Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a.

de salit

ELECTRIC FIELD

 a region around a charge where electric force acts.

 an electric charge emits an electric field which always points away from a positive charge and
points towards a negative charge.
 represented by electric field line (arrows)
 electric field strength depends on charge and distance
 the number of field lines is proportional to electric field strength

 like electric force, the electric field is also a vector, it has magnitude and direction
 electric field points in the direction of force

The magnitude of the field is proportional to the amount of electrical force exerted on a
positive (+) test charge placed at a given point in the field.

Using Coulomb’s Law;

Principle of Superposition:

“The combined effect of many fields acting simultaneously is the same as the vector sum of the
individual fields.”
 Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a. de salit
PROBLEMS/EXERCISES:

1. A student is photocopying lab sheets for his first period class. A particle of toner carrying a charge
of 4.0 x 10-9 C in the copying machine experiences an electric field of 1.2 x106 N/C as it’s pulled
toward the paper. What is the electric force acting on the toner particle?

2. A fly accumulates 3.0 x 10 -10C of positive charge as it flies through the air. What is the
magnitude and direction of the electric field at a location 2.0 cm away from the fly?
 Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a. de salit

3. What is the magnitude of a point charge that would create an electric field of 5 N/C at a point 150
cm away?

4. As shown in the diagram below, a positive charge, q1 = 2.6 μC, is located at a point, x1 = -3.0 m,
and a positive charge, q2 = 1.4 μC, is located at a point, x2 = +4.0 m.

a. ) Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field at the origin due to charge q1.
b.) Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field at the origin due to charge q2.
c.) Find the magnitude and direction of the net electric field at the origin.
 Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a. de salit

5. Four 6.0 µC charges are held in position in a square configuration as shown below. The length of
each side of the square is 4.0µm, and the magnitude of each charge is 6.0 µC.

Calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric field at the center of the square. (1.9 x 1 0 16
N/C downward )
Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a. de salit
 Notes in Physics for Engineers/m.a. de salit

TRY to solve this!

Find the electric field at point P on the y axis and at a distance 0.4 m above the origin. The electric
field is created by the three point charges as shown below.

The charge q1 = 7x10-6 C is in the origin of the coordinate system, the charge q2 = -5x10-6 C is
placed on the x axis 0.3 m from the origin and the charge q3 = -3x10-6 C is placed to the right of
point P and at 0.4 m above q2. Determine also the force exerted on a charge of 3x10-6 C when
placed on the point P.

Answer: E = 5.15 x105 N/C ; F = 1.44 N