2/7/2023

Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Fifth Edition, Global Edition

Chapter 23
The Electric Field

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Chapter 23 The Electric Field

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will learn how to calculate and use

the electric field.

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Chapter 23 Preview (1 of 5)
Where do electric fields come from?
Electric fields are created by charges.
• Electric fields add. The field due to
several point charges is the sum of
the fields due to each charge.
• Electric fields are vectors. Summing
electric fields is vector addition.
• Two equal but opposite charges
form an electric dipole.
• Electric fields can be represented by
electric field vectors or electric field
lines.

❮❮ LOOKING BACK Section 22.5 The electric field of a point

charge
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Chapter 23 Preview (2 of 5)
What if the charge is continuous?
For macroscopic charged objects, like
rods or disks, we can think of the charge
as having a continuous distribution.
• A charged object is characterized by
its charge density—the charge per
length, area, or volume.
• We’ll divide objects into small point
charge–like pieces ∆Q.
• The summation of their electric fields
will become an integral.
• We’ll calculate the electric fields of
charged rods, loops, disks, and
planes.

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Chapter 23 Preview (3 of 5)
What fields are especially important?
We will develop and use four important electric field models.

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Chapter 23 Preview (4 of 5)
What is a parallel-plate capacitor?
Two parallel conducting plates with
equal but opposite charges form a
parallel-plate capacitor. You’ll learn
that the electric field between the
plates is a uniform electric field, the
same at every point. Capacitors are
also important elements of circuits,
as you’ll see in Chapter 26.

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Chapter 23 Preview (5 of 5)
How do charges respond to
fields?
Electric fields exert forces on
charges.
• Charged particles accelerate.
Acceleration depends on the
charge-to-mass ratio.
• A charged particle in a uniform
field follows a parabolic
trajectory.
• A dipole in an electric field feels a
torque that aligns the dipole with
the field.
❮❮ LOOKING BACK Section 4.2 Projectiles
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Four Key Electric Fields

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Electric Field of a Point Charge

r 1 q$
Enet  r  electric field of a point charge 
4 ò0 r 2

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The Electric Field

• The electric field Table 23.1 Typical electric field
was defined as strengths
r ur
E  F on q / q Field strength
ur Field location (N/C)
where F on q is the Inside a current-
103  101
10 super minus 3 minus 10 minus 3

carrying wire
electric force on test
Near the earth’s 103  104
charge q. surface
10 super 3 minus 10 super 4

• The SI units of electric Near objects

103  106
charged by 10 super 3 minus 10 super 6

field are therefore rubbing

newtons per coulomb Electric breakdown
(N/C). in air, causing a
3  106 3 times 10 super 6

spark
Inside an atom 1011 10 super 11

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The Electric Field of Multiple Point

Charges
• Suppose the source of an electric field is a group of point
charges q1, q2, …
r
• The net electric field Enet is the vector sum of the electric
fields due to each charge.
• In other words, electric fields obey the principle of
superposition.
r r r
r Fon q F1 on q F2 on q r r r
Enet         E1  E2       Ei
q q q i

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QuickCheck 23.1
What is the direction of the
electric field at the dot?

E. None of these.

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QuickCheck 23.1 Answer

What is the direction of the
electric field at the dot?

E. None of these.

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Problem-Solving Strategy: The Electric

Field of Multiple Point Charges

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QuickCheck 23.2
What is the direction of the electric field at the dot?

E. The field is zero.

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QuickCheck 23.2 Answer

What is the direction of the electric field at the dot?

E. The field is zero.

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QuickCheck 23.3
When r >> d, the electric field
strength at the dot is

Q
A. 4 0 r 2
2Q
B. 4 0 r 2
4Q
C. 4 0 r 2
4Q
D. 4 0  r 2  d 2 
4Q
E.
4 0 r

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QuickCheck 23.3 Answer

When r >> d, the electric field
strength at the dot is

Q
A. 4 0 r 2
2Q
B. 4 0 r 2
4Q
C. Looks like a point charge 4Q at the origin.
4 πε 0 r 2
4Q
D.
4 0  r 2  d 2 
E. 4Q
4 0 r

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Electric Field Lines

• Electric field lines are
continuous curves
tangent to the electric
field vectors.
• Closely spaced field
lines indicate a greater
field strength.
• Electric field lines start
on positive charges
and end on negative
charges.
• Electric field lines never
cross.
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Electric Field Lines of a Point Charge

r 1 q
E rˆ (electric field of a point charge)
4 ò0 r 2

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The Electric Field of a Dipole (2 of 2)

• This figure represents the electric field of a dipole using

electric field lines.
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QuickCheck 23.4
Two protons, A and B, are in
an electric field. Which proton
has the larger acceleration
magnitude?

