6|Spurlock’s Technical Physics II Lecture Notes

Lecture 2: Electric Fields and Continuous Charge Distributions

Fields
• Instead of acting directly on each other, objects create fields, and these fields act upon other
objects to create forces.
• You are already familiar with the gravitational field.
• To calculate the force of gravity for objects on the surface of the Earth we could use Newton’s
law.
MEm  ME 
F=G = m G 2   mg
R 2E  RE 
ME
• “Gravitational Field”: g=G
R 2E
• These are “vector fields”, as they consist of a different vector (magnitude and direction) at every
point in space.
In other words, a vector field is a collection of an infinite number of vectors,
with a distinct vector at each point in space.


 F
Electric Fields : E
q
• q is a small positive test charge (at some point in the field)
• F is the force felt by that charges
• E is the electric field at that point.
•

• E and F are vectors. E points in the same direction as the force felt by a positive test charge.
N N V
• The unit of the electric field is (Note: 1 = 1 ”volt per meter”)
C C m
 1  1  kQq  kQ
• For a point charge Q : E  F   2   2
q q r  r
• Like forces, electric fields obey superposition (add the vectors up)

Example: An electric field of strength 260 kN/C points due west at a certain spot. What are the
magnitude and direction of the force that acts on a -7.0 μC charge at this spot?
F = qE = (7.0x10-6C)(260,000 N/C) = 1.8 N
The field points to the west.
The force on a positive charge is to the west.
The force on a negative charge is to the east.
F = 1.8 N (pointing east)

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7|Spurlock’s Technical Physics II Lecture Notes

Example: Two charges are placed on the x-axis. One charge (Q1 = +8.5 μC) is at x1 = +3.0 cm, and the
other (Q2 = -21 μC) is at x2 = +9.0 cm. Find the net electric field (magnitude and direction)
at (a) x = 0 cm, and (b) x = +6.0 cm.

 kQ
E 2 (…but sign must be determined by determining field direction)
r
  Nm 2  (8.510-6 C) N
E1 ( x  0)    9.0 109 2  2
 8.5 107
 C  (0.030m) C
  Nm 2  (8.510-6 C) N
E1 ( x  6)   9.0 109 2  2
 8.5 107
 C  (0.030m) C
  Nm 2  (2110-6 C) N
E2 ( x  0)   9.0 109 2  2
 2.3 107
 C  (0.090m) C
  Nm 2  (2110-6 C) N
E2 ( x  6)   9.0 109 2  2
 21 107
 C  (0.030m) C
 N N N
(a) E ( x  0)  E1  E2  8.5 107  2.3 107  6.2 107
C C C
 N N N
(b) E ( x  6)  E1  E2  8.5 107  21107  3.0 108
C C C
Electric Field Lines
• Lines indicate the direction the field vectors point (field vectors are tangent to the field lines).
• The number of lines starting on a positive charge (or ending on a negative charge) is proportional
to the charge.
• The closer the lines, the stronger the field.

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8|Spurlock’s Technical Physics II Lecture Notes

Electric Fields And Conductors In Static Equilibrium

• Inside a conductor, E=0.
• Any net charge distributes itself evenly on the surface.
• At the surface of the conductor, the electric field is perpendicular to that surface.

Inside sphere: no net charge, E=0.

Sphere surface: 10nC evenly distributed.
Shell inner surface: -10nC evenly distributed
Inside shell: no net charge, E=0.
Shell outer surface: 10nC evenly distributed.
Empty space: Same electric field as if a 10nC point
charge was at the center of the sphere.

 
 F qE
Motion of a Charged Particle in an Electric Field: a 
m m
• If you are given the field, use that to find the acceleration and then solve the kinematics.
• Given kinematic information, find the acceleration, then use a=qE/m to find q or E.
Example: An electron is accelerated in the uniform field (E = 1.45x104 N/C) between two parallel
charged plates. The separation between the plates is 1.10 cm. The electron is accelerated
from rest near the negative plate through a tiny hole in the positive plate. With what speed
does it leave the hole?

 1.6  10 19 C 1.45  10 4 

N
 qE
a   C
 2.54665  10 15 m

m 9.11  10 31 kg s2

x0 = 0 x = 0.0110 m v0 = 0 v=? a = 2.54665x1015 m/s2

v 2  v02  2a ( x  x0 )  2ax

v  2ax  2(2.54665  1015 )(0.0110m)  7.49  106 m / s

Continuous Charge Distributions

• Break the distribution into infinitesimally small point charges, determine the electric field from
each, and add them up.
dQ  
dE  k 2 E   dE
r
• NOTE: When integrating over vectors, you must do this as you would add vectors (by
components).
E x   dEx E y   dE y E  E y2  E x2
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9|Spurlock’s Technical Physics II Lecture Notes

Example: Determine the magnitude of the electric field at a point P a distance x from the midpoint of a
very long line of uniformly distributed positive charge. Assume x is much smaller than the
length of the wire. Let λ be the charge per unit length (units C/m).

First, select an infinitesimal part of the charge

distribution. Label it “dQ”.
Write “dQ” in terms of your integration variable. In this
case dQ = λdy
dQ dy
Find dE. dE  k 2
k 2
r r
Can we slap this in an integral and get E?

NO! dE is a vector! E   dEx   dECos

 dy  x  dy dy
E   dEx   dECos    k 2    kx  3  kx 
 r  r  r x  y2
2
 
3/ 2

Limits of integration? For generality, -L/2 to L/2

L/2 L/2
dy dy
E  kx  x
L / 2
2
y 
2 3/ 2
 2kx  x0
2
 y2 
3/ 2

Look it up on an integral table:

y
(y  a 2 )3 / 2 dy 
2

a 2
y2  a2
yL / 2
L/2
dy  y  k L
E  2 k x  x
0
2
y 
2 3/ 2
 2 k x 
 x 2 y 2  x 2

 y 0

x ( L / 2) 2  x 2
2 k
L>>x, so let L go to infinity: E  (answer)
x

 ( y )dy  ( y )dy
What if λ = λ (y)? E  kx  kx
r 3
x 2
 y2 
3/ 2

What if my charge is distributed over an area or volume?

dQ  dA dA  dxdy or dA  dr  rd  rdrd
dQ  dV dV  dxdydz or dV  rdrddZ or dV  r 2 sin drdd

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