CHAPTER 5 – ELECTRIC FIELD

I. Electric field
1.1. Two particles are attached to an x axis: particle 1 of charge -2.00x10-7 C at x = 6.00 cm, particle 2 of
charge +2.00x10-7 C at x = 21.0 cm. Midway between the particles, what is their net electric field in
unit-vector notation?
1.2. A proton and an electron form two corners of an equilateral triangle of side length 2.0x10-6 m. What is the
magnitude of the net electric field these two particles produce at the third corner?
1.3. In Fig. 22-36, particle 1 of charge q1 = -5.00q and particle 2 of charge q2 = +2.00q are fixed to an x
axis. As a multiple of distance L, at what coordinate on the axis is the net electric field of the particles
zero?

1.4. Figure 22-42 shows two parallel nonconducting rings with their central axes along a common line.
Ring 1 has uniform charge q1 and radius R; ring 2 has uniform charge q2 and the same radius R. The rings
are separated by distance d = 3.00R. The net electric field at point P on the common line, at distance R
from ring 1, is zero. What is the ratio q1/q2?
1.5. Figure 22-44 shows three circular arcs centered on the origin of a coordinate system. On each arc, the
uniformly distributed charge is given in terms of Q = 2.00 µC. The radii are given in terms of R = 10.0 cm.
What are the (a) magnitude and (b) direction (relative to the positive x direction) of the net electric field at
the origin due to the arcs?
1.6. In Fig. 22-49, a nonconducting rod of length L = 8.15 cm has a charge -q = -4.23 fC uniformly
distributed along its length. (a) What is the linear charge density of the rod? What are the (b)
magnitude and (c) direction (relative to the positive direction of the x axis) of the electric field produced at
point P, at distance a = 12.0 cm from the rod? What is the electric field magnitude produced at distance a =
50 m by (d) the rod and (e) a particle of charge -q = -4.23 fC that replaces the rod?
1.7. At what distance along the central perpendicular axis of a uniformly charged plastic disk of radius 0.600 m is
the magnitude of the electric field equal to one-half the magnitude of the field at the center of the surface of
the disk?
1.8. In Fig. 23-40, two large, thin metal plates are parallel and close to each other. On their inner faces, the
plates have excess surface charge densities of opposite signs and magnitude 7.00x10 -22 C/m2. In unit-
vector notation, what is the electric field at points (a) to the left of the plates,(b) to the right of them,and (c)
between them?

1.9. Figure 23-48 gives the magnitude of the electric field inside and outside a sphere with a positive charge
distributed uniformly throughout its volume.The scale of the vertical axis is set by Es = 5.0x107 N/C.What is
the charge on the sphere?
1.10. Two charged concentric spherical shells have radii 10.0 cm and 15.0 cm. The charge on the inner
shell is 4.00x10-8 C, and that on the outer shell is 2.00x10-8 C. Find the electric field (a) at r = 12.0 cm and
(b) at r = 20.0 cm.
1.11. An unknown charge sits on a conducting solid sphere of radius 10 cm. If the electric field 15 cm from the
center of the sphere has the magnitude 3.0x103 N/C and is directed radially inward, what is the net charge on
the sphere?
1.12. In Fig. 23-50, a solid sphere of radius a = 2.00 cm is concentric with a spherical conducting shell of
inner radius b = 2.00a and outer radius c = 2.40a. The sphere has a net uniform charge q1 = 5.00 fC; the
shell has a net charge q2 = - q1. What is the magnitude of the electric field at radial distances (a) r = 0, (b)
r = a/2.00, (c) r = a, (d) r =1.50a, (e) r = 2.30a, and (f) r = 3.50a? What is the net charge on the (g) inner
and (h) outer surface of the shell?
1.13. Figure 23-53 shows a spherical shell with uniform volume charge density ρ = 1.84 nC/m3, inner radius
a = 10.0 cm, and outer radius b = 2.00a. What is the magnitude of the electric field at radial distances (a) r
= 0; (b) r = a/2.00, (c) r = a, (d) r = 1.50a, (e) r = b,and (f) r = 3.00b?

II. Electrostatic force

2.1. An electron enters a region of uniform electric field with an initial velocity of 40 km/s in the same direction
as the electric field, which has magnitude E = 50 N/C. (a) What is the speed of the electron 1.5 ns after
entering this region? (b) How far does the electron travel during the 1.5 ns interval?
2.2. In Fig. 22-61, particle 1 (of charge +2.00 pC), particle 2 (of charge -2.00 pC), and particle 3 (of
charge +5.00 pC) form an equilateral triangle of edge length a = 9.50 cm. (a) Relative to the positive
direction of the x axis, determine the direction of the force F3 on particle 3 due to the other particles by
sketching electric field lines of the other particles. (b) Calculate the magnitude of F3.