A. Proton A
B. Proton B
C. Both have the same
acceleration magnitude.

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QuickCheck 23.4 Answer

Two protons, A and B, are in
an electric field. Which proton
has the larger acceleration
magnitude?

A. Proton A
B. Proton B
C. Both have the same
acceleration magnitude.

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QuickCheck 23.5
An electron is in the plane that
bisects a dipole. What is the
direction of the electric force
on the electron?

E. The force is zero.

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QuickCheck 23.5 Answer

An electron is in the plane that
bisects a dipole. What is the
direction of the electric force
on the electron?

E. The force is zero.

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Continuous Charge Distributions

(1 of 2)
• The linear charge
density of an object
of length L and
charge Q is defined
as
Q

L
• Linear charge
density, which has
units of C/m, is the
amount of charge
per meter of length.
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QuickCheck 23.6
If 8 nC of charge are placed
on the square loop of wire, the
linear charge density will be

A. 800 nC/m
B. 400 nC/m
C. 200 nC/m
D. 8 nC/m
E. 2 nC/m

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QuickCheck 23.6 Answer

If 8 nC of charge are placed
on the square loop of wire, the
linear charge density will be

A. 800 nC/m
B. 400 nC/m
C. 200 nC/m
D. 8 nC/m
E. 2 nC/m

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Continuous Charge Distributions

(2 of 2)
• The surface charge
density of a two-
dimensional distribution
of charge across a
surface of area is
defined as
Q

A
• Surface charge density,
with units C/m2, is the
amount of charge per
square meter.
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QuickCheck 23.7
A flat circular ring is made
from a very thin sheet of
metal. Charge Q is uniformly
distributed over the ring.
Assuming w << R, the surface
charge density η is

A. Q/2πRw
B. Q/4πRw
C. Q/πR2sq
d
re
a
u
D. Q/2πR2s
d
re
a
u
q
E. Q/πRw
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QuickCheck 23.7 Answer

A flat circular ring is made
from a very thin sheet of
metal. Charge Q is uniformly
distributed over the ring.
Assuming w << R, the surface
charge density η is

A. Q/2πRw
B. Q/4πRw The ring has two sides, each
of area 2πRw.
C. Q/πR2sq
d
re
a
u
D. Q/2πR2sq
d
re
a
u
E. Q/πRw
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Problem-Solving Strategy: The Electric

Field of a Continuous Distribution of
Charge

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The Electric Field of a Line of Charge

• Example 23.3 in the text

uses integration to find
the electric field strength
at a radial distance r in
the plane that bisects a
rod of length L with total
charge Q:

1 |Q|
Erod 
4 ò0 r r 2  ( L / 2) 2

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An Infinite Line of Charge

• The electric field of a thin,

uniformly charged rod may
be written as
1 2| | 1
Erod 
4 ò0 r 1  4r 2 / L2
• If we now let L → ∞, the
last term becomes simply 1
and we’re left with

r  1 2 |  | away from line if charge + 

Eline   , 
 4 ò0 r  toward line if charge  
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A Ring of Charge
• Consider the on-axis
electric field of a positively
charged ring of radius R.
• Define the z-axis to be the
axis of the ring.
• The electric field on the z-
axis points away from the
center of the ring,
increasing in strength until
reaching a maximum when
|z| ≈ R, then decreasing:

E ring z 
1 zQ
4 ò0 ( z  R 2 )3/ 2
2

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A Disk of Charge
• Consider the on-axis
electric field of a positively
charged disk of radius R.
• Define the z-axis to be the
axis of the disk.
• The electric field on the z-
axis points away from the
center of the disk, with
magnitude:

  z 
 Edisk  z  1  2 
2ò0  z  R2 

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Example 23.5 The Electric Field of a

Charged Disk (1 of 3)

A 10-cm-diameter plastic disk is charged uniformly with an

extra 1011 electrons. What is the electric field 1.0 mm above
the surface at a point near the center?

