Practice Questions - Electric Fields

Front

What is an electric field?

Back

An electric field is a region around a charged object where other charged objects experience a force. It is represented by field lines that indicate the direction and strength of the force.

Front

What is the formula for calculating the electric field (E) due to a point charge (Q) at a distance (r)?

Back

E = k * |Q| / r^2, where k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2).

Front

What happens to the electric force between two charges if the distance between them is doubled?

Back

The electric force decreases by a factor of four, as it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (F ∝ 1/r^2).

Front

What is Coulomb's Law?

Back

Coulomb's Law states that the electric force (F) between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges (Q1 and Q2) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them: F = k * |Q1 * Q2| / r^2.

Front

What is the direction of the electric field created by a positive charge?

Back

The electric field lines radiate outward from a positive charge.

Front

What is the direction of the electric field created by a negative charge?

Back

The electric field lines point inward toward a negative charge.

Front

What is the principle of superposition in electric fields?

Back

The principle of superposition states that the total electric field created by multiple charges is the vector sum of the electric fields created by each charge individually.

Front

How does the strength of an electric field change with distance from the charge?

Back

The strength of an electric field decreases with the square of the distance from the charge (E ∝ 1/r^2).

Front

What is the relationship between electric field strength and force on a charge?

Back

The electric field strength (E) is defined as the force (F) experienced by a unit positive charge (q): E = F/q.

Front

What is the significance of electric field lines?

Back

Electric field lines visually represent the strength and direction of an electric field. The density of the lines indicates the strength of the field.