2.3. An alpha particle (the nucleus of a helium atom) has a mass of 6.64x10-27 kg and a charge of +2e.What are
the (a) magnitude and (b) direction of the electric field that will balance the gravitational force on the article?
2.4. In Fig. 22-54, an electron (e) is to be released from rest on the central axis of a uniformly charged disk of
radius R. The surface charge density on the disk is +4.00 µC/m2. What is the magnitude of the electron’s
initial acceleration if it is released at a distance (a) R, (b) R/100, and (c) R/1000 from the center of
the disk? (d) Why does the acceleration magnitude increase only slightly as the release point is moved closer
to the disk?
2.5. At some instant the velocity components of an electron moving between two charged parallel plates are
vx = 1.5x105 m/s and vy = 3.0x103 m/s. Suppose the electric field between the plates is given by
. In unit-vector notation, what are (a) the electron’s acceleration in that field and (b) the
electron’s velocity when its x coordinate has changed by 2.0 cm?
2.6. Two large parallel copper plates are 5.0 cm apart and have a uniform electric field between them as
depicted in Fig. 22-55. An electron is released from the negative plate at the same time that a proton is
released from the positive plate. Neglect the force of the particles on each other and find their distance
from the positive plate when they pass each other.
2.7. An electric dipole consists of charges -2e and +2e separated by 0.78 nm. It is in an electric field of
strength 3.4x106 N/C. Calculate the magnitude of the torque on the dipole when the dipole moment is (a)
parallel to, (b) perpendicular to, and (c) antiparallel to the electric field.
2.8. How much work is required to turn an electric dipole 180° in a uniform electric field of magnitude E =
46.0 N/C if p = 3.02x10-25 C.m and the initial angle is 64°?
2.9. In Fig. 21-38, two tiny conducting balls of identical mass m and identical charge q hang from
nonconducting threads of length L. Assume that θ is so small that tanθ can be replaced by its approximate

equal sinθ. (a) Show that gives the equilibrium separation x of the balls. (b) If L =120
cm, m = 10 g, and x = 5.0 cm, what is |q|?

III. Electric flux

3.1. The cube in Fig. 23-27 has edge length 1.40 m and is oriented as shown in a region of uniform
electric field. Find the electric flux through the right face if the electric field, in newtons per coulomb, is
given by (a) , (b) and (c) . (d) What is the total flux through the cube for each field?

3.2. The square surface shown in Fig. 23-26 measures 3.2 mm on each side. It is immersed in a uniform
electric field with magnitude E = 1800 N/C and with field lines at an angle of θ = 35° with a normal to
the surface, as shown. Take that normal to be directed “outward,” as though the surface were one
face of a box. Calculate the electric flux through the surface.
3.3. In Fig. 23-29, a proton is a distance d/2 directly above the center of a square of side d. What is the
magnitude of the electric flux through the square? (Hint: Think of the square as one face of a cube with
edge d.)
3.4. A uniformly charged conducting sphere of 1.2 m diameter has a surface charge density of 8.1 µC/m2. (a)
Find the net charge on the sphere. (b) What is the total electric flux leaving the surface of the sphere?

IV. Electric potential

4.1. Two large, parallel, conducting plates are 12 cm apart and have charges of equal magnitude and opposite
sign on their facing surfaces. An electrostatic force of 3.9x10-15 N acts on an electron placed anywhere
between the two plates. (Neglect fringing.) (a) Find the electric field at the position of the electron. (b)
What is the potential difference between the plates?
4.2. Two uniformly charged, infinite, nonconducting planes are parallel to a yz plane and positioned at x = -50
cm and x = +50cm. The charge densities on the planes are -50nC/m2 and +25nC/m2 , respectively. What
is the magnitude of the potential difference between the origin and the point on the x axis at x = +80 cm?
4.3. What are (a) the charge and (b) the charge density on the surface of a conducting sphere of radius 0.15 m
whose potential is 200 V (with V = 0 at infinity)?
4.4. A nonconducting sphere has radius R = 2.31 cm and uniformly distributed charge q = +3.50 fC. Take
the electric potential at the sphere’s center to be V0 = 0. What is V at radial distance (a) r =1.45 cm and (b) r
= R.
4.5. Consider a point charge q = 1.0 µC, point A at distance d 1 = 2.0 m from q, and point B at distance d2 =
1.0 m. (a) If A and B are diametrically opposite each other, as in Fig.24-31a,what is the electric potential
difference VA - VB ? (b) What is that electric potential difference if A and B are located as in Fig.24-31b?
4.6. A spherical drop of water carrying a charge of 30 pC has a potential of 500 V at its surface (with V = 0 at
infinity). (a) What is the radius of the drop? (b) If two such drops of the same charge and radius combine to
form a single spherical drop, what is the potential at the surface of the new drop?
4.7. In Fig. 24-38, a plastic rod having a uniformly distributed charge Q = -25.6 pC has been bent into a
circular arc of radius R = 3.71 cm and central angle φ = 120°.With V =0 at infinity, what is the electric
potential at P, the center of curvature of the rod?
4.8. The electric potential at points in an xy plane is given by V =(2.0 V/m2 )x2 - (3.0 V/m2 )y2. In unit-vector
notation, what is the electric field at the point (3.0 m, 2.0 m)?
4.9. Sphere 1 with radius R1 has positive charge q. Sphere 2 with radius 2.00R1 is far from sphere 1 and initially
uncharged. After the separated spheres are connected with a wire thin enough to retain only negligible
charge, (a) is potential V1 of sphere 1 greater than, less than, or equal to potential V2 of sphere 2? What
fraction of q ends up on (b) sphere 1 and (c) sphere 2? (d) What is the ratio σ1/ σ2 of the surface charge
densities of the spheres?

