What are we going to learn?
A road map
Electric charge
Electric force on other electric charges
Electric field, and electric potential
Moving electric charges : current
Electronic circuit components: batteries, resistors, capacitors
Electric currents Magnetic field
Magnetic force on moving charges
Time-varying magnetic field Electric Field
More circuit components: inductors.
Electromagnetic waves light waves
Geometrical Optics (light rays).
Physical optics (light waves)
Coulombs law
q1
F12
F21
r12
k | q1 | | q2 |
| F12 |
2
r12
q2
For charges in a
VACUUM
2
N
m
9
8
.
99
10
k=
C2
Often, we write k as:
k 1
4 0
with 0 8.85 10
12
C
2
Nm
Electric Fields
Electric field E at some point in
space is defined as the force
experienced by an imaginary
point charge of +1 C, divided by
1 C.
Note that E is a VECTOR.
Since E is the force per unit
charge, it is measured in units of
N/C.
We measure the electric field
using very small test charges,
and dividing the measured force
by the magnitude of the charge.
Electric field of a point charge
+1 C
q
E
R
k |q|
| E | 2
R
Superposition
Question: How do we figure out the field
due to several point charges?
Answer: consider one charge at a time,
calculate the field (a vector!) produced by
each charge, and then add all the vectors!
(superposition)
Useful to look out for SYMMETRY to
simplify calculations!
Example
Total electric field
-2q
+q
4 charges are placed at the
corners of a square as shown.
What is the direction of the
electric field at the center of
the square?
-q
+2q
(a) Field is ZERO!
(b) Along +y
(c) Along +x
x
Electric Field Lines
Field lines: useful way to
visualize electric field E
Field lines start at a
positive charge, end at
negative charge
E at any point in space is
tangential to field line
Field lines are closer
where E is stronger
Example: a negative point
charge note spherical
symmetry
Electric Field of a Dipole
Electric dipole: two point
charges +q and q separated
by a distance d
Common arrangement in
Nature: molecules, antennae,
Note axial or cylindrical
symmetry
Define dipole moment
vector p: from q to +q, with
magnitude qd
Electric Field along Axis of Dipole
-q
a
+q
Superposition : E E E
E
kq
a
x
2
1
1
E kq
2
2
a
a
x x
2
2
kq
kq
a
x
2
2 xa
2 2
2 a
x
Electric Field along Axis of Dipole
E kq
2 xa
2 2
2 a
x
p = qa
dipole moment
-- VECTOR
2kpx
2 2
2 a
x
What if x>> a? (i.e. very far away)
2kpx 2kp
E 4 3
x
x
p
r
E~p/r3 is actually true for ANY point far from a dipole
(not just on axis)
Electric Dipole in a Uniform Field
Net force on dipole = 0;
center of mass stays where
it is.
Net TORQUE t: INTO
page. Dipole rotates to line
up in direction of E.
| t | = 2(QE)(d/2)(sin q)
= (Qd)(E)sinq
|p| E sinq
= |p x E|
The dipole tends to align
itself with the field lines.
What happens if the field is
NOT UNIFORM??
Distance between charges = d
Electric charges and fields
We work with two different kinds of problems, easily confused:
Given certain electric charges, we calculate the electric field
produced by those charges
(using E=kqr/r3 for each charge)
Example: the electric field produced
by a single charge, or by a dipole:
Given an electric field, we calculate the forces applied by this
electric field on charges that come into the field, using F=qE
Examples: forces on a single charge
when immersed in the field of a dipole,
torque on a dipole when immersed in
an uniform electric field.
Continuous Charge Distribution
Thus far, we have only dealt
with discrete, point charges.
Imagine instead that a charge
Q is smeared out over a:
Q
Q
LINE
AREA
VOLUME
How to compute the electric
field E??
Charge Density
l Q/L
Useful idea: charge density
Line of charge:
charge per unit length = l
Sheet of charge:
charge per unit area = s
Volume of charge:
charge per unit volume = r
s Q/A
r Q/V
Computing electric field
of continuous charge distribution
Approach: divide the continuous
charge distribution into
infinitesimally small elements
Treat each element as a POINT
charge & compute its electric
field
Sum (integrate) over all elements
Always look for symmetry to
simplify life!
Example: Field on Bisector of Charged Rod
Uniform line of charge +Q
spread over length L
What is the direction of the
electric field at a point P on
the perpendicular bisector?
(a) Field is 0.
(b) Along +y
(c) Along +x
Choose symmetrically
located elements of length dx
x components of E cancel
a
x
dx
q
o
L
dx
Example --Line of Charge: Quantitative
Uniform line of charge,
length L, total charge Q
Compute explicitly the
magnitude of E at point P
on perpendicular bisector
Showed earlier that the net
field at P is in the y
direction -- lets now
compute this!
P
y
a
o
L
Line Of Charge: Field on bisector
Distance
dE
d a2 x2
Charge per unit length
k ( dq )
dE
2
d
dq
dx
x o
L
q
l
L
k (l dx)a
dE y dE cosq 2
(a x 2 )3 / 2
a
cosq 2
2 1/ 2
(a x )
Line Of Charge: Field on bisector
L/2
L/2
dx
x
E y kl a
2
2 3 / 2 kl a 2
2
2
(a x )
a x a L / 2
L / 2
2klL
a 4a L
2
What is E very far away from the line (L<<a)?
What is E if the line is infinitely long (L >> a)?
2klL
2kl
Ey
2
a
a L
Example -- Arc of Charge: Quantitative
Figure shows a uniformly
charged rod of charge Q bent
into a circular arc of radius R,
centered at (0,0).
Compute the direction &
magnitude of E at the origin.
kdQ
dE x dE cosq 2 cosq
R
/2
/2
k (lRdq ) cosq kl
Ex
kl
Ex
R
450
x
cosqdq
0
kl
kl
Ey
E 2
R
R
dQ = lRdq
dq
q
x
l 2Q/(R)
Example : Field on Axis of Charged Disk
A uniformly charged circular
disk (with positive charge)
What is the direction of E at
point P on the axis?
z
(a) Field is 0
(b) Along +z
(c) Somewhere in the x-y plane
Example : Arc of Charge
y
Figure shows a uniformly
charged rod of charge -Q
bent into a circular arc of
radius R, centered at (0,0).
What is the direction of the
electric field at the origin?
x
(a) Field is 0.
Choose symmetric elements
(b) Along +y
x components cancel
(c) Along -y
Summary
The electric field produced by a system of charges at
any point in space is the force per unit charge they
produce at that point.
We can draw field lines to visualize the electric field
produced by electric charges.
Electric field of a point charge: E=kq/r2
Electric field of a dipole:
E~kp/r3
An electric dipole in an electric field rotates to align
itself with the field.
Use CALCULUS to find E-field from a continuous
charge distribution.
