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jaredvert
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With respect to 1/r^2 since the force decreases ? What does a uniform electric field mean then?
So you mean point particles or spheres right? So a parallel plate wouldn't be 1/r^2 dependence right?Simon Bridge said:A uniform electric field means that the force does not depend on position.
The inverse-square law is only for a spherically symmetric charge distribution - you can arrange the charges into other shapes.
Yeah I'm in high school physics and now that I think about it we derived the equations for these and i do remember two parallel plates not depending on r at all. That makes perfect sense! Thank you. I was also hoping. You could elucidate the topic of voltage as well? In my book it says a conducting sphere has voltage equal to 4pi epsilon times 1/radius of sphere relative to infinity. Well I get the infinity part but I'm wondering why the generic "r" is equal to the radius of the sphere? I mean wouldn't it have to be infinity minus r (which is just infinity and therefore makes the voltage 0?). Basically if you take it relative to infinity and you know of no other charges then how does it have voltage? Thanks for the helpSimon Bridge said:That is correct - at long ranges quite a few things look like spheres.
A long line of charges has a field that falls off as 1/r and a flat sheet has a constant field that switches sign at the sheet position. 2 parallel plates, opposite charge, have a uniform field between the plates but zero outside... and so on.
Fields can get much more complicated.
The field due to two or more charged spheres does different things in different directions.
... and there are more shapes than those to choose from.
If you are doing an electrostatics course you will get to calculate some of the fields for simpler distributions of charge.
Yes, an electric field can change over time. Electric fields are created by the presence of electric charges, and as these charges move or are affected by other forces, the electric field can change in strength and direction.
2.No, an electric field in a stationary object will not change unless an external force or energy is applied. This is because the charges in the object are not moving, so the electric field they create remains constant.
3.An electric field can change due to a variety of factors, including the movement of electric charges, the presence of other electric charges, and changes in the distance between charges. Additionally, external forces such as applied electric or magnetic fields can also cause changes in an electric field.
4.The strength of an electric field can change, but it is not always the case. In some situations, the strength of an electric field may remain constant if there are no changes in the factors that affect it, such as the position or movement of electric charges.
5.Yes, an electric field can change direction. This can occur when the electric charges in the field are affected by external forces, or when the charges themselves move or change position. The direction of an electric field is determined by the direction in which positive charges would move if placed in the field.