7 Electric Fields Notes 2024

Physics Unit 3 2024 7 Electric fields 1 of 29
7 Electric fields
Study Design
Fields and interactions
 describe electricity using a field model
 investigate and compare theoretically and practically gravitational, magnetic and electric
fields, including directions and shapes of fields, attractive and repulsive effects, and the
existence of dipoles and monopoles.
 investigate and compare theoretically and practically gravitational fields and electrical fields
about a point mass or charge (positive or negative) with reference to:
 the direction of the field
 the shape of the field
 the use of the inverse square law to determine the magnitude of the field
 potential energy changes (qualitative) associated with a point mass or charge moving in
the field
 identify fields as static or changing, and as uniform or non-uniform
Effects of fields
 analyse the use of an electric field to accelerate a charge, including:
 electric field and electric force concepts: and
 potential energy changes in a uniform electric field: W = qV,

 the magnitude of the force on a charged particle due to a uniform electric field: F = qE
Application of field concepts
 describe the interaction of two fields, allowing that electric charges, magnetic poles and
current carrying conductors can either attract or repel, whereas masses only attract each
other
 model the acceleration of particles in a particle accelerator (including synchrotrons) as
uniform circular motion (limited to linear acceleration by a uniform electric field and direction
change by a uniform magnetic field).
Electric charge
Charge, like energy, cannot be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred from one object to
another.
The number of electrons in an electrically neutral body is equal to the number of positive charges.
This infers that the size of the charge on the electron is the same as the size of the charge on the
proton. The elementary charge, e, is the magnitude of the charge on a proton or electron. It is the
smallest charge found in nature.
Because it is so small, we have a measure of charge, called COULOMB (C), which is a standard
number of elementary charges.
1 Coulomb = 6.25 × 1018 elementary charges, or e = 1.6 × 10-19 Coulomb.
Electric fields
The attraction between opposite charges means that they're usually found stuck together, and
pulling them apart always takes energy.
Once they're apart, that energy gets stored in an electric field around each of the individual charges.
The field instantly spreads out from the charge in all directions at the speed of light, and literally
goes on forever.
But fields get weak with distance, so the charge's attractive/repulsive effect dies off quickly. It's the
electric field of energy around them that lets isolated charges attract and repel each other without
ever touching.
Electrical forces, like gravitational forces and magnetic forces, act between things that are not in
contact with each other. A force field exists that influences charged, massive and magnetic bodies
respectively.
An electric field, E, is the region around a charge, or a group of charges. We know if a field is
present at a particular space because if we place a point charge there, it will experience a force.
(Much the same as a point mass experiences a force in a gravitational field). The stronger the force,
the stronger the field. The magnitude of the field is the size of the force it causes to act on a charge
of one coulomb.
An electric field E is the region around a charged body where another charged body would
experience electric forces of attraction or repulsion. The direction of the electric field is defined as
the direction of the force on a positive charge placed in the field.
Electric field around Electric field around

positive point charge negative point charge
The strength of the field is indicated by the closeness of the field lines.
The more negative and positive charges you separate, the stronger the electric field that forms
between and around them, and the more electrical energy that can be tapped. That separation of
charge is what creates voltage, or potential difference.
Field lines
A field is a vector, so it has both magnitude (strength) and direction. The magnitude of the field is
the force per unit charge or mass. More than one field will combine using vector addition principles.
It is really important to take care when drawing field lines. There are four basic principles that need
to be followed.
1. Field lines do not touch or cross each other.
2. The arrow shows the direction of the field.
3. The further the field lines are apart, the weaker the field.
4. Field lines start and end perpendicular to the surface.
When asked to draw them on the exam it is often best to draw in pencil first , and then, go over
them with pen.
Field lines are lines of force, they indicate the direction of the force acting on a unit positive charge
at that point. For an isolated charge the lines extend to infinity, for two or more opposite charges we
represent the lines as emanating from a positive charge and terminating on a negative charge.
The photographs below show the bits of thread that are suspended in an oil bath surrounding
charged conductors.
Static electric fields are constant fields, which do not change in intensity or direction over time.
They exert a force on charges or charged particles.
The strength of a static electric field is expressed in volts per meter (V m-1). The strength of the
natural electric field in the atmosphere varies from about 100 V m-1 in fair weather to several
thousand V m-1 under thunderclouds.
Other sources of static electric fields are charge separation as a result of friction or static electric
currents from varied technologies. In the home, charge potentials of several kilovolts can be
accumulated while walking on non-conducting carpets, generating local fields of up to 500 kV m-1.
High voltage DC power lines can produce static electric fields of up to 20 kV m-1 and more. Inside
DC operated electric trains, static electric fields of up to 300 V m-1 can be found.
Types of fields
We will consider two types of fields, non-uniform fields about point charges and uniform fields
between charged parallel plates. If a non-uniform field is associated with point charges, then
Coulombs law can be used. If the field is uniform, then the force acting on the charged particle is
constant, so the SUVAT equations of motion are applicable, as the acceleration is constant. If there
is more than one source of charge creating different fields then the total field is the vector addition of
individual fields.
Coulombs Law (for point charges)

