Chap 23

Chapter 23
What is field?
• Gravitational and electric force between particles are action-at-a-
distance
• However, according to modern science, there is a physical entity that
act as mediator of force, conveying the force over the distance from
one body to another
• That entity is called field
• Electrically charged bodies generate electric field that occupies empty
space around the body and this field exerts pushes or pull whenever
it comes in contact with another body
Electric Field
Charges exert forces on one

another by means of
disturbances that they generate
in the space surrounding them.
These disturbances are called
electric fields
Electric field
A charge 𝑞´ generates an electric field which permeates the
surrounding space and exerts forces on any other charges that it
touches.
Using Coulomb’s Law The charge which is

exerting the force
The Charge on which

force is being exerted
Relation between force and field
The charge which is exerting the force have
electric field “E” given by,
The force on q is given by,

The Electric field of
charge q´
Direction of electric field
• Electric field is a vector quantity.
• The electric field is directed radially outward if q is

positive, and radially inward if q is negative.
• The force is given by
𝐹Ԧ = 𝑞𝐸
• The electric field is given by
The force due to

the electric field
charges
is force per unit
charge.
Magnitude of
charge q.
Si Unit of Electric field
• The SI unit of electric field is the newton per coulomb (N/C)
• The net electric field generated by any distribution of point charges is

the vector sum of the individual electric fields due to the point
charges.
Lightning
Water droplets or lighter ice crystals
Heavy ice crystals or hail
Lightning striking a lone tree

Example 1
Consider two charges + −𝑸 of equal magnitudes and opposite signs,
separated by a distance d. Such an arrangement of charges, similar
to the ones exerting the force is called an electric dipole. Find the
electric field at a point equidistant from the two charges, a
distance x from their midpoint. What is the dependence on
distance of this “dipole field” for x >> d?
Example contd.
Example 2 – Thundercloud charge
The distribution of electric charge in a
thundercloud can be roughly approximated by
several point-like charges placed at different
heights. Figure shows such an approximate
charge distribution consisting of a charge of +40
C at a height of 10.0 km and a charge of -30 C at
a height of 4.0 km in the thundercloud. What
are the horizontal and the vertical components
of the electric field that these two charges
produce at a point P at a height of 10.0 km and
at a horizontal distance of 6.0 km to the right?
What is the magnitude of this field at that
point?
Examples to do
Understand examples 3 and 4 by your own
Problem 13 Solution
Figure shows the arrangement of nuclear charges (positive charges) of
a K-Br molecule. Find the electric field that these charges produce at
the centre of mass at a distance of 9.3 ×10-11 m from the Br atom.
LINES OF ELECTRIC FIELD
Electric field could be
represented by the Electric field
lines.
The positive charges have the

fields lines in outward direction.
Magnitude of vectors decreases

in inverse proportion to the
square of the distance.
LINES OF ELECTRIC FIELD
 The positive charges have the fields
lines in outward direction.
 Magnitude of vectors decreases in

inverse proportion to the square of
the distance.
 The density of lines is directly proportional to the
magnitude of the electric field.
 Lines are closely spaced the electric field is

strong, and where the lines are far apart the
electric field is weak.
The spacing between the
electric field lines is directly
proportional to the magnitude
of the charge.
Pattern of field lines
Field Lines emerge from positive

point charge and end on a negative
point charge.
The pair of equal charges have equal number
of electric field lines.
Field lines never intersect (except where they

start or end on point charges).
 There are 2 times as many field lines
originating on the 2q charge (32 lines)
as there are ending on the -q charge
(16 lines).
Electric field density
 Electric field is proportional to the density
of field lines.
Density of lines is the number of lines per

unit area.
Number of lines intercepted by a small area

A erected perpendicularly to the lines
divided by the magnitude of this area.
Questions
Figure shows diagrams of
hypothetical field lines
corresponding to some static
charge distributions, which
are beyond the edge of the
diagram. Are these correct or
wrong?
What is wrong with each of

these diagrams of field lines if
you think so?
Electric field for sheets
Questions
QUESTION 1: During a day of fair weather, the Earth has an
atmospheric electric field that points vertically down. This electric field
is due to charges distributed over the surface of the Earth. What must
be the sign of these charges?
QUESTION 2: A field line diagram shows a 6.0 C point charge with eight
field lines emerging from it. Nearby in the diagram is a short, charged
rod with 12 field lines entering it. The charge on the rod is
(A) 4.0 C (B) -4.0 C (C) 9.0 C (D) -9.0 C (E) 12.0 C
Imp announcement
Quiz 3 on Monday (18 November) from Chapter 22 and 23

Chap 23

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Chapter 23

Charges exert forces on one

Using Coulomb’s Law The charge which is

The Charge on which

The force on q is given by,

• Electric field is a vector quantity.

• The electric field is directed radially outward if q is

The force due to

• The net electric field generated by any distribution of point charges is

Heavy ice crystals or hail

Lightning striking a lone tree

The positive charges have the

Magnitude of vectors decreases

 Magnitude of vectors decreases in

 Lines are closely spaced the electric field is

Field Lines emerge from positive

Field lines never intersect (except where they

Density of lines is the number of lines per

Number of lines intercepted by a small area

What is wrong with each of

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