Physics (102)

Electricity and Magnetism

Textbook: Fundamentals of PHYSICS, 9th edition, by HALLIDAY/ RESNICK/ WALKER

CHAPTER 22 ELECTRIC FIELDS

Physics Department
 Electrostatic
21-2 Electric Field
Consider tow point charges separated by some distance. We
know that the particles interact, but exactly how does one
particles sense the presence of the other?. We say that an
electric charge creates an electric field in the space around
it. A second charged particle does not interact directly with
the first: rather, it responds to whatever field it encounter. In
this sense, the field acts as an intermediary between the
particles.
 The electric field is a vector field. It consists of a distribution
of vectors, one for each point in the region around a
charged object.

The direction of force defines the direction of field

 The electric field E at any point is defined in terms of
the electrostatic force F that would be exerted on a e
test charge q0 placed there:

 F
E
q0

The SI unit for the electric field intensity is Newton per Coulomb
(N/C). The direction of the field is that of the force experienced by
a positive test charge. The test charge is defined as a fictitious
charge that no forces on nearby charges.
 Electric Field Lines
The electric field near a positive charge is directed radially
away from the charge. Wherever the electric field near a
negative charge is directed radially into the charge. (This idea
was introduced by Michael Faraday).
 ()
(a)

(a) shows the field lines for two equal positive charges.

(b) (b) shows the pattern for two charges that are equal in magnitude but of opposite
sign (electric dipole).

Problem: How dose the magnitude of the electric field vary with distance from the center
of uniformly charged sphere? Use a argument based on the electric fields lines.
Properties of Electric Field Lines

The electric field with the same magnitude and direction at every point is
a uniform electric field.
 Properties of Electric Field Lines
1/ Electrostatic field lines always start from positive charges and end on
negative charges.

2/The number of lines that originate from, or terminate on a charge , is

proportional to the magnitude of the charge.

3/ The direction of the field at a point is along the tangent to the line of
force.

4/ The field intensity is proportional to the density of the lines; that is, the
number of lines per unit area.

5/ Lines of force never cross

 The Electric Field Due to a Charged
Particle
 q0 q1
F0 k  2 r̂10
r10


 F0 k q1 r̂
E0   2 10
q0 r10

Where q0 is test charge, q1 is the source charge of the

field.

The field depends only on the distance between the point

charge (as the field source) and the location where the
field is measured.
 The Electric Field Due to more one charge

The principle of superposition:

    
E0,net E01  E02  E03    E0n
q1 q2 q3 qn
k  2 rˆ10  k  2 rˆ20  k  2 rˆ30    k  2 rˆn
r10 r20 r30 rn 0

Ex = E1x + E2x + E3x +E4x

Ey = E1y + E2y + E3y +E4y
 Checkpoint
The figure here shows a proton p and an electron e on
an x axis. What is the direction of the electric field due to the
electron at (a) point S and
(b) point R?
What is the direction of the net electric field at (c) point R and
(d) point S?
The direction of the electric field due to the electron at:
(a) Point S? Rightward
(b) Point R? Leftward
(c) The direction of the net electric field at
(c) Point R? Leftward
(d) Point S? Rightward
Figure 22-7a shows three particles with charges q1=+2Q, q2 = -
2Q, and q3=-4Q, each a distance d from the origin. What net
electric field is produced at the origin?

09/28/2020 ‫ بديع عبدالحليم‬/‫د‬

 The Electric Field Due to Line of Charges

In order to find the electric field due to a line of charges or charged disk, one
must divide the charge distribution into infinitesimal elements of charge dq,
which may be considered to be point charge. The infinitesimal contribution to
the total field product by such an element is dE = k dq/r2
 Canceling Components - Point P is on the axis: In the
Figure (right), consider the charge element on the opposite
side of the ring. It too contributes the field magnitude dE
but the field vector leans at angle θ in the opposite
direction from the vector from our first charge element, as
indicated in the side view of Figure (bottom). Thus the two
perpendicular components cancel. All around the ring, this
cancelation occurs for every charge element and its
symmetric partner on the opposite side of the ring. So we
can neglect all the perpendicular components.

