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Chapter 27 Homework
Due: 8:00am on Monday, March 1, 2010
Note: To understand how points are awarded, read your instructor's Grading Policy.

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Visualizing Electric Fields

Learning Goal: To understand the nature of electric fields and how to draw field lines.
Electric field lines are a tool used to visualize electric fields. A field line is drawn beginning at a positive charge and ending at a negative charge. Field lines may also appear from the edge of a picture or
disappear at the edge of the picture. Such lines are said to begin or end at infinity. The field lines are directed so that the electric field at any point is tangent to the field line at that point.

The figure shows two different ways to visualize an electric field. On the left, vectors are drawn at various points to show the direction and
magnitude of the electric field. On the right, electric field lines depict the same situation. Notice that, as stated above, the electric field lines are
drawn such that their tangents point in the same direction as the electric field vectors on the left. Because of the nature of electric fields, field lines
never cross. Also, the vectors shrink as you move away from the charge, and the electric field lines spread out as you move away from the charge.
The spacing between electric field lines indicates the strength of the electric field, just as the length of vectors indicates the strength of the electric
field. The greater the spacing between field lines, the weaker the electric field. Although the advantage of field lines over field vectors may not be
apparent in the case of a single charge, electric field lines present a much less cluttered and more intuitive picture of more complicated charge
arrangements.

Part A
Which of the following figures correctly depicts the field lines from an infinite uniformly negatively charged sheet? Note that the sheet is being
viewed edge-on in all pictures.

Hint A.1 Description of the field

Hint not displayed

ANSWER: A
B
C
D

Correct

Part B
In the diagram from part A , what is wrong with figure B? (Pick only those statements that apply to figure B.)
Check all that apply.

ANSWER: Field lines cannot cross each other.

The field lines should be parallel because of the sheet's symmetry.
The field lines should spread apart as they leave the sheet to indicate the weakening of the field with distance.
The field lines should always end on negative charges or at infinity.

Correct

Part C
Which of the following figures shows the correct electric field lines for an electric dipole?

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ANSWER: A
B
C
D

Correct

This applet shows two charges. You can alter the charge on each independently or alter the distance between them. You should try to get a feeling for how altering the charges or the distance affects the
field lines.

Part D
In the diagram from part C , what is wrong with figure D? (Pick only those statements that apply to figure D.)
Check all that apply.

ANSWER: Field lines cannot cross each other.

The field lines should turn sharply as you move from one charge to the other.
The field lines should be smooth curves.
The field lines should always end on negative charges or at infinity.

Correct

In even relatively simple setups as in the figure, electric field lines are quite helpful for understanding the field qualitatively (understanding the
general direction in which a certain charge will move from a specific position, identifying locations where the field is roughly zero or where
the field points a specific direction, etc.). A good figure with electric field lines can help you to organize your thoughts as well as check your
calculations to see whether they make sense.

Part E
In the figure , the electric field lines are shown for a system of two point charges, and . Which of the following could represent the
magnitudes and signs of and ?

In the following, take to be a positive quantity.

ANSWER: ,
,
,
,
,

Correct

Very far from the two charges, the system looks like a single charge with value . At large enough distances, the field lines will be indistinguishable from the field lines due to a single
point charge .

Electric Fields for Cleaner Air

Burning coal, which is how many power plants generate electricity, releases a number of harmful byproducts. Particulate pollution (i.e., soot or smoke) is the most visually obvious. Modern coal-burning power
plants make use of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) to remove most of the particulate pollution. As the hot, impure air heads out of the plant, it passes through an area where soot particles can pick up some
electric charge. The air then passes through an area with a strong electric field to pull the pollutant particles away to an area where they can be safely removed.

Part A
Suppose that a charged particle of diameter 1.00 micrometer moves with constant speed in an electric field of magnitude newtons per coulomb while acted upon by a drag force of
newtons. What is the charge on the particle? Ignore the effects of gravity.

Hint A.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint A.2 Expression for the electric force

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Hint not displayed

Express your answer in coulombs to three significant figures.

ANSWER: −16
= 7.25×10
Correct

Part B
If this charged soot particle is now isolated (that is, removed from the electric field described in the previous part), what will be the magnitude of the electric field due to the particle at distance 1.00 meter
from the particle?

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Express your answer in newtons per coulomb to three significant figures.

ANSWER: −6
= 6.520×10
Correct

Problem 27.16
The electric field strength 2.0 cm from a 10-cm-diameter metal ball is 50,000 N/C.

Part A
What is the charge (in nC) on the ball?

Hint A.1 How to approach this problem

Hint not displayed

ANSWER: 27.2
Correct

Suspending Charged Particles Using Electric Fields

Part A
What must the charge (sign and magnitude) of a particle of mass 1.43 be for it to remain stationary when placed in a downward-directed electric field of magnitude 660 ?

Hint A.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint A.2 Calculate the gravitational force

Hint not displayed

Hint A.3 Determine the sign of the charge needed

Hint not displayed

Use 9.81 for the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity.

ANSWER: −2.13×10−5
Correct

Part B
What is the magnitude of an electric field in which the electric force on a proton is equal in magnitude to its weight?

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint B.2 Calculate the gravitational force

Hint not displayed

−27 −19
Use 1.67×10 for the mass of a proton, 1.60×10 for the magnitude of the charge on an electron, and 9.81 for the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity.