The force of attraction or repulsion between two charges Q1 and Q2 a distance 'r' metres apart is
proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance
between the charges. F= where F is the force in newtons, Q1 & Q2 are measured
in Coulomb, and 'r' is measured in metres, then k = where is called the permittivity of free
space, k = 8.99 × 109 N m2 C-2. This is only used when the two charges are in air.
Electric forces
Electric forces are given by the product of the electric field and the quantity of charge.
FE = qE Where FE = electric force (N)
q = charge (C)
E = electric field (N C-1)
Therefore, the direction and magnitude of the electric forces represent the direction and magnitude
of the electric field at that point.
Electric fields around point charges
Combining F = and F = qE, for a point charge Q, give E = . The units are N C-1.
Electric fields between charged plates
In the region between parallel charged plates, the electric field E is uniform. The strength of the field
depends on the potential difference between the plates and the distance between the plates.
Where E = electric field strength (V m-1)
E= ∆V = potential difference (V)

d = distance between plates (m)
Conductors and insulators

A conductor allows the flow of electrons through the material. Metal is a good conductor of
electricity, because the structure of metals is such that the outermost electrons are free to move
around in the fixed crystal lattice made up of the atoms.
Insulators don't allow the free movement of electrons, materials such as plastic and glass are good
insulators.
Semiconductors, used in electronics, can be doped to allow them to significantly improve their
conduction qualities.
Emf and electric potential

If charges are moving, they have energy, a battery or generator is the usual source of this energy.
When electrons flow through a battery or other power supply, they gain electrical potential energy.
As the electrons flow around a circuit, they lose this energy when passing through components that
have resistance, eg. globes.
The energy transferred to one coulomb of charge within the
battery is called the electromotive force of the battery.
The unit of electromotive force (EMF) is the volt (V). EMF can be considered as a 'concentration of
charge'. The work done in pushing the charges together is stored as electrical potential energy. A
battery with an emf of 6 V transfers 6 J of energy to each coulomb of charge, when charge moves
through the battery.
The energy transferred to a circuit component per unit charge is called
the potential difference between the two terminals of the component.
The unit for potential difference (P.D.) is also the volt. One volt equals one joule per coulomb.
1 V = 1 J C-1
The term 'emf' and 'p.d.' are often simply referred to as voltage. The SI unit for (electrical) potential
is joules per coulomb, this is given the name volt after Alessandro Volta, the inventor of the first
chemical battery.
Electric potential energy
An object has gravitational potential energy due to its location in a gravitational field. Similarly, a
charged object has potential energy due to its location in an electric field. Therefore work is required
to push a charged particle against an electric field of a charged body. This work changes the electric
potential of the charged particle. This work done moving the particle will either increase or decrease
its energy. If the energy increases, then on release, this energy changes to kinetic energy.
Electric potential =  1 volt =

Circuits
When the elements in a circuit are in series, they all have the same current. The potential drop
across each element is proportional to the resistance. If the resistance is zero, then that part of the
circuit is an equipotential, i.e. there is no voltage drop.
The electric field in a wire is given by

