Electric field: Electric field due to a point charge

What is a Point Charge?

A point charge is an entity or physical object with a certain imbalance in the number of electrons and protons, which gives it a positive or negative charge. 

Depending upon the positive or negative charge induced on the point object, electric field lines will form. These lines will generate an electric field that will create force. 

When we talk about an electric field due to a point charge, it could be defined as what the Coulomb Law defines as the electrostatic field charge force. When an electrically charged body comes in contact with another electrically charged body, it might generate a force of repulsion or attraction that is directly proportional to the product of the charges and will be inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Electric Field and Electric Charges 

To understand the concept of an electric field you must know how it works. You might have played with a magnet or may have used it for conducting basic experiments. You might have noticed that when a metallic body is placed at a specific distance, the magnet is unable to attract it. As soon as you enter the specific zone the magnet will automatically attract the body and pull it or push it away. 

The electric field follows a very similar concept. An electric field line for an electric field zone will attract another charge or repel another charge only up to a point where the electric field exists or contains the charge. This entire concept is based on the field lines from the charge.

While mentioning the exact extent of an electric field produced from a point charge, you must mention the concept of electric field lines associated with the production of the electric field.

Electric fields due to a charge will always be directed according to the charge. Hence, if a body is introduced in the electric field, it will experience a force in the same direction towards which the charge is directing it to. 

What is the difference between electric fields produced by charge and by group of charges? 

The electric field produced by a single charge is very different from that produced by a group of charges. Group of charges produces an electric field in specific vector forms. On the other hand there would be no such resultant vector form problem related to the single charge electric field. 

Some of the major characteristics of these electric field lines due to a point charge are:

1. Electric field lines originate from a positive charge to a negative charge.
2. The electric field lines will always be perpendicularly originating from the surface and will end at the surface perpendicular to it.
3. There cannot be any intercrossing or interlinking of two electric field lines.
4. The electric field lines are the ones that will decide the force of the intensity produced by these charges. The closer the electric field line gets, the stronger the force becomes.

Coulomb’s Law of the Electric Field

Coulomb was the scientist who gave the law regarding electrostatic force generated by two charged bodies. He also found a way to calculate the electric field produced by a particular charge at a specific point. 

He defines electric field to be directly proportional to the charge on the body and it would be inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the body to the point where the electric field is being measured.

Points affecting the electric field by a single charge

The electric field at a point produced by a single charge could be affected in various ways. The most common way will be to interfere with the field charge and make it move. Once the charge gets in motion the electric field can get easily distorted. 

Law of Electric Charges

According to the law of electric charges, the electric field produced by a certain charge or unit charge will always repel like charges; and attract unlike charges. To be precise, two negative charges will always repel each other, whereas a positive and a negative charge will attract each other.

This law also states that when two differently charged bodies are brought together, there will be an equal distribution of the charges until and unless they gain the same potential. 

Conclusion

In this article, we have mentioned the magnitude of the electric field and other points related to a point charge. Electric Fields are special field line forces that determine the extent of the force of the charge.