Electric Field Calculations

Part 2 of 2
What we did so far
Electric field calculations for these charge
distributions:

= 2
1. Point charge/s
2. Ring
=
3. Disk

4. Infinite Plane Sheet

=

Discrete charge distribution
1. Make a sketch for the problem, clearly
showing the chosen coordinate axes, charge
locations, and field point location. Identify
and indicate all needed information.
2. Find electric field. Write electric field vector
in component form if needed.
Continuous charge distribution
1. Make a sketch for the problem, clearly
showing the chosen coordinate axes, charge
locations, and field point location. Identify
and indicate all needed information.
2. Define a small charge element, find its
electric field. Write electric field vector in
component form.
3. Integrate to get total field of all charge
elements.

= 2 =

Example 5: Line charge
Positive charge Q is distributed uniformly
along the y-axis between y= and y=
+ . What is the electric field at point P
on the x-axis a distance x from the
origin?
Answer the following:

(a) What is the linear charge density , in terms of

Q and a?
(b) Define a small charge element by considering a
small segment of length d. What is the charge
d of this segment, in terms of Q and a?
(c) What is the electric field at point P due to this
segment? Write the field vector in component
form.
(d) What is the integral expression that gives the
total electric field due to the whole line charge?
Example 5: Line charge
Positive charge Q is distributed uniformly along the
y-axis between y= and y= +. What is the
electric field at point P on the x-axis a distance x
from the origin?

Magnitude:

Direction: along positive x-axis if > 0, along

negative x-axis is < 0.
Electric Field (line charge)

Very long segment or field point very close to it such

that a>>x, the square root term becomes negligible.
Electric Field
(Infinite line charge)
At any point P at a perpendicular distance
x=R

Eline
2 0 R
Results for line charge with = , =

. , infinite line charge of same , and

point charge =
Index Card Exercises
Infinite! Infinite line charges 1 and 2 are separated by a
distance d with uniform linear charge densities as shown.
1
What is the net electric field at point P, a distance from
4
wire 1?

A.
1
Eline
2 2 0 R
Statement of Acceptance
and
Attendance Quiz
Copy this and sign:
Statement of Acceptance

I hereby acknowledge that I have read,

understood, and accepted the contents of the
Physics 72 2nd semester 2016-17 syllabus and the
class policies discussed last January 17, 2017.

Signed:
Signature over printed name
January 24, 2017
A.
Objective
Evaluate the electric field at a point in space due to a
system of arbitrary charge distributions
1. Make a sketch for the
problem, clearly showing the
= 2 chosen coordinate axes,
charge locations, and field
point location. Identify and
indicate all needed
information.
=
2. Define a small charge
element, find its electric field.
Write electric field vector in
= component form.

3. Integrate to get total field of
all charge elements.
Attendance Quiz, Wed Jan 25
21-6 Electric Field Lines
21-7 Electric Dipoles