IAS - EDEXCEL

PHYSICS
UNIT 04
Further Mechanics, Fields & Particles
Electric Fields

Menuka Suwinda
 Electric Fields
Defining an Electric Field

• An electric field is defined as a region of space in which a charged particle experiences

a force
o Hence, electric fields are a type of force field
• The charged particle could be stationary or moving, and will experience an electric force in
that field
• All charged particles create their own electric fields
o These fields exert an electrostatic force, FE on other charged particles

The electrostatic force between two charges

• Like charges (positive and positive, or negative and negative) repel each other
o This means the force on each charge are away from the other charge
• Opposite charged (positive and negative) attract each other
o This means the force on each charge is towards the other charge
• The size of the force changes with distance

A repulsive force decreases with distance

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Electric Field Strength

• The electric field strength at a point is defined as:

The force per unit charge acting on a positive test charge at that point
• The electric field strength can be calculated using the equation:

• Where:
o E = electric field strength (N C–1)
o F = electrostatic force on the charge (N)
o Q = charge (C)
• It is important to use a positive test charge in this definition, as this determines the
direction of the electric field
• Recall, the electric field strength is a vector quantity, it is always directed:
o Away from a positive charge
o Towards a negative charge
• This direction is also denoted by the direction of the electric field

Electric field lines are directed away from a positive point charge and towards a negative point
charge

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Electric Force between Two Chargers

• All charged particles produce an electric field around them

o This field exerts a force on any other charged particle within range
• The electrostatic force between two charges is defined by Coulomb’s Law
o Recall that the charge of a uniform spherical conductor can be considered as a point
charge at its centre
• Coulomb’s Law states that:
The electrostatic force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges
and inversely proportional to the square of their separation
• The force FE between two charges as expressed by Coulomb's Law is given by the equation:

The electrostatic force between two charges is defined by Coulomb’s Law

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 • Where:
o FE = electrostatic force between two charges (N)
o Q1 and Q2 = two point charges (C)
o ε0 = permittivity of free space
o r = distance between the centre of the charges (m)
• The 1/r2 relation is called the inverse square law
• This means that when the separation of two charges doubles, the electrostatic force between
them reduces to (½)2 = ¼ of its original size
• ε0 is a physical constant used to show the capability of a vacuum to permit electric fields
• If Q1 and Q2 are oppositely charged, then the electrostatic force FE is negative
o This can be interpreted as an attractive force between Q1 and Q2
• If Q1 and Q2 are the same charge, then the electrostatic force FE is positive
o This can be interpreted as a repulsive force between Q1 and Q2

Step 1: Write down the known quantities

o Distance, r = 2.0 mm = 2.0 × 10-3 m

The charge of one proton = +1.60 × 10-19 C
An alpha particle (helium nucleus) has 2 protons
o Charge of alpha particle, Q1 = 2 × 1.60 × 10-19 = +3.2 × 10-19 C
The gold nucleus has 79 protons
o Charge of gold nucleus, Q2 = 79 × 1.60 × 10-19 = +1.264 × 10-17 C

Step 2: The electrostatic force between two point charges is given by Coulomb’s Law

Step 3: Substitute values into Coulomb's Law

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Electric Field due to a Point Charge

• The electric field strength describes how strong or weak an electric field is at that point
• A point charge produces a radial field
o A charge sphere also acts like a point charge
• The electric field strength E at a distance r due to a point charge Q in free space is defined
by:

• Where:
o Q = the point charge producing the radial electric field (C)
o r = distance from the centre of the charge (m)
o ε0 = permittivity of free space (F m-1)
• This equation shows:
o Electric field strength in a radial field is not constant
o As the distance from the charge r increases, E decreases by a factor of 1/r2

• This is an inverse square law relationship with distance

o This means the field strength E decreases by a factor of four when the
distance r is doubled
• Note: this equation is only for the field strength around a point charge since it produces a
radial field

Positive and negative point charges and the direction of the electric field lines

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 • The electric field strength is a vector Its direction is the same as the electric field lines
o If the charge is negative, the E field strength is negative and points towards the
centre of the charge
o If the charge is positive, the E field strength is positive and points away from the
centre of the charge
• This equation is analogous to the gravitational field strength around a point mass
o The only difference is, gravitational field lines are always towards the mass, whilst
electric field lines can be towards or away from the point charge

Step 1: Write out the equation for electric field strength

Step 2: Substitute quantities for charge, distance and permittivity of free space

o The charge on an electron Q = –1.6 × 10–19 C

o The distance r = 2 m
o Permittivity of free space ε0 = 8.85 × 10–12
o Therefore:
−1.6 × 10−19 –10 –1
E= −12 2 = –3.6 × 10 N C
4𝜋 ×(8.85 × 10 )×2
Step 3: State the direction of the field

o The negative sign indicates the electric field is directed towards the electron