Electrical energy
When a current passes through a resistor, the resistor gets hot. Electrical energy is being converted
to thermal energy. Electrical energy can also be converted into mechanical energy.
If 'Q' of charge passes through a potential difference of 'V', the work done by the electrical force is
W = Q V.
So if it takes 'V' joules of energy to get '1' coulomb of charge from one place to another, then it takes
'VQ' joules to get 'Q' coulomb from one place to another.
As the current is the rate at which charge is moving, the total charge Q = I t.
 W = V i t.
Millikan’s experiment
In 1907 Robert Millikan set out to show that electric charge came in fundamental units (called the
elementary unit). He set up two plates X and Y, which were charged by battery (B) to 8000 V. He
used small identical oil drops and observed their motion under a microscope.
The small spheres fell due to the force of gravity. An opposing upward force due to air resistance
increases as the velocity of the spheres increases. In a short time the two forces equalised, this
allowed him to calculate the weight from the measurements of their speed.
When the plates were charged by the battery, the speed changed as a result of the added electric
force on the drops. Some drops fell even faster, others almost stopped or even rose. As the speed
at which the drops fell was directly related to the total force on them, he was able to calculate the
strength of the electric force. From this he was able to calculate the electric charge on the drop.
The direction of Fe depends on the charge on the sphere. Millikan found that the charge on the oil
drop was always a multiple of a particular value. i.e. the charge on the oil drop is given by: q = ne,
where n is a whole number, and e was 1.6 × 10-19 C. Millikan suggested that 'e' is the charge on an
electron. Millikan argued that an oil drop got its charge by gaining or losing electrons, hence the 'e'
charge on the drop had to be a whole number times the charge on one electron.
In 1909 Millikan determined that
Mass of electron = 9.1 × 10-31 kg
Charge of electron e = -1.6 × 10-19 C

This data has been on the formula sheet that is supplied for the exam, so you don’t need to
memorise it.
Linear accelerators
Electrical potential energy is stored in an electric field. An electric field exerts a force on charged
particles, this can be used to increase their speed and kinetic energy. The field will do work on the
charged particles. An electron will experience a force in the opposite direction to the field, due to its
negative charge.
The electric force is given by F = qE, and this results in an acceleration given by F = ma. Equating
these two gives qE = ma.
The work done is given by W = F × d, (if the force is constant, from a uniform field). The change in
KE (typical to assume the particle starts from rest) is the work done.
 W = ∆EK = qEd, where d is the distance between where the charges enter the field and exit the
field.
The work done on a charge is also given by W = qV, and since V = Ed, we get W = qEd.
The simplest device is an electron gun, which produces electrons and then accelerates them across
a potential difference. A similar process is used in Mass Spectrometers, Electron microscopes,
Synchrotrons and the Large Hadron Collider.
Some resources
1. Electricity introduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAFW4zdXpbY
2. How to measure electrical charge by Derek Muller https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=DvlpAsDwXPY
3. Electricity (Hewitt drewit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=0z9moyl8uZg&index=88&list=PL6Pw5RXSrjGNN6Kp1fq7X_rgoGu6qKM8j
4. Electric Potential (Hewitt drewit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=nnLf090OPNg&index=91&list=PL6Pw5RXSrjGNN6Kp1fq7X_rgoGu6qKM8j
5. Electric Fields (Hewitt drewit)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=9nlflkR8tvs&index=89&list=PL6Pw5RXSrjGNN6Kp1fq7X_rgoGu6qKM8j
Questions
1 1981 Question 50, 1 mark
Charges of magnitude +5Q and -5Q are placed at two corners of a triangle as shown. What
direction (A, B, C, D, E or F) will the electric field have at X?
Two equal electric charges, +Q, are placed a distance d apart at X and Y, as shown in the figure.
The points L and M are perpendicularly above and below the midpoint of the line joining X and Y.
A small positive charge +q is placed on the line between X and Y, a distance from the charge at
X.
Which of the following expressions gives the magnitude of the force experienced by the charge, +q?
k is the electrostatic constant.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.

