ELECTRIC FIELD

Consider that body A is initially within the given empty space. Because of the charge it carries, it somehow modifies the space surrounding it. Body B, when placed in the same space, will be able to sense how the space has been modified as a result of the charge it carries. The repulsive force that it will then experience is a result of its response. In fact, any charged body placed in the vicinity of body A will sense this electric field and will experience an electric force as a result.

ELECTRIC FIELD

A charged body A produces an electric field at any point surrounding, say point P. A point charge q0 placed at point P will then experience a force F0. The electric field acts as intermediary through which body A communicates its presence to other charges.

ELECTRIC FIELD

• ELECTRIC FIELD is a vector quantity and is defined as the electric force per unit charge experienced by a test charge at a given point;

If electric field at a certain point is known, rearranging the previous equation gives the force F0 experienced by a point charge q0 placed at that point. This force is just equal to the electric field produced at that point by charges other than q0 multiplied by the charge q0: The charge can either be positive or negative. If q0 is positive, the force F0 experienced by the charge is the same direction as E; if q0 is negative, F0 and E are in opposite directions.

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

Main Idea One body sets up a field on the space around it and a second body responds to that field.

If an electric field exists within a conductor, it will exert a force on every charge in the conductor hence it will cause motion among the charges. Since we are focusing our discussion on electrostatics, we have to conclude in electrostatics, the electric field at any point inside the conductor must be zero.

PRINCIPLE OF SUPERPOSITION OF ELECTRIC FIELDS

o The total electric field at point P is the vector sum of the fields at point P due to each point charge in the distribution.

o In calculating the electric field due to a charge distribution in a given space, imagine that the distribution is made of several point charges q1, q2,…qn each point charge produces its own electric field E1, E2,…En at any point P.

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

Electric field line is an imaginary line or curve drawn through a region in space such that its tangent at any point is in the direction of the electric field

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD

ELECTRIC FIELD