Electric Field -- Potential between the ends of a 2 meter stick

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
6 replies · 2K views
Fikremariam
Messages
5
Reaction score
12
Homework Statement
The potential difference between the ends of a 2 meter stick that is parallel to a uniform electric field is 300V determine the magnitude of the electric field
Relevant Equations
E=F/q
E=K q/r square
I tried to find the charge from the formula v=k q/r and apply it to find the field but couldn't be sure
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Fikremariam said:
Homework Statement:: The potential difference between the ends of a 2 meter stick that is parallel to a uniform electric field is 300V determine the magnitude of the electric field
Relevant Equations:: E=F/q
E=K q/r square

I tried to find the charge from the formula v=k q/r and apply it to find the field but couldn't be sure
In the formulas, ##E = kq/r^2## and ##V=kq/r##, what does the variable ##r## represent? Be specific.
 
More specifically, the distance from a point charge. In this problem, you're told there's a uniform field—that is constant magnitude and constant direction. Is the field of a point charge uniform?
 
But you can figure it out. Look at the formula for ##E##. If you plug in different values for ##r##, you don't get the same number, i.e., the magnitude changes with distance, so the field of a point charge isn't uniform. That means the formulas that apply to a point charge probably aren't useful for this problem.

I'm guessing you feel a bit overwhelmed by the many formulas for the electric field, potential energy, electric potential that you've encountered recently. It might be a good idea to write them all down on a piece of paper and note when each formula is applicable. I suggest this for two reasons: (1) when you do this, you'll probably see there aren't as many formulas as you thought there were, so the topic will seem more manageable; and (2) it's helpful to have this sheet when you're working on homework.

In this problem, you're looking for a relationship between ##\Delta V## and ##E## when ##\vec E## is uniform. Try checking the chapter summary for such a relationship.