If the small charge is now placed at point P, precisely midway between X and Y, which of the
following expressions best describes the net electrostatic force on it?
A. There is no force on it.
B. There is a force on it towards Y.
C. There is a force on it towards X.
D. There is a force on it towards L.
E. There is a force on it towards M.
Consider a point P equidistant from two charges + q and - q as shown.

The electric field at P will be
A. zero.
B. parallel to the line joining the charges.
C. perpendicular to the line joining the charges.
D. parallel to the line QP.
Two equal point charges are placed at the points K and L in the diagram below and produce a
resultant electric field at the point X of magnitude 100 V m-1 in the direction of T.
The charge at the point K is then shifted a distance of 0.05 m to M.

Which of the arrows (R - V) now best describes the direction of the resultant electric field at the
point X?

Which of the alternatives (A - D) below best gives the magnitude of the resultant electric field at X?
A. 4.0 × 102 V m-1
B. 2.9 × 102 V m-1
C. 2.0 × 102 V m-1
D. 1.7 × 102 V m-1
In a demonstration of electric fields, two small metal spheres, L and M are used.
(The constant in Coulombs Law, k = 9.0 × 109 SI units)
In the first demonstration, a charge of +8.0 × 10-8 coulomb is placed on L. E X is a point 2.0 m
from L as shown below.

What is the magnitude of the electric field at X due to L?
With the same charge on L, sphere M, with a charge of -4.0 × 10-10 coulomb is placed at X as shown
below.

What is the magnitude and the direction of the force on M, due to L?
Use the key (A – D) above, to indicate the direction of the force.
A helium nucleus contains two protons and two neutrons, and may be pictured at a particular
moment as shown below. The protons, p1 and p2 each with a charge of +1.6 × 10-19 C are separated
by 1.4 × 10-15 m, and the electrostatic force between them is 118 N
Figure 1
What is the magnitude of the electrostatic force between the neutron n1 and the proton p1?

What is the magnitude of the electric field at proton p1 due to proton p2?

What is the magnitude of the electric field midway between the two protons?
A beam of protons enters an electrostatic deflection system which consists essentially of two
parallel metal separated by 0.50 mm (0.00050 m). The situation is shown below for a proton.
Figure 2
If a potential of 1.0 × 106 V is connected across the plates, which of the choices below gives the
best estimate of the ratio
A. 10-12
B. 10-6
C. 1
D. 106
E. 1012
Two insulated uncharged metal spheres are each given net charges of + Q coulomb. The force
each exerts on the other is F newton when they are placed d m apart.
What distance apart should the spheres be if the force between them is to be 3F?

The spheres are now returned to their original separation of d m. What charge should be added to
one of the spheres if the force between them is to be – 2F?
The two diagrams below each show a pair of point charges. The two charges and their separations
are indicated. In case I the force on P is shown by a vector F.
Write an expression in terms of F for the magnitude of the force on the charge T shown in case II,
and indicate the direction (left or right) of this force.
Charges of +q, +Q and +3Q are placed as shown.

The force on +q due to +Q alone is F.
In terms of F, what is the magnitude of the resultant force on +q due to both +Q and +3Q?
Three charges +q, -q and -q are placed at the corners W, X, and Y of a square as shown.
A fourth charge, Q, is placed at Z, after which the charge at X experiences a net electrostatic force
indicated by the arrow.
What is the value of Q?
A. -2.8q
B. -1.4q
C. +1.4q
D. +2.8q
E. +4.0q
Two metal plates M and N, are separated by 0.020 m. They are connected to a 12 V battery as
shown below.

Which of the directions (A – H) shown in the key above best shows the direction of the electric field
at the point Q?
Two very large parallel plates are located such that P is in the centre of one plate and Q is in the
centre of the other. The planes of the plates are perpendicular to the line PQ. The plate at P is
positively charged and the plate at Q is negatively charged. The two points, P and Q, are one metre
apart.

Which of the graphs below best shows the way in which the electric field in the direction PQ varies
along the line PQ?
Two large isolated parallel metal plates distance d apart are both uniformly charged such that the
charge on one plate is equal in magnitude and opposite in sign to the charge on the other.