MODEL Model the plastic disk as a uniformly charged disk.

We are seeking the on-axis electric field. Because the
charge is negative, the field will point toward the disk.

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Example 23.5 The Electric Field of a

Charged Disk (2 of 3)
SOLVE The total charge on the plastic square is
Q  N  e    1.60  108 C. The surface charge density is

Q Q 1.60  108 C
    2.04  106 C/m 2
A  R2  (0.050 m) 2

The electric field at z = 0.0010 m, given by Equation 23.25,

is
  1 
Ez  1    1.1  10 N/C
5

2ò0  1 R / z 
2 2

The minus sign indicates that the field points toward, rather
than away from, the disk. As a vector,
r
E  (1.1  105 N/ C, toward the disk)
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Example 23.5 The Electric Field of a

Charged Disk (3 of 3)
REVIEW The total charge, ‒16 nC, is typical of the amount
of charge produced on a small plastic object by rubbing or
friction. Thus 105 N/C is a typical electric field strength near
an object that has been charged by rubbing, as you saw in
Table 23.1.

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A Plane of Charge (1 of 2)
• The electric field of a plane of charge is found from the on-
axis field of a charged disk by letting the radius
R → ∞.
• The electric field of an infinite plane of charge with surface
charge density η is

Eplane   constant
2ò0
• For a positively charged plane, with η> 0, the electric field
points away from the plane on both sides of the plane.
• For a negatively charged plane, with η< 0, the electric
field points toward the plane on both sides of the plane.

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A Plane of Charge (2 of 2)

r  |  | away from plane if charge + 

Eplane   , 
 2ò0  toward plane if charge  

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QuickCheck 23.9
Two protons, A and B, are
next to an infinite plane of
positive charge. Proton B is
twice as far from the plane as
proton A. Which proton has
the larger acceleration
magnitude?

A. Proton A
B. Proton B
C. Both have the same acceleration
magnitude.

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QuickCheck 23.9 Answer

Two protons, A and B, are
next to an infinite plane of
positive charge. Proton B is
twice as far from the plane as
proton A. Which proton has
the larger acceleration
magnitude?

A. Proton A
B. Proton B
C. Both have the same acceleration
magnitude.

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A Sphere of Charge

• A sphere of charge Q and radius R, be it a uniformly

charged sphere or just a spherical shell, has an electric
field outside the sphere that is exactly the same as that of
a point charge Q located at the center of the sphere:
r Q
Esphere  rˆ for r  R
4 ò0 r 2

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The Parallel-Plate Capacitor (1 of 3)

• The figure shows two
electrodes, one with
charge +Q and the other
with –Q placed face-to-
face a distance d apart.
• This arrangement of two
electrodes, charged
equally but oppositely, is
called a parallel-plate
capacitor.
• Capacitors play
important roles in many
electric circuits.
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The Parallel-Plate Capacitor (2 of 3)

• The figure shows two
capacitor plates, seen
from the side.
• Because opposite
charges attract, all of the
charge is on the inner
surfaces of the two
plates.
• Inside the capacitor, the
net field points toward
the negative plate.
• Outside the capacitor,
the net field is zero.
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The Parallel-Plate Capacitor (3 of 3)

• The electric field of a capacitor is

 Q  inside
r  , from positive to negative 
Ecapacitor   ò0 A 
r outside
 0

where A is the surface area of each electrode.

• Outside the capacitor plates, where E+ and E– have equal

magnitudes but opposite directions, the electric field is
zero.

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QuickCheck 23.10
Three points inside a parallel-
plate capacitor are marked.
Which is true?

A. E1 > E2 > E3
B. E1 < E2 < E3
C. E1 = E2 = E3
D. E1 = E3 > E2

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QuickCheck 23.10 Answer

Three points inside a parallel-
plate capacitor are marked.
Which is true?

A. E1 > E2 > E3
B. E1 < E2 < E3
C. E1 = E2 = E3
D. E1 = E3 > E2

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The Ideal Capacitor

• The figure shows the

electric field of an ideal
parallel-plate capacitor
constructed from two
infinite charged planes.

• The ideal capacitor is a

good approximation as
long as the electrode
separation d is much
smaller than the
electrodes’ size.

