Chapter 11: Coulomb’s Law and Electric Fields Due to Point Charges

Definition of Coulomb’s Law

Scalar part of Coulomb’s Law

permittivity of free space

ε0 is a constant called the \_________ and is given ε0 \= 8.85 × 10−12C²/N · m².

Definition of an electric field

Newton/Coloumb

SI Units for Electric Field.

F \= qE

Force on a point charge q in an electric field E

Magnitude of electric field due to a point charge

Principle of superposition for the electric field

The electric field at a location in space due to a number of point charges Q1, . . . , QN is equal to the vector sum of the electric field produced by each of the individual point charges Q1, . . . , QN at that location in space.

Electric field lines

Lines (or curves) drawn such that acceleration. If a particle were moving along a curved electric field line, because the force is parallel to the field line, there would be no force providing the radial acceleration—this would be impossible.

Electric Field due to a positive point of charge

Electric Field due to an infinite positively charged sheet

Electric Field due to two unlike point charges, positive on the left, negative on the right.

Electric Field due to two positive point charges

Lines

These represent the direction of the force.

+Q

This attracts a negative charge on the sphere and repels positive charge on the sphere.

net attractive force

Because the electrostatic force is inversely proportional to (distance)², this causes the attraction between +Q and the negative charge on the sphere to be greater than the repulsion between +Q and the positive charge on the sphere, giving rise to a \_________.

Definitions of potential and voltage

Volts

The units of potential and change in the potential energy of voltage

Relationship between potential and electric field with the integration path along the x-axis

Principle of superposition for potential

The potential at a point due to a number of charges is equal to the sum of the potentials at that point due to each of the individual charges.

The superposition of electric fields leads to the superposition of potentials.