What happens to the magnitude of the electric field midway between the plates if d is halved?
A. the quantity increases by a factor of 4

B. the quantity increases by a factor of 2
C. the quantity has not changed
D. the quantity decreases by a factor of2
E. the quantity decreases by a factor of 4
A region of electric field is set up between two parallel metal plates which are each at +1000 volt,
and 0.010 m apart. A thin wire which passes midway between them is connected to earth. A cross
sectional view of the situation is shown in the diagram.
In the-diagram, points of equal potential are joined together and shown as equipotential lines. The
potential of each line is indicated on the diagram in volts.

Which arrow in the key below, best indicates the direction of the field at point T?
An electron is accelerated from rest between two parallel charged plates in a vacuum with a
potential difference of 100 V as shown below. The plates are separated by a distance of 0.02 m.
22 2004 Question 4, 2 marks

Calculate the electric field strength between the parallel plates, (in Vm-1).
A pair of parallel plates is connected to a battery.

The magnitude of the electric field at A is 30 volt m-1.

What is the magnitude of the electric field at B?
Dodgem cars in a n amusement park, represented below, are electrically operated by a DC

potential of 120 volts. A metal mesh above the cars is maintained at +120 volts and a steel platform,
2.5 m below the mesh, at 0 volts.

What is the electric field strength (assumed constant) between the metal mesh and the steel
platform?
A pair of charged parallel plates have a potential difference of 10 000 volt between them, and are
3.0 mm apart, as shown below.

Calculate the magnitude of the electric field between the plates. (Give your answer in V m -1)

Calculate the work done on an electron crossing from the negative plate to the positive plate. Give
your answer in joule. Use (e = 1.6 × 10-19 C).
A simplified diagram of the electron gun in the Australian Synchrotron is shown.
An electron leaving the filament at A is accelerated through a potential

difference of 90 kV to B. In the space between A and B, the electron
experiences a force of 7.2 × 10–14 N.
27 2014 Synchrotron Question 1, 2 marks
Which one of the following is closest to the magnitude of the electric field between A and B?
A. 4.5 × 105 V m–1
B. 4.5 × 104 V m–1
C. 9.0 × 104 V m–1
D. 9.0 × 105 V m–1
An electron leaving the filament at A is accelerated through a potential difference of 90 kV to B. In

the space between A and B, the electron experiences a force of 7.2 × 10–14 N.
Which one of the following is closest to the magnitude of the electric field between A and B?
A. 4.5 × 105 V m–1
B. 4.5 × 104 V m–1
C. 9.0 × 104 V m–1
D. 9.0 × 105 V m–1

Use the following information to answer Questions 1 and 2.
The figure below shows a simplified diagram of the electron gun in the Australian Synchrotron.
The potential difference between the plates is equal to 90 kV and the separation of the plates is
0.20 m.

Which one of the following best gives the magnitude of the force acting on electrons that enter the
space between the plates?
A. 7.2 × 10–14 N
B. 7.2 × 1015 N
C. 4.5 × 10–4 N
D. 4.5 × 104 N

Which one of the following is closest to the kinetic energy of an electron that reaches the positive
plate?
A. 90 kJ
B. 90 keV
C. 1.44 × 10–15 kJ
D. 1.44 × 10–17 keV

In the electron gun of a synchrotron, electrons are accelerated from rest over a distance of 12 cm to
reach a final speed of 8.0 × 107 m s–1.
What is the accelerating voltage of the electron gun in kilovolts? (Ignore any relativistic effects.)
A. 2.67 kV
B. 5.30 kV
C. 6.67 kV
D. 18.2 kV

In the electron gun of a synchrotron, electrons are accelerated by a voltage of 5000 V.
Which one of the following best gives the speed of the electrons?
A. 1.8 × 1015 m s–1
B. 4.2 × 107 m s–1
C. 3.0 × 108 m s–1
D. 5.0 × 103 m s–1
The figure shows a simple electron gun used to inject electrons into the linac of a synchrotron. The
accelerating voltage is 2000 V.
Mass of electron = 9.11 × 10-31 kg Charge on electron = .1.60 × 10-19 C

At what speed do the electrons emerge from the electron gun? (Ignore relativistic effects.)
A simplified set-up for an electron gun is shown below. It contains a high-voltage source (HV). In
normal operation, electrons emerge from the gun with energies of 5 keV.

