1. Physics 2102 Lecture: 04 WED 21 JAN
Jonathan Dowling
Physics Lecture: 04 WED 21 JAN
Electric Fields II
Michael Faraday
( )
21 November 2018
Version: 11/21/2018

2. Electric Charges and Fields
First: Given Electric Charges, We Calculate the Electric Field Using E=kqr/r3. Example: the Electric Field Produced By a Single Charge, or by a Dipole:
Charge Produces E-Field
E-Field Then Produces Force on Another Charge
Second: Given an Electric Field, We Calculate the Forces on Other Charges 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.

3. Continuous Charge Distribution
Thus Far, We Have Only Dealt With Discrete, Point Charges.
Imagine Instead That a Charge q Is Smeared Out Over A:
LINE
AREA
VOLUME
How to Compute the Electric Field E? Calculus!!! q q q q

4. Charge Density Useful idea: charge density
 = q/L
Useful idea: charge density
Line of charge: charge per unit length = 
Sheet of charge: charge per unit area = 
Volume of charge: charge per unit volume = 
 = q/A
 = q/V

5. Computing Electric Field of Continuous Charge Distributiondq
Approach: Divide the Continuous Charge Distribution Into Infinitesimally Small Differential Elements
Treat Each Element As a POINT Charge & Compute Its Electric Field
Sum (Integrate) Over All Elements
Always Look for Symmetry to Simplify Calculation!
dq =  dL
dq =  dS
dq =  dV

6. Differential Form of Coulomb’s Law
E-Field at Point q2 P1 P2
Differential dE-Field at Point
dq2 P1

7. 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 dx dx P y x a
Choose symmetrically located elements of length dq = dx
x components of E cancel q o L

8. 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 — let’s now compute this! P y x a q o L

9. Line Of Charge: Field on bisector
Distance hypotenuse: dE
Charge per unit length: P a d dx q o x
Adjacent
Over
Hypotenuse L

10. Line Of Charge: Field on bisector
Integrate: Trig Substitution!
Point Charge Limit: L << a
Line Charge Limit: L >> a
Units Check!
Coulomb’s
Law!

11. Binomial Approximation from Taylor Series:

12. Example — Arc of Charge: Quantitativey
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. –Q E
450 x y
dQ = lRdq dq q x
l = 2Q/(pR)

13. 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?
(a) Field is 0
(b) Along +z
(c) Somewhere in the x-y plane P y x z

14. Example : Arc of Charge Choose symmetric elements x components cancel
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?
(a) Field is 0.
(b) Along +y
(c) Along -y

15. 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.