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18. Electric fields

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  1. 18.1 Electric fields and field lines

    1. • understand that an electric field is an example of a field of force and define electric field as force per unit positive charge

    2. • recall and use F = qE for the force on a charge in an electric field

    3. • represent an electric field by means of field lines

  2. 18.2 Uniform electric fields

    1. • recall and use E = ∆V / ∆d to calculate the field strength of the uniform field between charged parallel plates

    2. • describe the effect of a uniform electric field on the motion of charged particles

  3. 18.3 Electric force between point charges

    1. • understand that, for a point outside a spherical conductor, the charge on the sphere may be considered to be a point charge at its centre

    2. • recall and use Coulomb’s law F = Q1Q2 / (4πε0 r 2) for the force between two point charges in free space

  4. 18.4 Electric field of a point charge

    1. 18.4.1

      • recall and use E = Q / (4πε0 r 2) for the electric field strength due to a point charge in free space

  5. 18.5 Electric potential

    1. • define electric potential at a point as the work done per unit positive charge in bringing a small test charge from infinity to the point

    2. • recall and use the fact that the electric field at a point is equal to the negative of potential gradient at that point

    3. • use V = Q / (4πε0 r) for the electric potential in the field due to a point charge

    4. • understand how the concept of electric potential leads to the electric potential energy of two point charges and use EP = Qq / (4πε0 r)