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Electric Field Concepts and Problems

The document contains a series of questions related to electric fields, point charges, and electric potential, designed for physics examination practice. It includes multiple-choice questions, diagrams for analysis, and open-ended questions requiring explanations about the properties of conductors and insulators. The questions cover concepts such as electric field strength, charge interactions, and the behavior of charged particles in electric fields.

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kleonsmith6
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17 views9 pages

Electric Field Concepts and Problems

The document contains a series of questions related to electric fields, point charges, and electric potential, designed for physics examination practice. It includes multiple-choice questions, diagrams for analysis, and open-ended questions requiring explanations about the properties of conductors and insulators. The questions cover concepts such as electric field strength, charge interactions, and the behavior of charged particles in electric fields.

Uploaded by

kleonsmith6
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Past Papers Electric Field

1. A positively charged particle follows a circular path as shown below.

Which of the following electric fields could have caused the charged particle to follow the above path?

(Total 1 mark)

2. Two isolated point charges, –7 μC and +2 μC, are at a fixed distance apart. At which point is it possible for the
electric field strength to be zero?

(not to scale)
(Total 1 mark)

3. The diagram below shows a uniform electric field of strength E. The field is in a vacuum.

IB Questionbank Physics 1
An electron enters the field with a velocity v in the direction shown. The electron is moving in the plane of the
paper. The path followed by the electron will be

A. parabolic.

B. in the direction of E.

C. in the direction of v.

D. circular.
(Total 1 mark)

4. Three positive point charges of equal magnitude are held at the corners X, Y and Z of a right-angled triangle.
The point P is at the midpoint of XY. Which of the arrows shows the direction of the electric field at point P?

(Total 1 mark)

5. The radius of a charged spherical conductor is R. Which of the following graphs best shows how the magnitude
of the electrical field strength E varies with distance r from the centre of the sphere?

IB Questionbank Physics 2
(Total 1 mark)

6. Which of the following gives the acceleration of an electron of electric charge e and mass m in a uniform
electric field of strength E?

A. E

B. Ee

Ee
C.
m

m
D.
Ee
(Total 1 mark)

7. Which arrangement of three point charges at the corner of an equilateral triangle will result in a zero electric
field strength at the centre of the triangle, point P?

IB Questionbank Physics 3
(Total 1 mark)

8. Which diagram best represents the electric field due to a negatively charged conducting sphere?

(Total 1 mark)

9. Four point charges of magnitudes +q, +q, –q, and –q are held in place at the corners of a square of side r.

IB Questionbank Physics 4
The Coulomb constant is k. Which of the following is the electrical potential at the centre of the square O?

A. 0

4kq
B.
r

4kq 2
C.
r

 4kq 2
D.
r2
(Total 1 mark)

10. A test charge is a

A. charged object with a very small mass.

B. charged object with a very small charge.

C. point charge which has no effect on the electric field in which it is placed.

D. point charge which slightly changes the electric field in which it is placed.
(Total 1 mark)

11. The electric field strength at a point may be defined as

A. the force exerted on unit positive charge placed at that point.

B. the force per unit positive charge on a small test charge placed at that point.

C. the work done on unit positive charge to move the charge to that point from infinity.

D. the work done per unit positive charge to move a small test charge to that point from infinity.
(Total 1 mark)

12. This question is about electric charge.

(a) A plastic rod XY is held at end X. The end Y is rubbed with a piece of cloth and, as a result, the end Y
becomes electrically charged.

The procedure is now repeated using a copper rod and it is found that the copper rod remains electrically
neutral. Explain these observations in terms of the properties of conductors and insulators.

......................................................................................................................................

IB Questionbank Physics 5
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......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

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......................................................................................................................................
(5)

(b) Two plastic rods each have a positive charge +q situated at one end. The rods are arranged as shown.

Assume that the charge at the end of each rod behaves as a point charge. Draw, in the shaded area on the
diagram, the electric field pattern due to the two charges.
(2)
(Total 7 marks)

13. This question is about electric and gravitational fields

(a) State, in terms of electrons, the difference between a conductor and an insulator.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 6
(b) Suggest why there must be an electric field inside a current-carrying conductor.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(3)

(c) The magnitude of the electric field strength inside a conductor is 55 N C–1. Calculate the force on a free
electron in the conductor.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(1)

(d) The electric force between two point charges is a fundamental force as is the gravitational force between
two point masses. State one similarity between these two forces and one difference (other than the fact
that one applies to charge and the other to mass).

