the strength of the electric field is dependent on:
1) how charged the object creating the field is
2) the distance of separation from the charged object
Electric Field Strength = Force/Charge
magnitude of the electric field is simply defined as the force per charge on the test charge (q)
E = F/q; unit is Newton/Couloumb (N/C)
the electric field strength is ___ dependent upon the quantity of charge on the test charge
NOT; increasing the amount of charge on the test charge would increase the denominator of the equation;
-According to Coulomb's law, more charge also means more electric force (F)
-So any increase in q would be accompanied by an increase in F
-As the denominator in the equation increases by a factor, the numerator increases by the SAME factor
-The two changes offset each other
Coulomb's Law
F = k * q * Q/R2
-the electrical force between two charged objects is directly proportional to the product of the quantity of charge on the objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two objects
electric field lines
point in the direction that a positive test charge would accelerate if placed upon the patterns of lines
the electrical force is strongest when:
two charges are closest together
-DECREASING the separation distance INCREASES the force
-the magnitude of the force and the distance between the two balloons is inversely related