What would happen to a charge that is placed in an Electric Field = 0?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
5 replies · 1K views
BickySmalls
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
If a charge was placed inside an electric field, where the electric field was equal to zero, what effect would the charge have?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If the particle with mass and charge is placed in a region with no electric field and no gravitational field, the particle would just stay where it is placed, ie. nothing would happen to the particle.

If the particle is placed in a region with a gravitational field but no electric field, the particle would accelerate due to the influence of gravity, which would cause the particle to radiate electromagnetic waves.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: vanhees71, sophiecentaur and davenn
BickySmalls said:
If a charge was placed inside an electric field, where the electric field was equal to zero
electric field has value everywhere every time.
usually placing a charge inside an electric field would mean moving it to some place at sime time where electric field is not 0. I do not not understand what you mean by placing a charge inside an electric field where the electric field is equal to zero.
electric field apllies no force to body that is in place where electric field is 0.
 
BickySmalls said:
If a charge was placed inside an electric field, where the electric field was equal to zero,

Do you mean placed in a region where the electric field is zero? It would experience no electric force.
 
It would superimpose its own electrostatic field on the zero field which would have otherwise been present.

The act of moving the charge to this position would, of course, have the effect of superimposing transient electromagnetic waves on the pre-existing zero field in the region.
 
Relative motion is a thing. If a charge accelerates towards a stationary charge, they will both experience a force due to that 'exchanged' EM wave.