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Electric Potential

Physics: IB Diploma Higher Level, topic 4.3.6

Electric field strength

Electric field strength is a way of displaying how the force from an object will act at a point far away, without any apparent connection.

Electric field strength

Electric field strength

  • The electric field strength is the force per unit charge felt by an object.
  • E→=F→q\overrightarrow{E}=\frac{\overrightarrow{F}}{q}
  • Using Coulomb's law we can find E→\overrightarrow{E}
  • ∣F→∣=14πϵ0Qqr2|\overrightarrow{F}|=\frac{1}{4{\pi}{{\epsilon}_0}}\frac{{Q}{q}}{r^2}
  • ∣E→∣=14πϵ0Qr2|\overrightarrow{E}|=\frac{1}{4{\pi}{{\epsilon}_0}}\frac{Q}{r^2}
Field concepts

Field concepts

  • The field is the force experienced if we placed a positive point charge at a point.
  • The field will act in the same direction as the force, so if we are looking at the field from a positive charge the force and field will point away.
  • If we are looking at the field from a negative charge the field and the force will point towards the charge.
Multiple charges

Multiple charges

  • In many situations, there are multiple charges present.
  • The total electric field created by multiple charges is the vector sum of the individual fields created by each charge.

Test yourself on Electric Potential

  • What is the correct equation for electric field strength?

  • What is the electric field strength?

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