The Superposition Principle

 Consider four electric charges in a vacuum.

o Each pair of charges will interact with each other, and electrostatic force F are exerted between
these charges as they interact.
o Total forces—6 forces for the four electric charges
o Forces—vectors—=Add them—resultant force
o Resultant force—the sum of all the forces acting on a body.
 SUPERPOSITION PRINCIPLE—applies the addition of forces applied on a body
o Means the overall effect or net effect of the presence of electric
charges in a given system is equal to the individual effects of each pair
of charges in the system
o States that: individual electrostatic forces are added as vectors to
yield a single resultant vector.
o The figure is an application of the superposition principle.

 EXAMPLE
o Consider the following three-point charges arranged along the x-axis:
a. q1 has a charge of −8.0 μC and is located at x=-3.0 m
b. q2 carries a charge of 3.0 μC and is located at the origin
c. q3 has a charge of −4.0 μC and is located at x=3.0m
What is the overall force experienced by q2?
Illustration:

Solution:
The force between q1 and q2 is computed as follows:
k q 1 q2
⃗
F 1,2= 2
r
N ∙ m2
)|(−8.0 x 10 C)(3.0 x 10 C)|
9 −6 −6
(8.99 x 10 2
⃗ C
F 1,2=
(3.0 m)2
2
⃗ 0.21576 N ∙ m
F 1,2=
9.0 m2
⃗
F 1,2=0.0239733 N
⃗
F 1,2=0.024 N

The force between q2 and q3 is computed as follows:

k q1 q 2
⃗
F 2,3=
r2 ⃗
2 FE =¿ ⃗
F1,2 + ⃗
⃗ N ∙m
9 net F 2,3 ¿
F 2,3=(8.99 x 10 )¿ ¿
C2 ⃗
FE
⃗ 0.10788 N ∙ m2 net =¿−0.024 N+ 0.011 N ¿
F 2,3= 2
9.0 m ⃗
⃗ FE
F 2,3=0.011986 N net =¿−0.024 N+(−0.011 N )¿

⃗
F 2,3=0.011 N ⃗
FE =¿−0.035 N ¿
net

Note that both q1 and q3 will almost equally attract q2. This implies that q2 will be suspended at
the origin and will experience a net force (resultant force) of -0.04N.

General Physics 2
The Electric Field
 the area or field around a charge where the electrostatic force ⃗ F E can be experienced
o Test Charge—is a single charge whose behavior is measured or determined based on the presence of
external factors or stimuli.
 predict the behavior of the charges present in any location in space
 Physicists compute the value of an electric field because of its direct relation with electrostatic force
 Mathematically, the electric field can be computed using the equation:

o ⃗E = kQ
r
2
Where:
⃗
E −electric field in newton per coulomb
N/C
9 N ∙ m2
k—Coulomb’s constant, 8.99x10
C2
 Source charge—the charge from where the electric field comes from
 The equation for electric field here shows its relationship with electrostatic force, as follows:
F ⃗ Where:
o ⃗E = E ⃗
E −electric field in newton per coulomb
q
N/C
⃗
F E −electrostatic force in newton N
 An electric field is also a vector quantity
 It has the same direction as the electrostatic force exerted on an electric charge
 EXAMPLE
o Calculate the electric field that a test charge will experience on the following distances from the
source charge of +5.0 x 10−13 C .
 Distance from source charge: 2.04 x 10−3 m
Solution:
kQ
o ⃗
E= 2
r
2
N ∙m
9 −13
(8.99 x 10 )(5.0 x 10 C)
o ⃗
E=
C 2

(2.04 x 10−3 m)2

0.004495 N /C
o ⃗
E=
0.0000041616

o ⃗
E =1,080.1134 N/C

o ⃗
E =1,080 N/C

 EXAMPLE 2
o A charge of +3.0 x 10−8 C experiences an electrostatic force of 6.0 x 10−8 N .
Compute the force per coulomb that the charge experiences.
Solution: The force per coulomb of the charge or the associated electric field is
⃗
F
o ⃗
E= E
q
−8
⃗ 6.0 x 10 N
E=
+3.0 x 10−8 C
−8
⃗ 6.0 x 10 N
E= −8
+3.0 x 10 C

⃗
E =2 N /C

General Physics 2
General Physics 2