the relationship between potential difference, work, and charge.
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 2 Applications of Electric Fields (continued)
Student Edition, pp. 581–583 3. EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct?

• Does the sign make sense?

• Is the magnitude realistic?

GET IT? Explain why the following net charges are impossible: 0.66e,
1.554e, and 3.504e.

Use with Example Problem 4. TRY IT !

Problem
Use this column for
FINDING THE CHARGE ON AN OIL DROP In a Millikan oil-drop
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

scratch work and

experiment, a particular oil drop weighs 5.3×10−14 N. The parallel plates
sketches. are separated by a distance of 1.0 cm. When the potential difference
between the plates is 472 V, the drop is suspended.
a. What is the net charge on the oil drop?
b. If the upper plate is positive, how many excess electrons
are on the oil drop?
1. ANALYZE AND SKETCH THE PROBLEM

KNOWNS UNKNOWN

∆V = =?

Fg = =?

d=

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2 Applications of Electric Fields (continued)
Student Edition, p. 583 2. SOLVE FOR THE UNKNOWN
a. To be suspended, the electric force and gravitational force must be
balanced. Use the relationship between the electric force, the charge,
and the electric field.

b. Determine how many excess electrons are on the oil drop.

3. EVALUATE THE ANSWER

• Are the units correct?

• Is the magnitude realistic?

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

GET IT? Summarize why passengers are protected inside a car if it is
struck by lightning.

Contrast the distribution of electric charges on a spherical and irregular-

shaped surface.

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 2 Applications of Electric Fields (continued)
Student Edition, p. 584–587 GET IT? Summarize how a lightning rod works.

Complete the following paragraph about capacitors.

Capacitors are devices that store . They usually

consist of an inserted between two .
When a is applied across the plates,
builds up on the plates. The ratio of
on one plate to the across the plates is called
the . The SI unit for capacitance is the .

SUMMARIZE
How does the MAINIDEA for this section relate to the chapter’s BIGIDEA?
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

REVIEW IT!
41. MAINIDEA Suppose a friend asks you to explain how electric potential relates to
potential energy. Write a brief explanation that you could use to explain this concept to
a friend who does not understand the relationship between the two concepts.

42. Potential Difference What is the difference between electric potential energy and
electric potential difference?

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2 Applications of Electric Fields (continued)
43. Electric Field and Potential Difference Show that a volt per meter is the same as a
newton per coulomb.

44. Millikan Experiment When the net charge on an oil drop suspended in a Millikan
apparatus is changed, the drop begins to fall. How should you adjust the potential
difference between the conducting plates to bring the drop back into balance?

45. Charge and Potential Difference In the previous problem, if changing the potential
difference between the conducting plates has no effect on the falling drop, what does
this tell you about the new net charge on the drop?

46. Capacitance What is the magnitude of net charge on each conductor plate of a
0.47-μF capacitor when a potential difference of 12 V is applied across that capacitor?

Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

47. Charge Sharing If you touch a large, positively charged, conducting sphere with a
small, negatively charged, conducting sphere, what can be said about the
a. potentials of the two spheres; b. charges on the two spheres?

48. Critical Thinking Explain how the charge in Figure 18 (in your textbook) continues to
build up on the metal dome of a Van de Graaff generator. In particular, why isn’t charge
repelled back onto the belt at point B?

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