Electric Force, Field, and Potential unit test
A test on this unit alone, marked as a percentage and a letter grade — for the test your class is actually sitting, rather than for May. Answer everything, then submit once: seeing the answer to question 3 before attempting question 4 makes the final percentage meaningless.
Grounding
Polarization of a neutral object
Zero field with nonzero potential
Where the net field is zero
Charge concentrates at sharp points
Coulomb's law
Coulomb versus Newton
Electron-volt as an energy
Why the energy of a capacitor carries a factor of one half
Faraday cage
Charged particle released in a uniform field
Field line rules
Short answer 1. Define or explain: Where the topographic analogy breaks
3 ptsShort answer 2. Define or explain: Why equipotentials are perpendicular to field lines
3 ptsShort answer 3. Define or explain: The classic midpoint result
3 ptsShort answer 4. Define or explain: Conduction versus induction versus polarization
3 ptsFree response
8 ptsQUALITATIVE/QUANTITATIVE TRANSLATION (Question 4, 8 points). Equipotential lines for a region with an electric field are shown: from left to right they are labeled −3V0, −2V0, −V0, 0, +V0, and +2V0, with the +x-direction pointing right. Point S lies on the −2V0 equipotential and Point T on the +V0 equipotential. A small sphere (not shown) with positive charge +Q has initial speed vS in the +x-direction and kinetic energy KS at Point S. It moves to Point T, with the electric force the only force acting. At T it has speed vT and kinetic energy KT. For C: a new sphere of the same mass but negative charge −Q starts at S with the same initial speed vS in the +x-direction, again with only the electric force acting, and has kinetic energy Knew at T.
A. Indicate whether vT is greater than, less than, or equal to vS, and justify with conceptual reasoning beyond algebraic solutions.
B. Derive an expression for KT in terms of V0, Q, KS, and physical constants, as appropriate.
C. Indicate whether Knew is greater than, less than, or equal to KT, and briefly justify by referencing your derivation in part B.