Lecture 2

Electric force; Electric field

August 7, 2015

Electric force: point particles

Coulombs law:
F =k

|q1 q2 |
r2

where r is the separation between

the two charged particles, and
k = 9.0 109 N m2 /C2
Compare with the gravitational
force:
F =G

m1 m2
r2

where
G = 6.7 1011 N m2 /kg2
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Electric force: point particles

Example
What is the electric force between an electron and a proton spaced 1.0 mm
apart? How about the gravitational force?
Solution:
F =k

|q1 q2 |
r2

= (9.0 109 )

(1.6 1019 )(1.6 1019 )

(1.0 103 )2

= 2.3 1022 N .

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Electric force: point particles

Example
What is the electric force between an electron and a proton spaced 1.0 mm
apart? How about the gravitational force?

F =G

m1 m2
r2

= (6.7 1011 )

(1.7 1027 )(9.1 1031 )

(1.0 103 )2

= 1.0 1061 N .

Remark
The electric force is much stronger than the gravitational force.
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Electric force: point particles

Example
Three charged particles of the
same magnitude Q are arranged
as shown. What is the net force
on the rightmost particle?

Solution:
Let the +x-axis point to the
right.
F~net,3 = F~2on3 + F~1on3
= k

Q2
Q2
k

2
d
(2d)2

5 Q2
= k 2 .
4 d

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Electric force: point particles

Example
Three charged particles of the
same magnitude Q are arranged
as shown. What is the net force
on the middle particle?

Solution:
Let the +x-axis point to the
right.
F~net,2 = F~1on2 + F~3on2
= +k

Q2
Q2

+
k

d2
d2

= +2k

Lecture 2

Q2
.
d2

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Field
Fieldmap
scalar field temeperature map, elevation map
vector field wind map, ocean current map

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Field
Fieldmap
scalar field temeperature map, elevation map
vector field wind map, ocean current map

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Electric field

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Electric field

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Electric field

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Electric field

F~0 = q0 E~
1. A charged body modifies its environment; and
2. another charged body responds to how the environment was modified.

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Electric field of a point charge

For a point particle of charge q:
F0 = k

q0 q
r2

What is the electric field due to q?

F0 = q0 E
q
0q
k 2 = 
q
0E
r
q
E =k 2
r
Let r be a unit vector pointing radially outward from q. Then
q
E~ = k 2 r
r
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Electric field

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Electric field

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Gravitational field

Compare:
F~ = m~g F~0 = q0 E~

Remark
~g is the gravitational field.
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Total electric field

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Total electric field

Solution:

Compute first for the electric

field magnitudes. It turns out
that they are equal:

Example
What is the electric field at point
P?

Lecture 2

E1 = E 2 = k

q
d2

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Total electric field

Get the vector sum of the fields. Use the fact that E1 = E2 .
E~ = E~1 + E~2

* E = E + E = E cos 60 + E cos 60 = 2E cos 60

x
1,x
2,x
1
2
1
Ey = E1,y + E2,y = E1 sin 60 E2 sin 60 = 0

Hence,
E~ = E~x + E~y
= 2 E1 cos
60 + 0
|{z} | {z }
 q  1 
=2 k 2

d
2
q
= k 2 .
d

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Quiz!

What is the electric field at the center?

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Quiz!

Compute first for the electric field magnitudes. It turns out that they are
equal:
q
q
E1 = E2 = E3 = E4 = k  2 = 2k 2
a
2
2 a
Get the vector sum of the fields. Use the fact that E1 = E2 = E3 = E4 .
* E =E +E +E +E =0
x
1,x
2,x
3,x
4,x
E~ = E~1 + E~2 + E~3 + E~4
Ey = E1,y + E2,y + E3,y + E4,y = 4E1 sin 45
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Quiz!

Hence,
E~ = E~x + E~y
= 0 4 E1 sin
45
|{z} | {z }
!
 q  2
= 4 2k 2

a
2
q
= 4 2k 2 .
a

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