Charged Particle in Electric Field

A charged particle is any object that has gained or lost electrons. Positively charged particles and negatively charged particles are the two primary forms of charged particles. Cations are positively charged particles, whereas anions are negatively charged particles. Objects like paper, comb, and straw can attract other objects while rubbing. Rubbing can change the properties of these objects and turn them into charged objects having charged particles, which attracts other particles. Let’s look at a basic task to see how this works. Just take a piece of paper and cut it into small pieces. Now iron them and put them in front of the TV or monitor screen. You will notice that these ironed pieces of paper are attracted to the monitor or TV screen for a while. This little activity proves that some particles can be activated into charged particles. To understand the outcome of charged particles in an electric field, we have to understand the concept and assumptions. 

What is an Electric field?

•   An electric field is a force exerted between two pieces of metal or other material connected by an electric wire. An electric field causes the charged particles (like electrons) in the wire to move towards the positive end of the wire.
•     The electric fields created by a battery are typically tiny. However, they can be compelling. Charged particles in electric fields can be attracted to the field and can be accelerated to high speeds. This is why it is important to keep your batteries clean – if the battery contains lots of dirty particles, the electric fields will attract them and will accelerate them towards the terminals.
•     Some common sources of electric fields include electrical currents, magnets, and charged particles (such as electrons or ions).

Properties of Charged Particles in Electric Field (EF)

Charged particles have unique properties that make them exciting objects to study. They can be used to create smaller, more efficient, and more powerful devices than those created using uncharged particles. These five properties provide a basic understanding of charged particles and their behaviour.

Charge Density – The charge density of a charged particle is the number of charges per unit volume.

Electric Field – The electric field is a force that attracts charges towards each other. It is measured in units of volts per metre (V/m).

Magnetism – Magnetism is the ability of charged particles to attract and repel each other. It is measured in units of magnetism (A/m).

Circular Motion – The particles move around a centre point in a circular motion, much like a spinning top. The force of an electric field causes this motion.

Stability: The stability of charged particles is due to their collective behaviour. The particles will remain together in a stable configuration as long as the electric field persists.

All these above properties are essential to note when studying charge behaviour in an electric field.

Charged Particle In Electric Field Examples

There are some examples by which you can easily understand the concept of charged particles in EF (Electric field) –

•   One example of this is how charged particles interact with electric fields. When a charged particle is placed in an electric field, it will experience the Coulomb force. This force is responsible for holding the charged particle together and explains why objects close to each other tend to attract each other.
•   Rubbing a balloon can activate its charges, and because of this capacity, the balloon can easily adhere to the walls. On the other hand, when a similar rubbed balloon is put close to a previously rubbed balloon, both will repel and fly in just opposite directions. This example proves that charged particles of the same charges will repel in EF.
•   Electric fields can be used to generate power by causing currents of electricity to flow through wires or other conductors. This is done by creating an electric field that causes the electrons in the wire to move around.

Movement of Charged Particles In An Electric Field

When you have a charged particle moving in an electric field, the force is always in the direction of the electric field. This is why if you hold a metal object up to an electric wire, the metal will get pushed towards the positive end of the wire. This is because the electric field pushes the charged particles in the metal towards the positive end of the wire.

Every charged particle as well as charged item, receives a force in an electric field. If that force is in non-balance form, it will create movement in the object and start moving in an electric field.

There are implications that you need to note:

When placed in the electric field, the charged particle always feels the force, and it doesn’t matter that charged particles are in a moving state or in a resting state. The force can be denoted by –

F = qE

Where,

F = force acting on the charged particle,

q = charges on the particles, or you can say charged particles

E = electric field

Anyone can quickly identify the direction of force by looking at the charge value. If the particle is positively charged, then the acting force is parallel to the electric field. If the molecule is negatively charged, the acted force is inverse to the electric field[2].

For positively charged particles, F = EF (Force direction is parallel)

For negatively charged particles, F = EF (Force direction is opposite to the field)

Conclusion

The study of charged particles in an electric field can be pretty exciting. Positively charged particles and negatively charged particles are the two primary forms of charged particles. Cations are positively charged particles, whereas anions are negatively charged particles. A charged particle in an electric field will experience various effects depending on the charge and location. Additionally, the effects of a charged particle in the electric field greatly depend on the surrounding electric field. Electric fields are essential in many aspects of physics as they can be used to create force, attract electrons, and more.