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When two charges are brought near one another they exert rather large forces on each other. This happens even in a vacum. When first discovered this behavoir was a real mystery. How could one charge push another charge without ever touching? Since touching was a fundamental way of transmitting force early scientists decided there must be something else to a charge then just a little ball. This "something else", although inviible to the human eye, had to be attached to the charge and extend far out. So now scientists were happy because they could explain forces between charges as the result of this "something else" touching the other charge. This "somethin else" was called the electric field ot the charge. So in a sense it was just an invention to make everything logical. Today, electric fields are considered a fundamental part of our physical world. Interestingly, with the invention of powerfull microscopes we now know that on a microscopic level all typical forces , except gravity, are due to charges in matter pushing on each other via their electric fields. So that original requirement of touching has lost some importance. Although on a macroscopic (non-microscopic) level the concept of touching is still very important in engineering. You still can't push a box without touching it, even if on the microscopic level you really aren't touching it. Engineering problems would become incredibly hard to solve if all the forces had to be described in terms of the electric fields of all the atoms in the problem.
What else can I help you with?
Does it take two or more charges to create an electric field?
No, it only takes a single charge to create an electric field. The strength of the electric field depends on the magnitude of the charge and the distance from the charge. Multiple charges can interact to create more complex electric fields.
Gets stronger as you get closer to an electric charge?
The electric force between you and a charge increases as you get closer due to the changing electric field intensity. The force follows an inverse square law, meaning it grows rapidly the closer you get. This is why you might feel a stronger force when near an electric charge.
How can the electrical potential energy of a charged particle in an electric field be increased?
THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION IF WE PLACE THE CHARGE IN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT A DISTANCE R FROM THE ELECTRIC FIELD AND PLACED THE ANOTHER POINT CHARGE AT A ANOTHER DISTANCE r WHERE R IS GRATER THAN THE SMALL R THEN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT r IS MORE THAN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT POINT R.ORWE CAN SAY THAT IF THE CHARGE IS PLACED IN THE DIRECTION OF ELECTRIC FIELD THAN ITS ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL ENERGY WILL DECREASE OR WHEN IN DIRECTION OPPOSITE THAN VICEVERSA
Why does test charge moves with zero acceleration to any point in the electric field?
They don't. If there is an electric field, any electric charge will be subject to a force, and therefore to an acceleration. Only in the special case that the charges are on the surface of a good conductor, they won't move because the charges quickly move to a state of equilibrium. In other words, once such a balance is reached, they won't move around any more.
Electric field lines show the strength and what of an electric field?
Direction and electric flux density. Representing an electric field (and this works with other fields also) with lines is a sophisticated and time honored tradition. The density of lines in any region of space is proportional to the strength (magnitude) of the field in that region of space. The direction of the field is along the direction of the line at each position on each of the lines. In such a graphical representation the field direction goes out from positive charge and in towards negative charge and the visualization usually has some indication of the sign of charge or direction of the field to give the information about direction of the vector field represented by the field lines.
Does it take two or more charges to create an electric field?
No, it only takes a single charge to create an electric field. The strength of the electric field depends on the magnitude of the charge and the distance from the charge. Multiple charges can interact to create more complex electric fields.
Gets stronger as you get closer to an electric charge?
The electric force between you and a charge increases as you get closer due to the changing electric field intensity. The force follows an inverse square law, meaning it grows rapidly the closer you get. This is why you might feel a stronger force when near an electric charge.
How can the electrical potential energy of a charged particle in an electric field be increased?
THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION IF WE PLACE THE CHARGE IN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT A DISTANCE R FROM THE ELECTRIC FIELD AND PLACED THE ANOTHER POINT CHARGE AT A ANOTHER DISTANCE r WHERE R IS GRATER THAN THE SMALL R THEN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT r IS MORE THAN THE ELECTRIC FIELD AT POINT R.ORWE CAN SAY THAT IF THE CHARGE IS PLACED IN THE DIRECTION OF ELECTRIC FIELD THAN ITS ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL ENERGY WILL DECREASE OR WHEN IN DIRECTION OPPOSITE THAN VICEVERSA
Does an electric field get weaker the closer you get to the charge object?
No. The strength of the electric field remains unchanged regardless of your proximity. However, the effects of the electric field on you are more pronounced as you move closer to it.
Why does test charge moves with zero acceleration to any point in the electric field?