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Electric Field & Potential

• A positive test charge has electric potential energy due to its position in an electric field
• The amount of electric potential energy depends on:
o The magnitude of charge
o The value of the electric potential in the field

Work is done on a positive test charge Q to move it from the negatively charged plate A to the
positively charged plate B. This means its electric potential energy increases

• Electric potential is defined as the amount of work done per unit of charge at that point
• A stronger electric field means the electric potential changes more rapidly with distance as
the test charge moves through it
• Hence, the relationship between the electric field strength and the electric potential is
summarized as:
The electric field strength is proportional to the gradient of the electric potential
• This means:
o If the electric potential changes very rapidly with distance, the electric field strength
is large
o If the electric potential changes very gradually with distance, the electric field
strength is small

• An electric field can be defined in terms of the variation of electric potential at different
points in the field:
The electric field at a particular point is equal to the gradient of a potential-distance graph at
that point

• The potential gradient in an electric field is defined as:

The rate of change of electric potential with respect to displacement in the direction of the
field

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 • The graph of potential V against distance r for a negative or positive charge is:

The electric potential around a positive charge decreases with distance and increases with
distance around a negative charge

• The key features of this graph are:

o The values for V are all negative for a negative charge
o The values for V are all positive for a positive charge
o As r increases, V against r follows a 1/r relation for a positive charge and -1/r relation
for a negative charge
o The gradient of the graph at any particular point is the value of E at that point
o The graph has a shallow increase (or decrease) as r increases

• The electric potential changes according to the charge creating the potential as the
distance r increases from the centre:
o If the charge is positive, the potential decreases with distance
o If the charge is negative, the potential increases with distance

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Step 1: Recall the relationship between electric field strength and electric potential

o The electric field strength is proportional to the gradient of the electric potential
Step 2: Interpret the gradient of the potential-distance graph

o Set X has a larger gradient than set Y

Step 3: State and explain the conclusion

o Set X creates a larger electric field strength

o This is because the gradient of the potential between the plates is larger than it is for
set Y

Electric Field between Two Parallel Plates

• The magnitude of the electric field strength in a uniform field between two charged parallel
plates is defined as:

• Where:
o E = electric field strength (V m-1)
o V = potential difference between the plates (V)
o d = separation between the plates (m)

• The electric field strength is now defined by the units V m–1

o Therefore, the units V m–1 is equivalent to the units N C–1
• The equation shows:
o The greater the voltage (potential difference) between the plates, the stronger the
field
o The greater the separation between the plates, the weaker the field

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 • Remember this equation cannot be used to find the electric field strength around a point
charge (since this would be a radial field)
• The direction of the electric field is from the plate connected to the positive terminal of the
cell to the plate connected to the negative terminal

The E field strength between two charged parallel plates is the ratio of the potential
difference and separation of the plates

• Note: if one of the parallel plates is earthed, it has a voltage of 0 V

Step 1: Write down the known values

o Potential difference, V = 7.9 kV = 7.9 × 103 V
o Distance between plates, d = 3.5 cm = 3.5 × 10-2 m
o Charge, Q = 2.6 × 10-15 C

Step 2: Calculate the electric field strength between the parallel plates

Step 3: Write out the equation for electric force on a charged particle
F = QE

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Step 4: Substitute electric field strength and charge into electric force equation
F = QE = (2.6 × 10-15) × (2.257 × 105) = 5.87 × 10-10 N = 5.9 × 10-10 N (2 s.f.)

Electric Potential for a Radial Field

Electric Potential Energy

• In order to move a positive charge closer to another positive charge, work must be done to
overcome the force of repulsion between them
o Similarly, to move a positive charge away from a negative charge, work must be done to
overcome the force of attraction between them
• Energy is therefore transferred to the charge that is being pushed upon
o This means its potential energy increases
• If the positive charge is free to move, it will start to move away from the repelling charge
o As a result, its potential energy decreases back to 0
• This is analogous to the gravitational potential energy of a mass increasing as it is being lifted
upwards and decreasing as it falls

• The electric potential at a point is defined as:

The work done per unit charge in bringing a positive test charge from infinity to that point