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Example 23.6 The Electric Field

Inside a Capacitor (1 of 3)
Two 1.0 cm × 2.0 cm rectangular electrodes are 1.0 mm
apart. What charge must be placed on each electrode to
create a uniform electric field of strength 2.0 × 106 N/C? How
many electrons must be moved from one electrode to the
other to accomplish this?

MODEL The electrodes can be modeled as an ideal parallel-

plate capacitor because the spacing between them is much
smaller than their lateral dimensions.

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Example 23.6 The Electric Field

Inside a Capacitor (2 of 3)
SOLVE The electric field strength between the plates of a
capacitor is E = Q/ϵ0A. Thus the charge to produce a field of
strength E is
Q  (8.85  1012 C 2 / Nm 2 ) (2.0  10 4 m 2 ) (2.0  106 N/C)
 3.5  109 C = 3.5 nC

The positive plate must be charged to +3.5 nC and the

negative plate to −3.5 nC. In practice, the plates are charged
by using a battery to move electrons from one plate to the
other. The number of electrons in 3.5 nC is
Q 3.5  109 C
N   2.2  1010 electrons
e 1.60  1019 C/electron

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Example 23.6 The Electric Field

Inside a Capacitor (3 of 3)
Thus 2.2 × 1010 electrons are moved from one electrode to
the other. Note that the capacitor as a whole has no net
charge.

REVIEW The plate spacing does not enter the result. As

long as the spacing is much smaller than the plate
dimensions, as is true in this example, the field is
independent of the spacing.

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Uniform Electric Fields

• The figure shows an
electric field that is the
same—in strength and
direction—at every
point in a region of
space.

• This is called a
uniform electric field.

• The easiest way to

produce a uniform
electric field is with a
parallel-plate capacitor.

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Motion of a Charged Particle in an

Electric Field (1 of 3)
• Consider a particle of charge q and mass m at a point
r
where an electric field E has been produced by other
charges, the source charges.
r r
• The electric field exerts a force Fon q  qE.

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Motion of a Charged Particle in an

Electric Field (2 of 3)
r r
• The electric field exerts a force Fon q  qE on a charged
particle.
• If this is the only force acting on q, it causes the charged
particle to accelerate with
r
r Fon q q r
a  E
m m
• In a uniform field, the acceleration is constant:
qE
a  constant
m

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Motion of a Charged Particle in an

Electric Field (3 of 3)
• ―DNA fingerprints‖ are
measured with the technique
of gel electrophoresis.
• A solution of negatively
charged DNA fragments
migrate through the gel when
placed in a uniform electric
field.
• Because the gel exerts a drag
force, the fragments move at a
terminal speed inversely
proportional to their size.
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Chapter 23 Summary Slides

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General Principles (1 of 3)
ur
Sources of E
Electric fields are created by charges.
Multiple point charges
MODEL Model objects as point charges.
VISUALIZE Establish a coordinate system and draw field vectors.
r r r r
SOLVE Use superposition: E  E1  E2  E3  . . .

Continuous distribution of charge

MODEL Model objects as simple shapes.
VISUALIZE
• Establish a coordinate system.
• Divide the charge into small segments ∆Q.
• Draw a field vector for one or two pieces of charge.
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General Principles (2 of 3)

SOLVE
• Find the field of each ∆Q.
r
• Write E as the sum of the fields of all ∆Q. Don’t forget
that it’s a vector sum; use components.
• Use the charge density (λ or η) to replace ∆Q with an
integration coordinate, then integrate.

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General Principles (3 of 3)
ur
Consequences of E
The electric field exerts a force on a
charged particle:
r r
F = qE
The force causes acceleration:
r r
a = ( q / m) E
Trajectories of charged particles are
calculated with kinematics.

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Applications (1 of 4)
Four Key Electric Field Models
Point charge with charge q
Infinite plane of charge with
surface charge density η

r r  |  |  away if + 
1 q Eplane   , 
E rˆ  2ò0  toward if  
4 ò0 r 2

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Applications (2 of 4)
Infinite line of charge with Sphere of charge with total
linear charge density λ charge Q Same as a point
charge Q for r > R

r  1 2 |  |  away if + 
Eline   , 
 4 ò0 r  toward if  

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Applications (4 of 4)

Parallel-plate capacitor
The electric field inside an ideal capacitor is a uniform
electric field:

r  Q 
E  , from positive to negative 
 ò0 A 

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