Applied Physics

(Computer Science Department)

Lecture – 04

Electric Fields

Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh

BE(Electrical Engineering[Power]) & ME(Electrical Engineering[Power Systems])
Lab-Engineer
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Sukkur IBA University

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 1

 Agenda

• The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 2

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

• Figure 22-8 shows the pattern of electric field lines for

two particles that have the same charge magnitude q but
opposite signs, a very common and important
arrangement known as an electric dipole.

• Meaning of Dipole:

• A pair of equal and oppositely charged or magnetized

poles separated by a distance.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 3

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

• The particles are separated by distance d and lie along the dipole axis, an
axis of symmetry around which you can imagine rotating the pattern in
Fig.

• Here we restrict our interest to the magnitude and direction of the electric
field at an arbitrary point P along the dipole axis, at distance z from the
dipole’s midpoint.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 4

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

• Figure 22-9 shows the electric fields set up at P by each particle.

• The nearer particle with charge +q sets up field E(+) in the positive
direction (directly away from the particle).

• The farther particle with charge -q sets up a smaller field E(-) in the
negative direction (directly toward the particle).

• We want the net field at P.

• However, because the field vectors area long the same axis, let’s simply
indicate the vector directions with plus and minus signs, as we
commonly do with forces along a single axis.

• Then we can write the magnitude of the net field at P as

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 5

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

• Then we can write the magnitude of the net field at P as

1 𝑞
𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀 0 (𝑟 )2
• The total electric field at point P is calculated using the superposition
principle of the electric field.

𝐸 = 𝐸 ¿¿

𝐸 ¿¿
1 𝑞
𝐸 ( −)=−
4 𝜋 𝜀0 1
2
(𝑧 + 𝑑)
2

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 6

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

𝐸 = 𝐸 ¿¿

[ ]
1 𝑞 𝑞
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0 1 2
1 2
( 𝑧 − 𝑑) ( 𝑧 + 𝑑)
2 2

[ ]
𝑞 1 1

( )
𝟐 𝟐
𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝟐
−
1 (𝒛 −
𝟏 𝟐 𝒅
(𝒛 −
𝟏
𝒅) (𝑧 + 𝑑) 𝟐
2
𝒅) =𝒛 𝟏−
𝟐 2 𝟐𝒛

[ ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0 2 𝑑 2 2 𝑑 2
𝑧 (1 − ) 𝑧 (1+ )
2𝑧 2𝑧
Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 7
 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

[ ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0 2 𝑑 2 2 𝑑 2
𝑧 (1 − ) 𝑧 (1+ )
2𝑧 2𝑧

[ ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2 𝒅 𝟐 𝒅 𝟐
(𝟏 − ) (𝟏+ )
𝟐𝒛 𝟐𝒛

Taking common

[ ]
𝑑 2 𝑑 2
(1+ ) − (1 − )
𝑞 2𝑧 2𝑧
𝐸= 2 2 2
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 𝑑 𝑑
(1 − ) ( 1+ )
2𝑧 2𝑧

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 8

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

[[ ]
2 2
𝑑 𝑑
(1+ ) − (1 − )
𝑞 2𝑧 2𝑧
𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2
]
2
𝑑 𝑑
(1 − )(1+ )
2𝑧 2𝑧

[[ ]]
2𝑑
𝑞 𝑧
𝐸= 2
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2 2
1+
𝑑
−
𝑑
2𝑧 2𝑧
−
𝑑
2𝑧 ( )

[[ ] ]
2𝑑
𝑞 𝑧
𝐸= 2 2
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
( )
2
𝑑
1−
2𝑧

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 9

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

[[ ]
2𝑑
𝑞 𝑧
𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2
]
2

( )
2
𝑑
1−
2𝑧

[[ ]
𝑞 𝑑
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 3
]
2

( )
2
𝑑
1−
2𝑧

• We are usually interested in the electrical effect of a dipole only at distances that are
large compared with the dimensions of the dipole—that is, at distances such that z >> d.

• At such large distances, we have d/2z << 1 or ~ 0

• Thus, in our approximation, we can neglect the d/2z term in the denominator, which
leaves us with

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 10

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

1 𝑑𝑞
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 3
• The product qd, which involves the two intrinsic properties q and d of the dipole, is the
magnitude p of a vector quantity known as the electric dipole moment of the dipole.
(The unit p of is the coulomb-meter.)
1 𝑝
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
3

• The direction of is taken to be from the negative to the

positive end of the dipole, as indicated in Fig. 22-9.

• We can use the direction of to specify the orientation of a

dipole.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 11

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

1 𝑑𝑞
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 3

• Equation shows that, if we measure the electric field of a dipole only at distant points, we
can never find q and d separately; instead, we can find only their product.

• The field at distant points would be unchanged if, for example, q were doubled and d
simultaneously halved.

• Although Eq holds only for distant points along the dipole axis, it turns out that E for a
dipole varies as for all distant points, regardless of whether they lie on the dipole axis; here
r is the distance between the point in question and the dipole center.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 12

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

1 𝑑𝑞
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 3
• Inspection of Fig. shows that the direction of E for distant points on the dipole axis is
always the direction of the dipole moment vector .

• This is true whether point P in Fig. is on the upper or the lower part of the dipole axis.

• Inspection of Eq. shows that if you double the distance of a point from a dipole, the
electric field at the point drops by a factor of 8.

• If you double the distance from a single point charge, however (see Eq. 22-3), the electric
field drops only by a factor of 4.

• Thus the electric field of a dipole decreases more rapidly with distance than does the
electric field of a single charge.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 13

 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole

1 𝑑𝑞
𝐸=
2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 3

• The physical reason for this rapid decrease in electric field for a dipole is that from distant
points a dipole looks like two particles that almost—but not quite—coincide.

• Thus, because they have charges of equal magnitude but opposite signs, their electric fields
at distant points almost—but not quite—cancel each other.

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 14

 Thank You
(Questions Are Welcome)

Lecture – 04 Engr. Muhammad Fawad Shaikh Applied Physics 15