Basic Electricity - Electric Field and Intensity of Electric field
1 Answer
Of course, I'd be happy to explain the concepts of electric field and electric field intensity.
Electric Field:
An electric field (E) is a vector field that describes the influence that a charged object has on the region surrounding it. It's the force experienced by a positive test charge placed in that field divided by the magnitude of the test charge. Mathematically, electric field (E) at a point in space is given by:
=
E=
q
F
Where:
E is the electric field at a point.
F is the force experienced by a positive test charge (
q) placed at that point.
q is the magnitude of the test charge.
The direction of the electric field at a point is the direction in which a positive test charge would move if placed at that point.
Electric Field Intensity:
Electric field intensity, sometimes simply referred to as electric intensity, is a measure of the force per unit charge experienced by a charged particle in an electric field. Electric field intensity is denoted by
E or
intensity
E
intensity
.
The electric field intensity
E at a point due to a stationary point charge
Q at a distance
r from the charge is given by Coulomb's Law:
=
⋅
2
E=
r
2
k⋅Q
Where:
k is Coulomb's constant (
8.988
×
1
0
9
N m
2
/
C
2
8.988×10
9
N m
2
/C
2
in SI units).
Q is the magnitude of the point charge creating the electric field.
r is the distance from the point charge to the point where you want to calculate the electric field intensity.
For a collection of point charges, you can calculate the net electric field at a point by vectorially summing the individual electric field vectors due to each charge.
Units:
The SI unit of electric field and electric field intensity is the volt per meter (V/m), which can also be written as newton per coulomb (N/C).
Remember that electric field is a vector quantity, so it has both magnitude and direction. Electric field intensity is often used interchangeably with electric field, but it specifically refers to the magnitude of the electric field at a point.
These concepts are fundamental in understanding the behavior of charges and how they interact in various electric fields.
Electric Field:
An electric field (E) is a vector field that describes the influence that a charged object has on the region surrounding it. It's the force experienced by a positive test charge placed in that field divided by the magnitude of the test charge. Mathematically, electric field (E) at a point in space is given by:
=
E=
q
F
Where:
E is the electric field at a point.
F is the force experienced by a positive test charge (
q) placed at that point.
q is the magnitude of the test charge.
The direction of the electric field at a point is the direction in which a positive test charge would move if placed at that point.
Electric Field Intensity:
Electric field intensity, sometimes simply referred to as electric intensity, is a measure of the force per unit charge experienced by a charged particle in an electric field. Electric field intensity is denoted by
E or
intensity
E
intensity
.
The electric field intensity
E at a point due to a stationary point charge
Q at a distance
r from the charge is given by Coulomb's Law:
=
⋅
2
E=
r
2
k⋅Q
Where:
k is Coulomb's constant (
8.988
×
1
0
9
N m
2
/
C
2
8.988×10
9
N m
2
/C
2
in SI units).
Q is the magnitude of the point charge creating the electric field.
r is the distance from the point charge to the point where you want to calculate the electric field intensity.
For a collection of point charges, you can calculate the net electric field at a point by vectorially summing the individual electric field vectors due to each charge.
Units:
The SI unit of electric field and electric field intensity is the volt per meter (V/m), which can also be written as newton per coulomb (N/C).
Remember that electric field is a vector quantity, so it has both magnitude and direction. Electric field intensity is often used interchangeably with electric field, but it specifically refers to the magnitude of the electric field at a point.
These concepts are fundamental in understanding the behavior of charges and how they interact in various electric fields.