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===== Patterns in the Electric Field ===== | ===== Patterns in the Electric Field ===== | ||
+ | In the last page of notes, we talked about two different examples of distributions of charges (both spheres and cylinders) for both conducting materials and insulating materials. It is worth highlighting some common features and patterns of fields for these larger shapes. | ||
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+ | **Direction of Electric Field** | ||
+ | * Electric field should point radially away (for a positive charge) or toward (for a negative charge) a sphere | ||
+ | * Electric field should point radially away (for a positive charge) or toward (for a negative charge) a cylinder - //except near the ends// | ||
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+ | **Magnitude of Electric Field** | ||
+ | * If you are looking for the electric field **outside** the object with a simple shape (sphere, cylinder), **it doesn' | ||
+ | * If you are looking for the electric field inside a conductor, it will always be zero (no matter what the shape). | ||
+ | * If you are looking for the electric field inside an insulator, it will likely be non-zero (expect perhaps in the very center for certain cases). | ||
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+ | **Where charges are located** | ||
+ | * Charges move to the surface of conductors - there is not net charge inside the conductor (the atoms are still there, but they are neutral). | ||
+ | * Charges stay where they are placed on insulators - it is possible to have net charge in inside an insulator. | ||
- | | + | **Approximations** |
- | | + | * If you are looking for the field outside of a sphere |
- | * Electric | + | * If you are looking for the field outside of a cylinder |
- | * Electric | + |