The components
perpendicular to the A ring of uniform positive charge. A differential
z axis cancel; the element of charge occupies a length ds (greatly
parallel components exaggerated for clarity). This element sets up
add. an electric field dE at point P.
‫‪09/28/2020‬‬ ‫د‪ /‬بديع عبدالحليم‬
From the figure we see that the parallel components
each have magnitude dE cosθ. We can replace cosθ
by using the right triangle in the Figure (right) to
write

And

gives us the parallel field

component from each charge
element
Because we must sum a huge number of these components,
each small, we set up an integral that moves along the ring, from
element to element, from a starting point (call it s=0) through the
full circumference (s=2πR). Only the quantity s varies as we go
through the elements. We find

Let us chick this Eq. for a point on the central axis that is so far
away that z >> R. For such a point, the expression z2 +R2 can be
approximated as z2.
From this Eq.

We can get:
 CHECKPOINT 2
The figure here shows three non conducting rods, one
circular and two straight. Each has a uniform charge of
magnitude Q along its top half and another along its
bottom half. For each rod, what is the direction of the
net electric field at point P?
 The Electric Field Due to a Charged Disk

From The Electric Field Due to a Line of

Charge we have

Then we can get

 22-8 A Point Charge in an Electric Field
If a particle with charge q is placed in an external electric
field E, an electrostatic force F acts on the particle:

Ink-jet printer. Drops shot from generator G receive a

charge in charging unit C. An input signal from a
computer controls the charge and thus the effect of
field E on where the drop lands on the paper.

The position on the paper is determined by the E

and q.
(a) leftward

(b) leftward

(c) decrease
 Measuring the Elementary Charge
Equation 22-28 played a role in the measurement of
the elementary charge e by American physicist
Robert A. Millikan in 1910–1913. When tiny oil drops
are sprayed into chamber A, some of them become
charged, either positively or negatively, in the
process. Consider a drop that drifts downward
through the small hole in plate P1 and into chamber
C.

F=mg, F=qE

mg=qE

q=mg/E

n=q/e
‫ بديع عبدالحليم‬/‫د‬
Note: (the external electric field direction is downward but the electric force is upward)
Millikan discovered that the values of q were
always given by

in which e turned out to be the fundamental constant

we call the elementary charge (quantum of charge).

Problem:
How many electrons are on this particular oil drop? If you know that
Oil density (ρ) = 851 kg/m3, Radius of the drop (R) = 1.64x10-6 m
E=1.92x105 N/C
 A dipole in an electric Field
• The electric dipole moment p of an electric dipole is a vector that points
from the negative to the positive end of the dipole.

• The behavior of a dipole in a uniform external electric field can be

described completely in terms of the two vectors E and p ,with no need of
any details about the dipole’s structure.

+ F

p d
E
-F -
 A dipole in an electric Field
• The net force on the dipole from the field is zero and the center of mass of
the dipole does not move.
• However, the forces on the charged ends do produce a net torque t on
the dipole about its center of mass.
For one charge:
τ = r x F = (d/2) F sinϴ
For two charges:
τ = d F sinϴ = d (qE) sinϴ = pE sinϴ, (E Ʇ p) Ʇ τ

τ=pxE
 A dipole in an electric Field
Potential Energy of an Electric Dipole

• Potential energy (U) can be associated with the orientation of an electric

dipole in an electric field. In other words, the potential energy (U) equal to
the work done by the field in rotating the dipole.

U = - W = - p E cosϴ
U=-p.E
Problem:
A dipole consists of two point charges ±2 nC separated by 4 cm.
(a) what is the dipole moment?
(b) what is the change in potential energy when the dipole
rotates form alignment along a field E = 105 (N/C) to an
orientation 90ᵒ to E?
(c) what is the torque exerted when dipole rotates through an
angle of 25ᵒ with E?

Solution:

(b) p = qd =
(c) U=p E ( =

(d)
 Homework
Chapter 22: Electric Field
3-6-15-41-42 (a,b,c)
Pages 583

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