# 5.4 Electric field  (Page 2/7)

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To push the analogy further, notice the units of the electric field: From $F=QE$ , the units of E are newtons per coulomb, N/C, that is, the electric field applies a force on each unit charge. Now notice the units of g : From $w=mg$ , the units of g are newtons per kilogram, N/kg, that is, the gravitational field applies a force on each unit mass. We could say that the gravitational field of Earth, near Earth’s surface, has a value of 9.81 N/kg.

## The meaning of “field”

Recall from your studies of gravity that the word “field” in this context has a precise meaning. A field, in physics, is a physical quantity whose value depends on (is a function of) position, relative to the source of the field. In the case of the electric field, [link] shows that the value of $\stackrel{\to }{\text{E}}$ (both the magnitude and the direction) depends on where in space the point P is located, measured from the locations ${\stackrel{\to }{\text{r}}}_{i}$ of the source charges ${q}_{i}$ .

In addition, since the electric field is a vector quantity, the electric field is referred to as a vector field . (The gravitational field is also a vector field.) In contrast, a field that has only a magnitude at every point is a scalar field . The temperature in a room is an example of a scalar field. It is a field because the temperature, in general, is different at different locations in the room, and it is a scalar field because temperature is a scalar quantity.

Also, as you did with the gravitational field of an object with mass, you should picture the electric field of a charge-bearing object (the source charge) as a continuous, immaterial substance that surrounds the source charge, filling all of space—in principle, to $\text{±}\infty$ in all directions. The field exists at every physical point in space. To put it another way, the electric charge on an object alters the space around the charged object in such a way that all other electrically charged objects in space experience an electric force as a result of being in that field. The electric field, then, is the mechanism by which the electric properties of the source charge are transmitted to and through the rest of the universe. (Again, the range of the electric force is infinite.)

We will see in subsequent chapters that the speed at which electrical phenomena travel is the same as the speed of light. There is a deep connection between the electric field and light.

## Superposition

Yet another experimental fact about the field is that it obeys the superposition principle. In this context, that means that we can (in principle) calculate the total electric field of many source charges by calculating the electric field of only ${q}_{1}$ at position P , then calculate the field of ${q}_{2}$ at P , while—and this is the crucial idea—ignoring the field of, and indeed even the existence of, ${q}_{1}.$ We can repeat this process, calculating the field of each individual source charge, independently of the existence of any of the other charges. The total electric field, then, is the vector sum of all these fields. That, in essence, is what [link] says.

In the next section, we describe how to determine the shape of an electric field of a source charge distribution and how to sketch it.

what is the weight of the earth in space
As w=mg where m is mass and g is gravitational force... Now if we consider the earth is in gravitational pull of sun we have to use the value of "g" of sun, so we can find the weight of eaeth in sun with reference to sun...
Prince
g is not gravitacional forcé, is acceleration of gravity of earth and is assumed constante. the "sun g" can not be constant and you should use Newton gravity forcé. by the way its not the "weight" the physical quantity that matters, is the mass
Jorge
Yeah got it... Earth and moon have specific value of g... But in case of sun ☀ it is just a huge sphere of gas...
Prince
Thats why it can't have a constant value of g ....
Prince
not true. you must know Newton gravity Law . even a cloud of gas it has mass thats al matters. and the distsnce from the center of mass of the cloud and the center of the mass of the earth
Jorge
please why is the first law of thermodynamics greater than the second
define electric image.obtain expression for electric intensity at any point on earthed conducting infinite plane due to a point charge Q placed at a distance D from it.
explain the lack of symmetry in the field of the parallel capacitor
pls. explain the lack of symmetry in the field of the parallel capacitor
Phoebe
does your app come with video lessons?
What is vector
Vector is a quantity having a direction as well as magnitude
Damilare
tell me about charging and discharging of capacitors
a big and a small metal spheres are connected by a wire, which of this has the maximum electric potential on the surface.
3 capacitors 2nf,3nf,4nf are connected in parallel... what is the equivalent capacitance...and what is the potential difference across each capacitor if the EMF is 500v
equivalent capacitance is 9nf nd pd across each capacitor is 500v
santanu
four effect of heat on substances
why we can find a electric mirror image only in a infinite conducting....why not in finite conducting plate..?
because you can't fit the boundary conditions.
Jorge
what is the dimensions for VISCOUNSITY (U)
Branda
what is thermodynamics
the study of heat an other form of energy.
John
heat is internal kinetic energy of a body but it doesnt mean heat is energy contained in a body because heat means transfer of energy due to difference in temperature...and in thermo-dynamics we study cause, effect, application, laws, hypothesis and so on about above mentioned phenomenon in detail.
ing
It is abranch of physical chemistry which deals with the interconversion of all form of energy
Vishal
what is colamb,s law.?
it is a low studied the force between 2 charges F=q.q`\r.r
Mostafa
what is the formula of del in cylindrical, polar media
prove that the formula for the unknown resistor is Rx=R2 x R3 divided by R3,when Ig=0.