V. Electric potential energy

5.1. A particle of charge +7.5 µC is released from rest at the point x = 60 cm on an x axis. The particle
begins to move due to the presence of a charge Q that remains fixed at the origin. What is the kinetic energy
of the particle at the instant it has moved 40 cm if (a) Q = +20 µC and (b) Q = -20 µC?
5.2. A thin, spherical, conducting shell of radius R is mounted on an isolating support and charged to a potential
of -125 V. An electron is then fired directly toward the center of the shell, from point P at distance r from
the center of the shell (r>>R). What initial speed v0 is needed for the electron to just reach the shell before
reversing direction?
5.3. How much work is required to set up the arrangement of Fig. 24-47 if q = 2.30 pC, a = 64.0 cm, and the
particles are initially infinitely far apart and at rest?

5.4. A particle of charge q is fixed at point P, and a second particle of mass m and the same charge q is initially
held a distance r1 from P. The second particle is then released. Determine its speed when it is a distance r2
from P. Let q = 3.1 µC, m = 20 mg, r1 = 0.90 mm, and r2 = 2.5 mm.
5.5. An electron is projected with an initial speed of 3.2 x 105 m/s directly toward a proton that is fixed in place.
If the electron is initially a great distance from the proton, at what distance from the proton is the speed of
the electron instantaneously equal to twice the initial value?
5.6. In Fig. 24-55, a charged particle (either an electron or a proton) is moving rightward between two
parallel charged plates separated by distance d = 2.00 mm. The plate potentials are V1 = -70.0 V and V2 = -
50.0 V. The particle is slowing from an initial speed of 90.0 km/s at the left plate. (a) Is the particle an
electron or a proton? (b) What is its speed just as it reaches plate 2?
 ANSWERS
1.1.
1.2. 3.6x102 N/C.
1.3. 2.72L
1.4. 0.506
1.5. a) 1.62x106 N/C. b) -450, counterclockwise from +x axis.
1.6. a) -5.19x10-14 C/m. b) 1.57x10-3 N/C. c) -1800, counterclockwise from +x axis.
d) 1.52x10-8 N/C. e) 1.52x10-8 N/C.
1.7. 0.346 m.

1.8. a) 0. b) 0. c)
1.9. 2.2x10-6 C.
1.10. a) 2.5x104 N/C. b) 1.35x104 N/C.
1.11. -7.5x10-9 C.
1.12. a) 0. b) 5.62x10-2 N/C. c) 0.112 N/C. d) 0.0499 N/C.
e) 0. f) 0. g) -5 fC. h) 0.
1.13. a) 0. b) 0. c) 0. d) 7.32 N/C.
e) 12.1 N/C. f) 1.35 N/C.
2.1. a) 2.7x104 m/s. b) 5x10-5 m.
2.2. a) 0. b) 9.96x10-12 N.
2.3. a) 2.03x10-7 N/C. b) upward.
2.4. a) 1.16x1016 m/s2. b) 3.94x1016 m/s2. c) 3.97x1016 m/s2.

2.5. a) b)
2.6. 2.7x10-5 m.
2.7. a) 0. b) 8.5x10-22 N.m. c) 0.
2.8. 1.22x10-23 J.
2.9. b) 2.4x108 C.
3.1. a) 0. b) -3.92 N.m2/C. c) 0. d) 0.
3.2. -1.5 N.m2/C.
3.3. 3.01x10-9 N.m2/C.
4.1. a) 2.4x104 V/m. b) 2.9x103 V.
4.2. 2.5x103 V.
4.3. a) 3.3x109 C. b) 1.2x10-8 C/m2.
4.4. a) -2.68x10-4 V. b) -6.81x10-4 V.
4.5. a) ) -4.5x103 V. b) unchanged.
4.6. a) 5.4x10-4 m. b) 790 V.
4.7. -6.2 V.

4.8.
4.9. a) Equal. b) 0.333. c) 0.667. d) 2.
5.1. a) 0.9 J. b) 4.5 J.
5.2. 6.63x106 m/s.
5.3. -1.92x10-13 J.
5.4. 2.5x103 m/s.
5.5. 1.6x10-9 m.
5.6. a) proton. b) 6.53x104 m/s.