ANSWER: 1.02×10−7
Correct

This is the magnitude of the electric field needed to counteract the proton's weight, but in what direction should it point? Since gravity points downward, and a positively charged particle (such as a proton)
will experience an electric force in the same direction as the electric field to which it is exposed, the field should point upward.

A Proton between Oppositely Charged Plates

A uniform electric field exists in the region between two oppositely charged parallel plates 1.57 apart. A proton is released from rest at the surface of the positively charged plate and strikes the surface of the
opposite plate in a time interval 1.41×10−6 .

Part A
Find the magnitude of the electric field.

Hint A.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint A.2 A relationship between electric force and electric field

Hint not displayed

Hint A.3 Calculate the acceleration of the proton

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Hint not displayed

Hint A.4 Calculate the force on the proton

Hint not displayed

−19 −27
Use 1.60×10 for the magnitude of the charge on an electron and 1.67×10 for the mass of a proton.

ANSWER: 165
Correct

Remember that the electric field will point from the positively charged plate to the negatively charged plate, and that the positively charged proton moves in the same direction as the electric field.

Part B
Find the speed of the proton at the moment it strikes the negatively charged plate.

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

ANSWER:
2.23×104
Correct

Electric Dipole in an Electric Field

Point charges 5.00 and 5.00 are separated by distance 4.00 , forming an electric dipole.

Part A
Find the magnitude of the electric dipole moment.

Hint A.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint A.2 Formula for dipole moment

Hint not displayed

Express your answer in coulomb meters to three significant figures.

ANSWER:
2.00×10−11
Correct

Part B
What is the direction of the electric dipole moment?

ANSWER: from to
from to

Correct

Part C
The charges are in a uniform electric field whose direction makes an angle 36.6 with the line connecting the charges. What is the magnitude of this field if the torque exerted on the dipole has magnitude
7.70×10−9 ?

Hint C.1 Find an equation for the torque

Hint not displayed

Hint C.2 How to obtain

Hint not displayed

Express your answer in newtons per coulomb to three significant figures.

ANSWER: 646
Correct

Electric Field due to Two Point Charges

Two point charges are placed on the x axis.The first charge, = 8.00 , is placed a distance 16.0 from the origin along the positive x axis; the
second charge, = 6.00 , is placed a distance 9.00 from the origin along the negative x axis.

Part A
Find the electric field at the origin, point O.

Hint A.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

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Hint A.2 Determine the directions of the electric fields

Hint not displayed

Hint A.3 Calculate the electric field due to

Hint not displayed

Hint A.4 Calculate the electric field due to

Hint not displayed

Give the x and y components of the electric field as an ordered pair. Express your answer in newtons per coulomb to three significant figures. Keep in mind that an x component that points to the
right is positive and a y component that points upward is positive.

ANSWER:
= 0.385,0
Correct

Part B
Now, assume that charge is negative; . What is the net electric field at the origin, point O?

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint B.2 Determine the directions of the electric fields

Hint not displayed

Give the x and y components of the electric field as an ordered pair. Express your answer in newtons per coulomb to three significant figures. Keep in mind that an x component that points to the
right is positive and a y component that points upward is positive.

ANSWER:
= -0.947,0
Correct

Problem 27.29
What are the strength and direction of the electric field at the position indicated by the dot in figure?

Part A
Give your answer in terms of the horizontal and vertical components. Take the positive directions to be up and to the right.
Express your answer using two significant figures. Enter your answers numerically separated by a comma.

ANSWER: 4 4
, = −9.7×10 ,−9.2×10
Correct

Part B
Give your answer as a magnitude and angle measured from the positive x-axis.
Express your answer using two significant figures.

ANSWER: 5
= 1.3×10
Correct

Part C

Express your answer using three significant figures.

ANSWER:
= 136 clockwise from + -axis
Correct

Electric Field near a Long Wire

A very long straight wire has charge per unit length 1.49×10−10 .

Part A

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At what distance from the wire is the magnitude of the electric field equal to 2.46 ?

Hint A.1 Equation for the electric field from a long wire
Hint not displayed

−12
Use 8.85×10 for the permittivity of free space, and use .

ANSWER: 1.09
Correct

Problem 27.19
Air "breaks down" when the electric field strength reaches , causing a spark. A parallel-plate capacitor is made from two 4.0-cm-diameter disks.

Part A
How many electrons must be transferred from one disk to the other to create a spark between the disks?

Hint A.1 Electic field between two plates of capacitor

Hint not displayed

ANSWER: 2.09×1011
Correct

The Electric Field Produced by a Finite Charged Wire

A charged wire of negligible thickness has length units and has a linear charge density . Consider the electric field at the point , a distance
above the midpoint of the wire.

Part A
The field points along one of the primary axes. Which one?

Hint A.1 Consider opposite ends of the wire

Hint not displayed

ANSWER:

Correct

Part B

What is the magnitude of the electric field at point ? Throughout this part, express your answers in terms of the constant , defined by .

Hint B.1 How to approach the problem

Hint not displayed

Hint B.2 Find the field due to an infinitesimal segment

Hint not displayed

Hint B.3 A necessary integral

Hint not displayed

Express your answer in terms of , , , and .

ANSWER:
=
Correct

Score Summary:
Your score on this assignment is 101%.
You received 116.2 out of a possible total of 115 points.

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