They don't. If there is an electric field, any electric charge will be subject to a force, and therefore to an acceleration. Only in the special case that the charges are on the surface of a good conductor, they won't move because the charges quickly move to a state of equilibrium. In other words, once such a balance is reached, they won't move around any more.
What is the definition of the term dielectric?
'Dielectric' is often used in a general sense to refer to a material (such as ceramic, mica, plastic or paper) which is a poor conductor of electricity. This term is used in the classical description of a capacitor -- two electric conductors separated by a dielectric. By applying electric charge to one conductor an electric field is created. The dielectric allows the electric field to pass through it and affect the other conductors; however the dielectric prevents electrons from flowing between the conductors, so the electric field remains (and the charge remains stored on the conductor). [Side note for beginners: An electric field creates a force (measured in Volts) upon an electron or charged particle which tends to make it move. The conductor allows electrons to move easily within it. The dielectric resists the movement of electrons in it.] More generally, we speak of a 'Dielectric Field' as a mathematic description of how electric charge influences the properties of the space around it. The Dielectric field interacts with space and with any material in the space to create an 'Electric Field'. In simple terms, the electric field at any point is the product of the dielectric field at that point and the 'Dielectric Constant' of the material at that point. In more general terms, the 'electric field vector' at a point is the tensor product of the 'dielectric field vector' and the 'dielectric tensor' of the material at that point. The dielectric field is not a measurable entity, but rather a mathematical tool that allows us accurately to model the electric field, which is measurable. The article on Dielectrics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dielectric provides more description, especially on the dielectric field model.
Electric field lines show the strength and what of an electric field?
Direction and electric flux density. Representing an electric field (and this works with other fields also) with lines is a sophisticated and time honored tradition. The density of lines in any region of space is proportional to the strength (magnitude) of the field in that region of space. The direction of the field is along the direction of the line at each position on each of the lines. In such a graphical representation the field direction goes out from positive charge and in towards negative charge and the visualization usually has some indication of the sign of charge or direction of the field to give the information about direction of the vector field represented by the field lines.
Does electric field and electric field lines connected?
Yes. An electric field is represented by electric field lines. Electric field lines are a visual representation of the strength and direction of an electric field in a region of space. In the vicinity of any charge, there is an electric field and the strength of the electric field is proportional to the force that a test charge would experience if placed at the point. (That is a matter of definition of electric field.) Mother nature produces electric fields, but humans can not see electric fields. Humans invented the idea of field lines to create a mental picture of the field. The two most common ways are to draw lines in space or to draw a collection of arrows in space. In the case of arrows, they are vector representations of the strength and direction of the electric field at the point in space where each arrow is drawn. Representing an electric field (and this works with other fields also) with lines is a sophisticated and time honored tradition. The density of lines in any region of space is proportional to the strength (magnitude) of the field in that region of space. The direction of the field is along the direction of the line at each position on each of the lines. In such a graphical representation the field direction goes out from positive charge and in towards negative charge and the visualization usually has some indication of the sign of charge or direction of the field to give the information about direction of the vector field represented by the field lines. There is a small caveat. It is not only charge that can produce electric fields. An electric field can be produced by a changing magnetic field. This is technologically important (since electric motors work on this principle) and scientifically fascinating, requiring a somewhat more sophisticated aspect of electromagnetic theory, but ultimately the electric field or electric flux can be visualized with lines (or arrows) in a manner exactly as is done for stationary charges.
What is the x-component of the electric field at the origin?
The x-component of the electric field at the origin depends on the specific charge distribution or configuration in the vicinity of the origin. It can be calculated using Coulomb's law for point charges or the principle of superposition for more complex distributions.
What are the field lines for a positive charge?
The field lines for a positive charge are radial lines extending outward in all directions from the charge. The field lines indicate the direction of the electric field, pointing away from the positive charge. The field lines are more concentrated closer to the charge and spread out further away.
What is the significance of the multipole expansion in the context of a ring of charge?
The multipole expansion in the context of a ring of charge helps to describe the electric field around the ring in terms of simpler components. It allows for a more detailed analysis of the electric field and helps in understanding the distribution of charge and the resulting electric potential.
What happens to the electric field when you get farther from an electric charge?
An electric field gets stronger the closer you get to a charge exerting that field. Distance and field strength are inversely proportional. When distance is increased, field strength decreases. The opposite is true as well. Additionally, field strength varies as the inverse square of the distance between the charge and the observer. Double the distance and you will find that there is 1/22 or 1/4th the electric field strength as there was at the start of your experiment.