Similarity: ...................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

Difference: ..................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 7 marks)

14. This question is about a lightning discharge.

(a) Define electric field strength.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) A thundercloud can be modelled as a negatively charged plate that is parallel to the ground.

IB Questionbank Physics 7
The magnitude of the charge on the plate increases due to processes in the atmosphere. Eventually a
current discharges from the thundercloud to the ground.

On the diagram, draw the electric field pattern between the thundercloud base and the ground.
(3)

(c) The current discharges when the magnitude of the electric field between the ground and the thundercloud
base is 0.33 MN C–1. The thundercloud base is 750 m above the ground.

(i) Calculate, just before discharge, the potential difference between the thundercloud base and the
ground.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(3)

(ii) The potential difference V, between the thundercloud base and the ground, is given by

Qd
V=
A 0

where Q is the charge on the thundercloud base, A is the area of the base, and d is the distance
between the base and the ground. The area of the base is 1.2 × 107 m2.

Calculate, just before discharge, the charge on the base of the thundercloud.

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 8
(iii) Determine the energy released in the discharge.

...........................................................................................................................

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...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................
(4)
(Total 14 marks)
15. This question is about electric fields and electric circuits.

(a) Two parallel, charged metal plates A and B are in a vacuum.

At a particular instant an electron is at point P.

On the diagram, draw

(i) the electric field pattern due to the plates.


(3)

(ii) an arrow to represent the direction of the force on the electron at P.


(1)

(b) The acceleration of the electron at P is 8.8 × 1014 m s–2. Determine the magnitude of the electric field
strength at the point P.

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 9

Common questions

Powered by AI

An electron entering a uniform electric field with a velocity perpendicular to the field direction will follow a parabolic path. This occurs because the electric field exerts a constant force on the electron, causing it to experience uniform acceleration perpendicular to its initial velocity, much like projectile motion in a gravitational field .

The graph of electric field strength E versus distance from the center of a charged spherical conductor shows that inside the sphere (r < R), the electric field is zero. Outside the sphere (r > R), the electric field strength decreases with the square of the distance, following the inverse square law. This behavior results because the sphere's charge can be considered to be concentrated at the center for points outside the sphere .

For the electric field strength to be zero at some point between two point charges, the magnitudes and distances of the charges must create a scenario where the electric fields they individually produce cancel each other out. This usually happens along the line joining the two charges, often closer to the smaller charge if the charges have different magnitudes .

Within a uniformly charged conducting sphere, the electric field is zero because the charges distribute evenly over the surface, canceling out inside. Outside the sphere, the electric field decreases with the square of the distance from the center, acting as if the entire charge is concentrated at the center of the sphere, thereby obeying the inverse square law .

The potential difference between two parallel charged plates can be calculated by multiplying the electric field strength by the separation distance between the plates, as shown by the formula V = Ed, where V is the potential difference, E is the electric field strength, and d is the distance. Just before discharge, this calculation accounts for the maximum potential difference sustained by the field .

An electric field must exist inside a current-carrying conductor to maintain the flow of charge carriers, typically electrons. This field exerts a force on the charge carriers, accelerating them in the direction of the electric field and ensuring that a steady current flows through the conductor. Without an electric field, the movement of charges would cease, halting the current .

The electric force between two point charges can be either attractive or repulsive depending on the charges' signs, while the gravitational force between two masses is always attractive. This difference arises because charges can be positive or negative, allowing for repulsion when like charges are involved, whereas mass is always positive in the context of gravity .

A copper rod remains electrically neutral when rubbed because copper is a conductor, which means it allows electrons to move freely throughout the material. When rubbed, any charge imbalance is quickly neutralized by the movement of electrons. In contrast, a plastic rod, which is an insulator, does not allow such free movement of electrons, thus the charge imbalance remains localized where the rubbing occurred, resulting in a net charge on the plastic rod .

Rubbing a plastic rod with a cloth transfers electrons between the materials due to friction, creating a net charge. This charge remains on the plastic rod because it is an insulator, meaning it does not allow free movement of electrons to neutralize the charge over the entire surface or to the ground. This retention of charge is a key insulating property of the plastic .

The acceleration a of an electron in a uniform electric field E is determined by the equation a = eE/m, where e is the electron charge and m is the electron mass. This equation arises from Newton's second law F = ma, where the force F on the electron in the field E is equal to eE .

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