Calculate the velocity for electrons of energy 5 keV.
(me = 9.11 × 10-31 kg)

An electron gun accelerates electrons across a potential difference of 2500 V. The initial speed of
the electrons can be considered to be almost zero.
Show that the final speed of the electrons is approximately 10% of the speed of light.

Electrons are accelerated from rest in an electron gun by a potential difference of 50 kV.
What is their final speed? (Ignore relativistic effects.)
A. 1.0 × 105 m s–1
B. 4.7 × 107 m s–1
C. 1.3 × 108 m s–1
D. 2.9 × 108 m s–1
A charged oil droplet is stationary between a pair of horizontal parallel plates, X and Y, as in Fig. 1.
The drop carries a charge of 3.2 × 10-19 coulomb, and has a mass of 1.6 × 10-15 kg. Take g = 10 N
kg-1.
What is the magnitude of the electric field, E, between the plates?

The potential difference between the plates is 1 000 Volt.
What is their separation?

The plates are turned into a vertical position as shown.
In which direction, (A - H) will the droplet move?
Unit 3 Physics 2024 7 Electric Fields Page 26 of 29
Solutions
1981 Question 50, 50%
The field from +5Q will be in the direction B,
the field from -5Q will be vertically down.
Since the distance between X and the -5Q
charge is smaller than the distance between X
and the +5Q charge, the field vertically down
will be larger. The vector addition of these two
fields will be in the direction of D These two will combine to give a net force
 D (ANS) (hence field) to the right, parallel to the line
joining the two charges.
1991 Question 42  B (ANS)
To find the force from the charge at X, use
1984 Question 52, 62%
F= where Q1 = +Q, Q2 = +q The resultant field is the vector sum of the two
individual fields. Since the charge at point K is
moved towards X, the field from this charge
and r = will increase.
Field from
 r2 =
charge at K
F= Field from

To find the force from the charge at Y use charge at L
Resultant
F= where Q1 = +Q, Q2 = +q  U (ANS)
1984 Question 53, 30%

and r =
If the initial field was 100 V m-1 in the direction
of T, then the initial vertical component was
 r2 = 71 V m-1 and the horizontal component was
also 71 V m-1.
F= Since the charge at K has moved to half the
The net force is given by distance away from X, the field has increased
by a factor of 4.
Therefore the new field is 284 V m-1.
- Use Pythagoras to find the resultant.
 R2 = 712 + 2842
 Fnet =  R2 = 85697
 F (ANS)  R = 292.7
 B (ANS)
1991 Question 43
1988 Question 47
The net force on the charge q will be zero, as
both charges +Q will repel it with the same
force. Use E =
 A (ANS)
1967 Question 5, 46%  E = 9.0 × 109 ×

 E = 180 V m-1 (ANS)
The +ve charge will repel a +ve charge at the
point P. The negative charge will attract a +ve
1988 Question 48
charge at the point P.
Use F = The force is given by F = , to get a

resultant force of -2F, you need to change the
sign of one charge and double its size. This
 F = 9.0 × 109 ×
means that you need to change +Q into – 2Q.
 F= 7.2 × 10-8 N (ANS) To do tis you need to add -3 Q
 -3 Q coulombs (ANS)
1990 Question 46
The force between the neutron (zero charge) 1983 Question 49, 59%
and the proton (+1 charge) is zero.
The charge has changed sign, therefore the
force is now to the right. The charge in case 2
1990 Question 47
is three times the size of the original, therefore
Use F = qE the force is now three times as large. The
 118 = 1.6 × 10-19 × E distance between the two charges is doubled,
 E = 7.375 × 1020 V m-1 (ANS)
therefore the force is now of the original.
1990 Question 48 Combine these three changes to get
The electric field is zero, as the force on a
positive charge at this point is zero.
 Fnew = right (ANS)
 0 (ANS)
1972 Question 63, 50%
1990 Question 49
Force on a proton between the deflector plate
is given by The Fon q due to 3Q = F, because the charge is 3
times as great, but the distance is twice as far.
We now need to add these two forces as
F=q×
vectors.
 F = 1.6 × 10-19 × Using Pythagoras we get F+ F= F

