What is the unit of intensity of the electric field?
2 Answers
The unit of the intensity of the electric field is the volt per meter (V/m).
To understand this, let's break it down:
1. **Electric Field Intensity**: This is a measure of the force experienced by a unit positive charge placed in an electric field. In simpler terms, it tells us how strong the electric field is at a particular point.
2. **Definition**: The electric field intensity \( \mathbf{E} \) is defined as the force \( \mathbf{F} \) experienced by a small positive test charge \( q \) divided by the magnitude of the charge:
\[
\mathbf{E} = \frac{\mathbf{F}}{q}
\]
3. **Units**:
- **Force** (in the International System of Units) is measured in newtons (N).
- **Charge** is measured in coulombs (C).
Therefore, the unit of electric field intensity is:
\[
\frac{\text{N}}{\text{C}} \text{ (Newtons per Coulomb)}
\]
4. **Volt per Meter**:
The electric field intensity can also be expressed in terms of volts per meter (V/m). This comes from the relationship between electric potential (voltage) and electric field. Electric field intensity \( \mathbf{E} \) is related to the electric potential \( V \) by:
\[
\mathbf{E} = -\frac{\Delta V}{\Delta x}
\]
where \( \Delta V \) is the change in electric potential (voltage) and \( \Delta x \) is the distance over which the potential changes. Since voltage is measured in volts (V) and distance in meters (m), this simplifies to:
\[
\mathbf{E} = \frac{\text{V}}{\text{m}}
\]
Hence, the unit of electric field intensity is also volts per meter (V/m).
In summary, while electric field intensity is fundamentally measured in newtons per coulomb (N/C), it is commonly expressed in volts per meter (V/m) due to the relationship with electric potential.
To understand this, let's break it down:
1. **Electric Field Intensity**: This is a measure of the force experienced by a unit positive charge placed in an electric field. In simpler terms, it tells us how strong the electric field is at a particular point.
2. **Definition**: The electric field intensity \( \mathbf{E} \) is defined as the force \( \mathbf{F} \) experienced by a small positive test charge \( q \) divided by the magnitude of the charge:
\[
\mathbf{E} = \frac{\mathbf{F}}{q}
\]
3. **Units**:
- **Force** (in the International System of Units) is measured in newtons (N).
- **Charge** is measured in coulombs (C).
Therefore, the unit of electric field intensity is:
\[
\frac{\text{N}}{\text{C}} \text{ (Newtons per Coulomb)}
\]
4. **Volt per Meter**:
The electric field intensity can also be expressed in terms of volts per meter (V/m). This comes from the relationship between electric potential (voltage) and electric field. Electric field intensity \( \mathbf{E} \) is related to the electric potential \( V \) by:
\[
\mathbf{E} = -\frac{\Delta V}{\Delta x}
\]
where \( \Delta V \) is the change in electric potential (voltage) and \( \Delta x \) is the distance over which the potential changes. Since voltage is measured in volts (V) and distance in meters (m), this simplifies to:
\[
\mathbf{E} = \frac{\text{V}}{\text{m}}
\]
Hence, the unit of electric field intensity is also volts per meter (V/m).
In summary, while electric field intensity is fundamentally measured in newtons per coulomb (N/C), it is commonly expressed in volts per meter (V/m) due to the relationship with electric potential.
The unit of intensity of the electric field is the **volt per meter (V/m)**. This unit measures the strength of the electric field, indicating how much voltage difference exists between two points in a meter of space.
To break it down:
- **Volt (V)** is the unit of electric potential.
- **Meter (m)** is the unit of distance.
So, when you see an electric field intensity of, say, 100 V/m, it means there is a voltage difference of 100 volts between two points that are one meter apart in the electric field.
To break it down:
- **Volt (V)** is the unit of electric potential.
- **Meter (m)** is the unit of distance.
So, when you see an electric field intensity of, say, 100 V/m, it means there is a voltage difference of 100 volts between two points that are one meter apart in the electric field.