Suppose you want to determine the electric field in a certain region of space. Y

Question

Suppose you want to determine the electric field in a certain region of space. You have a small object of known charge and an instrument that measures the magnitude and direction of the force exerted on the object by the electric field.

(a) The object has a charge of +40.0 C and the instrument indicates that the electric force exerted on it is 20.0 N, due east. What are the magnitude and direction of the electric field?

(b) What are the magnitude and direction of the electric field if the object has a charge of -15.0 C and the instrument indicates that the force is 25.0 N, due west?

Please give answers in N/C units and give directions for both (a) and (b).

Explanation / Answer

Electric field is the force per unit charge (F/Q), its direction being that of the force on a positive charge.

a) F/Q = 20/40 = 0.5V/m due east

b) |F/Q| = 25/15 = 1.67V/m due east

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse S
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.