 F = 3.2 × 10-10
 F (ANS)
 = 1982 Question 51, 22%

-12
= 2.7 × 10
The force of Y on X is repulsive, the force of
 A (ANS)
W on X is attractive.
The net force on X is to the left.
1977 Question 52, 43%
The force of Z on X needs to be attractive to
overcome the repulsive force from Y.
Let us assume that the force from Y on X is of
The force is given by F = .
magnitude 1.
If the force needs to increase, the distance
Since the force of Z on X is at an angle, the
needs to decrease. i.e. the charges need to
component of this force in the vertical is what
is required. Since it acts at 450, the
be closer together. The force varies as . component is smaller. So the force needs to
Therefore to get 3 times the force the distance
be larger. It also acts from a greater
distance, in fact the distance is larger.
needs to be d. Since the force varies as 1/r2 to have the
 0.58 d (ANS) same effect the force needs to be twice the
size.
1977 Question 53, 44%
Therefore the effective force is × 2 × ,
 +2.8 q.
 D (ANS) 
 E = 3.3 × 106 V m-1 (ANS)
1987 Question 59, 75%
The electric field is the direction of the force 2000 Question 2, 68%
on a small unit positive charge. Work done = qV
 G (ANS)
1968 Question 3, 85%  1.6 × 10-15 J (ANS)

Two very large plates will create a uniform 2014 Synchrotron Question 1, 66%
field between them.
 C (ANS) Use F = Eq
 7.2 × 10-14 = E × 1.6 × 10-19
1983 Question 50, 14%
The field between two plates is given by E=
 E = 4.5 × 105 V
E=  A (ANS)
Therefore if the distance is halved the field will
increase by a factor of 2. 2014 Synchrotron Question 1, 66%
 B (ANS) Use F = Eq
 7.2 × 10-14 = E × 1.6 × 10-19
1986 Question 54
The field is perpendicular to the equipotential E=
lines. The field is in the direction from higher  E = 4.5 × 105 V
potential to lower potential.  A (ANS)
 D (ANS)
2013 Synchrotron Question 1, 65%
2004 Question 4, 85%
Use F = Eq
Use Where E =

E=
 E = 5.0 × 103 V m-1 (ANS)
 E = 4.5 × 105
 F = 4.5 × 105 × 1.6 × 10-19
1974 Question 63, 83%
 F = 7.2 × 10-14 N
The field between the plates is uniform.  A (ANS)
 30 V m-1 (ANS)
1987 Question 57, 89%
I’m going to do this the methodical way.
Use WD = qV
Use E =  WD = 1.6 × 10-19 × 90 × 103
 WD = 1.44 × 10-14 J
This is not a possible answer, so convert to
E= eV by dividing by 1.6 × 10-19 to get 90 keV.
 E = 48 V m-1 (ANS)  B (ANS)
2000 Question 1, 68% 2016 Synchrotron Question 2, 58%
Use E = mv2, to find the work done.

Use
 WD = × 9.11 × 10-31 × (8.0 × 107)2
 WD = 2.915 × 10-15
Use E = mv2, once you have the work done
Use WD = qV
in joules.
 2.915 × 10-15 = 1.6 × 10-19 × V Use WD = qV
 V = 1.82 × 104 V  WD = 1.6 × 10-19 × 50 × 103
 D (ANS)  WD = 8.0 × 10-15 J
2008 Question 1, 76%  mv2 = 8.0 × 10-15
Use WD = qV  × 9.11 × 10-31 × v2 = 8.0 × 10-15
 WD = 1.6 × 10-19 × 5000  v = 1.756 × 1016
2
 WD = 8 × 10-16 J  v = 1.33 × 108 m s-1

