ARUL INSTITUTE, CHENNAI

12TH STANDARD – CBSE – PHYSICS – CHAPTER 1

ELECTRIC CHARGES AND FIELDS – PART 2

ELECTRIC FIELD

Every charge produces an electric field in the surrounding space and if another charge is

brought into that field, it will interact with the electric field at that point and will experience a

force.

Q q F
r
Region of
Electric field

Source Charge (Q) → The charge which produces the electric field

Test Charge (q) → The charge which tests the effect of the source charge

Electric field is the region around the source charge in which the test charge experiences a

force.

Electric field is a vector quantity.

Unit of electric field is NC–1 (or) Vm–1.

Note: Test charge is chosen such that q → 0 (i.e. very small charge) so that bringing this test

charge will not move the source charge.

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ELECTRIC FIELD DUE TO A POINT CHARGE

Consider a source point charge Q located at a point in space. Another point charge q (test

charge) is placed at some point P which is at a distance r from the charge Q.

Q q F
r P

By Coulomb’s law, the force exerted by a charge Q on a charge q is

→ 1 Qq ∧
F = r
4πε o r2

The electric field at a point P is defined as the force experienced by a unit positive charge

placed at that point.

1 Qq ∧
→ r
→ F 4 πεo r 2
E = =
q q

→ 1 Q ∧
E = r
4πε o r 2

∧
where r is the unit vector that represents the direction of the electric field.

→
E is directed outward if Q is positive and inward if Q is negative.

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The electric field produced by the charge Q at a point r is

→ 1 Q ∧
E = r
4πε o r 2

The force exerted by a charge Q on a charge q is

→ 1 Qq ∧
F = r
4πε o r2

→  1 Q ∧
F =q  r
2 
 4πε o r 

→ →
F =qE

Some important remarks about electric field

→ →
(i) F =qE

→ →
If q = 1 C, then F = E

∴ If q is unity, the electric field due to a charge Q is numerically equal to the force

exerted by it.

The electric field due to a charge Q at a point is defined as the force experienced by a

unit positive charge placed at that point.

Q +1C E

Region of
Electric field

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(ii) The electric field is independent of the test charge q and it depends only on the source

charge Q.

(iii) For a positive charge, the electric field will be directed radially outwards from the

charge. On the other hand, if the source charge is negative, the electric field will be

directed radially inwards.

+1C +1C

+Q –Q

(iv) The magnitude of the electric field due to a charge Q depends on the distance (r) of the

point considered. At equal distance from the charge Q, the magnitude of its electric field

is same (spherical symmetry).

E
E E
E E

E E
Q r
E E
E E
E

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ELECTRIC FIELD DUE TO A SYSTEM OF CHARGES
E
E3
E4
q2
E1
r2P

P
E2
r1P r3P r4P
q1
q3 q4

Total electric field at a point P is the vector sum of all the electric fields due to various charges

present in the system.

→ 1 q1 ∧
Electric field at a point P due to q1 , E1 = r1P
4πεo r12P

→ 1 q2 ∧
Electric field at a point P due to q2 , E 2 = r2 P
4πε o r22P

By the superposition principle, the total electric field (E) at a point P due to the system of

charges is

→ → → →
E = E1 + E 2 + ............ + En

→ 1 q1 ∧ 1 q2 ∧ 1 qn ∧
E = r1P + r2P + ............ + rnP
4πε o r12P 4πε o r22P 2
4πε o rnP

→ 1  q1 ∧ q2 ∧ qn ∧ 
E =  2 1P r + r2P + .......... ... + r
2 nP 
4πεo  r1P r22P rnP 

→ n ∧
1 q
E =
4πε o ∑ r 2i riP
i =1 iP
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ELECTRIC FIELD LINES

An electric field line is a curve drawn in such a way that the tangent at each point on the

curve gives the direction of electric field at that point.

Important properties of electric field lines:

(1) Electric field lines are continuous curves without any breaks.

(2) Electric field lines start from positive charges and end at negative charges. They cannot

form closed loops.

(3) If there is a single charge, field lines may start or end at infinity.

(4) The field lines of a single positive charge are radially outward while those of a single

negative charge are radially inward.

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(5) Two field lines can never cross each other. (If they did, the field at the point of

intersection will not have a unique direction, which is absurd)

(6) The relative closeness of field lines indicates the relative strength of electric field at

different point. If the field lines are closer to each other, the electric field is strong and if

they are far apart, the electric field is weak. The field lines are parallel and equally

spaced in a uniform electric field.

(7) The field lines around a system of two positive charges (q, q) give a pictorial description

of their mutual repulsion.