• Electric potential is a scalar quantity

o This means it doesn’t have a direction
• However, you will still see the electric potential with a positive or negative sign. This is
because the electric potential is:
o Positive around an isolated positive charge
o Negative around an isolated negative charge
o Zero at infinity
• Positive work is done to move a positive test charge from infinity to a point around a positive
charge and negative work is done to move it to a point around a negative charge. This means:
o When a positive test charge moves closer to a negative charge, its electric
potential decreases
o When a positive test charge moves closer to a positive charge, its electric
potential increases

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 The electric potential V decreases in the direction the test charge would naturally move in due
to repulsion or attraction

Electric Potential due to a Point Charge

• The electric potential in the radial field due to a point charge is defined as:

• Where:
o V = the electric potential (V)
o Q = the point charge producing the potential (C)
o ε0 = permittivity of free space (F m-1)
o r = distance from the centre of the point charge (m)

• This equation shows that for a positive test charge:

o As the distance r from the charge Q decreases, the potential V increases (becomes
more positive)
o This is because more work has to be done on the positive test charge to overcome the
repulsive force of Q

• For a negative test charge:

o As the distance from the charge r decreases, the potential V decreases (becomes
more negative)
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 o This is because less work has to be done on the negative test charge since the
attractive force becomes stronger the nearer it gets to Q

• Unlike the gravitational potential equation, the electric potential can be positive or negative,
because Q can be positive or negative
• The electric potential varies according to 1 / r
o Note, this is different to electric field strength, which varies according to 1 / r2

Step 1: Write the equation for electric potential

o The electric potential is given by the equation:

Step 2: Write the transformed equation for a distance three times as large

o The charge Q remains constant (due to the proton)

o The potential V becomes V'
o The distance r becomes 3r
o Hence the transformed equation becomes:

Step 3: Write a conclusion

o Therefore, when the distance from a charge Q gets three times larger, the value of
the electric potential decreases by a factor 1/3, because the potential is inversely
proportional to distance r

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Representing Radial & Uniform Electric Field
Using Field Lines & Equipotential Diagrams
• The direction of electric fields is represented by electric field lines
• Electric field lines are directed from positive to negative
o Therefore, the field lines must be pointed away from the positive charge
and towards the negative charge
o Hence, field lines show the direction of force on a positive test charge

Representing Radial Fields

• A radial field spreads out from a spherical charge in all directions
o e.g. the field around a point charge
• Around a point charge, the electric field lines are directly radially inwards or outwards:
o If the charge is positive (+), the field lines are radially outwards
o If the charge is negative (-), the field lines are radially inwards

Radial electric field lines point away from a positive charge and point towards a negative charge

• This shares many similarities to radial gravitational field lines around a point mass
o Since gravity is only attractive, the field lines will look similar to the negative point
charge, directed inward
o However, electric field lines can be in either direction
• The electric field strength in a radial field follows an inverse square law
o This means the field strength varies with distance r by 1 / r2

Representing Uniform Electric Fields

• A uniform electric field has the same electric field strength throughout the field
o For example, the field between oppositely charged parallel plates
• This is represented by equally spaced field lines
o This shares many similarities to uniform gravitational field lines on the surface of a
planet
• A non-uniform electric field has varying electric field strength throughout
• The strength of an electric field is determined by the spacing of the field lines:
o A stronger field is represented by the field lines closer together

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 o A weaker field is represented by the field lines further apart

The electric field between two parallel plates is directed from the positive to the negative
plate. A uniform E field has equally spaced field lines

• The electric field lines are directed from the positive to the negative plate
• The electric field strength in a uniform field is given by the equation E = V / d
o Hence, E proportional to the potential difference V between the plates
o E is inversely proportional to the distance d between the plates

Equipotential Diagrams
• Equipotential lines (2D) and surfaces (3D) join together points that have the same electric
potential
• These are always:
o Perpendicular to the electric field lines in both radial and uniform fields
o Represented by dotted lines (unlike field lines, which are solid lines with arrows)
• The potential gradient is defined by the equipotential lines

Equipotential lines in a radial field are circles, showing lines of equal potential around a charge.
They intersect radial field lines at 90°
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Equipotential lines in a uniform field are straight lines. They too intersect uniform field lines at
90°

• Electric field lines around point charges are radially outwards for positive charges and radially
inwards for negative charges
• The field lines must be drawn with arrows from the positive charge to the negative charge
• In a radial field (eg. a point charge), the equipotential lines:
o Are concentric circles around the charge
o Become further apart further away from the charge
• In a uniform field (eg. between charged parallel plates), the equipotential lines are:
o Horizontal straight lines
o Parallel
o Equally spaced
• No work is done when moving along an equipotential line or surface
• Work is only done when moving between equipotential lines or surfaces
o This means that an object travelling along an equipotential doesn't lose or gain energy
and ΔV = 0

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