 mv2 = 8 × 10-16  C (ANS)
 × 9.11 × 10-31 × v2 = 8 × 10-16 1975 Question 61, 73%

 v2 = 1.76 × 1015 The electric field is exerted an upward force to
 v = 4.2 × 107 m s-1 balance the weight.
 B (ANS)  Eq = mg
E=
Use E = mv2, once you have the work done
in joules.
E=
Use WD = qV
 E = 5 × 104 V m-1 (ANS)
 WD = 1.6 × 10-19 × 2000
 WD = 3.2 × 10-16 J 1975 Question 62, 64%
 mv2 = 3.2 × 10-16
 × 9.11 × 10-31 × v2 = 3.2 × 10-16 Use E =
 v2 = 7.02 × 1014  5 × 104 × d = 1000
 v = 2.65 × 107 m s-1 (ANS)  d = 0.02 m (ANS)
2006 Question 7, 50% 1975 Question 63, 64%
Use E = mv2, once you have converted eV The force from the electric field is to the left,
into joules. the weight is down.
5 keV = 5 × 103 × 1.6 × 10-19 J  F (ANS)
 mv2 = 8.0 × 10-16

 × 9.11 × 10-31 × v2 = 8.0 × 10-16
 v = 1.756 × 1015
2
 v = 4.2 × 107 m s-1 (ANS)

WD = KE = qV
 mv2 = 1.6 × 10-19 × 2500
 v2 =
= 8.79 × 1014
 v = 2.96 × 107m s-1.
This is close to 10% of 3 × 108 m s-1.

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Physics Unit 3 2024 7 Electric fields 1 of 29

 electric field and electric force concepts: and

 potential energy changes in a uniform electric field: W = qV,

Electric field around Electric field around

Coulombs Law (for point charges)

Where E = electric field strength (V m-1)

E= ∆V = potential difference (V)

Conductors and insulators

Emf and electric potential

Electric potential =  1 volt =

The electric field in a wire is given by

Charge of electron e = -1.6 × 10-19 C

2. How to measure electrical charge by Derek Muller https://www.youtube.com/watch?

3. Electricity (Hewitt drewit)

4. Electric Potential (Hewitt drewit)

5. Electric Fields (Hewitt drewit)

3 1991 Question 43, 1 mark

Consider a point P equidistant from two charges + q and - q as shown.

The charge at the point K is then shifted a distance of 0.05 m to M.

6 1984 Question 53, 1 mark

7 1988 Question 47, 1 mark

8 1988 Question 48, 1 mark

10 1990 Question 47, 1 mark

11 1990 Question 48, 1 mark

14 1977 Question 53, 1 mark

Charges of +q, +Q and +3Q are placed as shown.

18 1987 Question 59, 1 mark

19 1968 Question 3, 1 mark

20 1983 Question 50, 1 mark

A. the quantity increases by a factor of 4

21 1986 Question 54, 1 mark

22 2004 Question 4, 2 marks

A pair of parallel plates is connected to a battery.

23 1974 Question 63, 1 mark

Dodgem cars in a n amusement park, represented below, are electrically operated by a DC

24 1987 Question 57, 1 mark

25 2000 Question 1, 2 marks

26 2000 Question 2, 2 marks

A simplified diagram of the electron gun in the Australian Synchrotron is shown.

An electron leaving the filament at A is accelerated through a potential

A simplified diagram of the electron gun in the Australian Synchrotron is shown.

An electron leaving the filament at A is accelerated through a potential difference of 90 kV to B. In

A simplified diagram of the electron gun in the Australian Synchrotron is shown.

29 2013 Synchrotron Question 1, 2 marks

30 2013 Synchrotron Question 2, 2 marks

31 2016 Synchrotron Question 2, 2 marks

32 2008 Question 1, 2 marks

33 2007 Question 2, 2 marks

34 2006 Question 7, 3 marks

35 2003 Question 3, 4 marks

36 2015 Synchrotron Question 6, 2 marks

38 1975 Question 62, 1 mark

39 1975 Question 63, 1 mark

F= Field from

F= where Q1 = +Q, Q2 = +q  U (ANS)

1984 Question 53, 30%

1967 Question 5, 46%  E = 9.0 × 109 ×

Use F = The force is given by F = , to get a

 F = 1.6 × 10-19 × Using Pythagoras we get F+ F= F