(8) The field lines around a system of two equal and opposite charges (q, –q) give a pictorial

description of their mutual attraction.

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ELECTRIC DIPOLE

An electric dipole is a pair of equal and opposite point charges +q and –q, separated by a

distance 2a.

+q O –q

2a

By convention, the direction from –q to +q is said to be the direction of the dipole. The

midpoint of locations of –q and +q is called the centre of the dipole.

ELECTRIC DIPOLE MOMENT

The electric dipole moment of an electric dipole is defined as the product of the magnitude of

one of the charges and the distance between them.

→ ∧
p = q(2a) p

→
p

+q a O a –q

2a

Electric dipole moment is a vector quantity.

→
Direction of electric dipole moment p is from –q to +q.

Unit of electric dipole moment is coulomb metre (Cm).

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ELECTRIC FIELD DUE TO AN ELECTRIC DIPOLE

(i) For points on the axis

→
p
E+q E–q
P +q a O a –q
r

(r–a)

(r+a)

Let the point P be at distance r from the centre of the dipole along its axis on the side of the

charge +q, as shown in Figure.

→ q ∧
E +q = p
4πε o (r − a ) 2

∧
where p is the unit vector along the dipole axis (from –q to q)

→ q ∧
E −q = – p
4πε o (r + a ) 2

The total electric field at P is

→ → →
E = E +q + E −q

→  q ∧  q ∧
E = p  + − p 
 4 πε (r − a ) 2   4 πε (r + a ) 2 
 o   o 

→ q  1 1  ∧
E =  − p
4πε o  (r − a ) 2 (r + a ) 2 
 

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→ q  (r + a ) 2 − (r − a ) 2  ∧
E =   p
4πε o  ( r 2
− a 2 2
) 
 

→ q  (r 2 + a 2 + 2ar ) − (r 2 + a 2 − 2ar )  ∧
E =   p
4πε o  2 2 2
(r − a ) 
 

→ q  r 2 + a 2 + 2ar − r 2 − a 2 + 2ar )  ∧
E =   p
4πε o  ( r 2
− a 2 2
) 
 

→ q  4ar  ∧
E =   p
4πε o  (r 2 − a 2 ) 2 
 

For r >> a,

→ q  4ar  ∧
E =   p
4πε o  r 4 

→ 4qa ∧
E = p
4 πε o r 3

→ 2(q 2a ) ∧
E = p
4 πε o r 3

→
→ 2p → ∧
E = (since p = q 2a p )
4 πε o r 3

The resultant electric field at any axial point due to an electric dipole acts in the same

direction as that of electric dipole moment.

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(ii) For points on the equatorial plane
E+q
E+q E+q sinθ

θ E+q cosθ
θ E
P E at P θ E–q cosθ
θ

r2 + a2 E–q E–q sinθ

r E–q

θ p
+q a O a –q

2a

The magnitudes of the electric fields due to two charges +q and –q are given by

1 q
E+q =
4πε o (r + a 2 )
2

1 q
E–q =
4πε o (r + a 2 )
2

E+q and E–q are equal in magnitude and acting in different directions as shown in the figure.

E+q and E–q are resolved into two components.

Since the perpendicular components E+q sinθ and E–q sinθ are equal in magnitude and

opposite in direction, they cancel each other.

Since the parallel components E+q cosθ and E–q cosθ are acting in the same direction, they get

added up.

→ →
The total electric field E is opposite to the dipole moment p

→ ∧
E = ( E+q cosθ + E–q cosθ ) ( − p )
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→ ∧
E = – ( E+q + E–q ) cosθ p

→ ∧
E = – 2 E+q cosθ p [since E+q = E–q]

→ 1 q ∧
E =–2 cosθ p
4πε o (r 2 + a 2 )

a r2 + a2
Here cosθ = r
2 2
r +a

→ 1 q a ∧ θ
E =–2 p
4πε o (r + a 2 )
2
r2 + a2 a

→ 2qa ∧
E =– p
4πε o (r 2 + a 2 ) 3 / 2

At large distances (r >> a), this reduces to

→ 2qa ∧
E =– p
4πε o (r 2 ) 3 / 2

→ 2qa ∧
E =– p
4πε o r 3
→ ∧
The dipole moment of an electric dipole is defined by p = q x 2a p
→
→ p
E =–
4πε o r 3

The resultant electric field at the equatorial point due to an electric dipole acts in the opposite

direction as that of electric dipole moment.

→ →
→ 2p → p
E axial = 3
; E equatorial = −
4 πε o r 4πε o r 3

→
2p
→
→ →
E axial 4πε o r 3
→
= →
=–2 ; E axial = – 2 E equatorial
E equatorial p
−
4 πε o r 3
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