Electric Field

& ELECTRIC FORCE

Presentation by : Ma’am Rizzalyn Cambas
Electricity is a
phenomenon
that pertains to
the flow of
charge.
This motion of the
charges can power
up a lot of things,
including our
television, light bulbs,
even our cell phones.
Electrons are charged,
and can produce
electric fields around
them. The electric field
of one electron will be
felt by another charge
placed around it.
In this lesson, we will be discussing the electric field caused
by systems of charges such as electrons or charged
particles along a wire.
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the discussion on Electric Field and Electric

Force, the students will be able to:
• Predict the trajectory of a point charge in a uniform
electric field;
• Calculate the electric field due to a system of point
charges using Coulomb’s Law and the superposition
principle; and
• Solve problems involving systems of points charges.
How do charged
particles react to a
uniform electric field?
“Look at those
Charges”
Activity for this lesson
MATERIAL
Charges and Fields
laptop Michael Dubson & Amy Rouinfar, “Charges and
Field,” PhET Simulations,
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/charges-
and-fields/latest/charges-and-fields_en.html , last
accessed on February 20 2020.
 PROCEDURE

1. Open the following link. It is better if you are

going to use laptop or computer in manipulating
the simulation.
 PROCEDURE
2. Manipulate the simulation by doing the following:

• a) Place a single positive charge on the platform.

• b) Place a single negative charge on the platform.
• c) Place two positive charges on the platform.
• d) Place two negative charges on the platform.
• e) Place a series of charges on the platform.
 PROCEDURE
3. As you do the above situations, observe what happens to
the electric field lines.

4. Answer the guide questions.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
• At which charge does the electric field lines emanate
from? Where do these electric field lines terminate
to?
• What does the “shade of white” in the arrows
represent?
• Is it possible for an electric field at a point to be equal
to zero? Why?
GUIDE QUESTIONS:
1. At which charge does the electric field lines
emanate from? Where do these electric field lines
terminate to?
Electric field lines emanate outward from positive charges (sources).Electric field lines

terminate inward at negative charges (sinks).In cases where there are no opposite

charges present, the field lines either extend to or originate from infinity. These lines

represent the direction and strength of the electric field, providing a useful tool for

visualizing electric interactions.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
• What does the “shade of white” in the arrows
represent?

It represents the strength of the electric field.

GUIDE QUESTIONS:
• At which charge does the electric field lines emanate
Is it possible for an electric field at a point to be equal
to zero? Why?

Yes, if the summation of all the electric fields is equal to

zero.
 RECALL:
We know that the electric field caused by a charge (q) at
a distance (r) at a specific test charge (q0) is given by the
equation below.
▪ This equation only gives us the electric field of a single
source of charge.
▪ In reality, we deal with charges which are distributed in
an area or space.
An electric field is indicated by electric field
lines, which travel from positive to negative
ends.
Consider the electric field between two
parallel plates. What can you say about
them?
Now, consider an electron moving at an
initial velocity v0 that enters the electric
field. Where do you think will it go?
The electron followed the blue dotted line
as it entered the region of the uniform
electric field. Why?
EXPLANATION:

We know that an electric field is indicated

by electric field lines. We also learned from
the previous discussion that electric field
lines emanate from positive charges and
terminate to negative charges.
EXPLANATION:

We also note that the spaces between the

electric field lines describe the strength of
the electric field—the higher the electric
field line density at a given space, the
stronger the electric field.
EXPLANATION:

Now, let us look

at an electron
moving at an
initial velocity v0
that enters the
electric field.
EXPLANATION:
We consider that
the gravitational
force that acts on
the electron is
negligible because
of the small mass of
the electron.
EXPLANATION:
The electron followed the
blue dotted line as it entered
the region of the uniform
electric field. It happened
because the only force that
acts on the electron is the
electric force. It has a
trajectory going up since it is
being attracted by the
positive plate.

FIGURE. 1.4.1
 QUESTION:

• What can you say about the motion

of a positively charged particle that
enters a uniform electric field going
downward?
 ANSWER:

• The positive charge will follow a trajectory

directed downwards because it is being
attracted by the negative plate or, in other
words, it is being pushed down by the electric
field.
 F = Eq
Where:
F is the electric force,
E is the electric field, and
q is the charge that is exposed to the electric field.
 Sample problem 1:

What is the magnitude of the force being

experienced by the electron in Fig. 1.4.1 as it
travels between the parallel plates if the
electric field has a value of 14 N/C?
 GIVEN:

The type of particle is given, which is an electron.

-19
The charge of an electron is 1.6 × 10 C.
 REQUIRED

You are asked to solve for the electric force

experienced by the electron.

F=?
 EQUATION

WRITE THE WORKING EQUATION:

F = Eq
 SOLUTION:

WRITE THE WORKING EQUATION:

 ANSWER:

Compute the final answer.

−𝟏𝟖
𝑭 = 𝟐. 𝟐𝟒 × 𝟏𝟎 𝑵
 How can superposition be used in
calculating the total electric field at
a point?
 If we say that the charges are
distributed, we can think of different
charges that produce the electric
field. Let’s say that we have
charges q1, q2 , and q3.
 Then, we will have an electric field
caused by these charges as E1, E2,
and E3 . Therefore, a fixed test
charge (q0) will experience a force
of F1 = q0 E1, F2 = q0 E2 and F3 = q0 E3.
These forces are caused by the charges q1, q2,
and q3 , respectively. From this idea, we can
calculate the total force (F0) at q0 using the
superposition of force as:
To get the total effect of the electric field E , we
will use the definition of the electric field as
 Even if there are additional charges, this
equation will still hold true. Thus, we can write the
total electric field at a point in a distribution of
charges as

where E is the net electric field, and E1 , E2 , and

E3 are the electric fields caused by charges.
To visualize the principle
of superposition of
electric fields, you can
refer to Figure 1.4.2.
Notice that the total
electric field at a point is
due to the combination
of the effects of the
charges.
KEY POINTS

▪ Electric field is a vector quantity. ▪ Symmetry can be helpful in

▪ The net electric field can be simplifying problems in a
solved using the superposition of uniformly distributed charge
electric field. source or system of charges.
▪ Charge distributions are
described by linear charge
density λ, surface charge density
σ, and volume charge density ρ.
KEY POINTS
KEY POINTS
ACTIVITY
SHEET
 CHECK YOUR
UNDERSTANDING
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Write T if the statement is true. If false,

change the underlined word(s) to make the
statement correct.
 1. The electric field between
two parallel oppositely charged
plates is uniform.

T
2. A uniform field is noted by
equally spaced lines.

T
3. If the charge of the particle
increases, the electric field it
creates increases.

T
 4. An electron will follow a
straight line as it enters a region
of uniform electric field.

Curved line
5. The electric field at a point is
the vector sum of the electric
field that passes through that
point.

T
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Identify what is being asked in each item.

Write your answer in the space provided.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. It is the equation that describes the

relationship between the electric field and
electric force.

F = qE
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

2. It is the charge of an electron in

coulomb.

–1.602 ✕ 10– 19 C
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

3. It is the charge of a proton in coulomb.

1.602 ✕ 10– 19 C
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

4. It is the field caused by a charged

particle

electric field
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

5. It is a method that must be used in

order to get the total electric field at
a point caused by individual charges.
superposition of electric field
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

C. Draw what is being asked on each

item in the space provided.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. trajectory of a proton in the electric
field shown below
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
2. trajectory of an electron in the
electric field shown
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
3. direction of the electric field when
a proton moves this way
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
4. direction of the electric field when
an electron moves this way
Thank You