AP Physics 2 : Electricity and Magnetism

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Physics 2

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Electric Fields

Electric field problem

In the diagram above, where is the electric field due to the two charges zero?

Possible Answers:

 to the right of 

 to the right of 

 to the left of 

There is no point where the electric field is zero

 to the left of 

Correct answer:

 to the right of 

Explanation:

Electric field is a vector. In between the charges is where 's field points right and 's field points left, so somewhere in between, the two vectors will add to zero. It will be closer to the weaker charge, , but since field depends on the inverse-square of the distance, it will not be linear, and we'll have to do some math.

First set the magnitudes of the two fields equal to each other. The vectors point in opposite directions, so when their magnitudes are equal, the vector sum is zero.

Many of the terms cancel, making it a bit easier. Now cross multiply and solve the quadratic:

Example Question #3 : Electric Fields

Coloumbs law for varsity

If charge  has a value of , charge  has a value of, and  is equal to , what will be the magnitude of the force experienced by charge ?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Using coulombs law to solve

 Where:

 it the first charge, in coulombs.

 is the second charge, in coulombs.

 is the distance between them, in meters

 is the constant of 

Converting  into 

Plugging values into coulombs law

Magnitude will be the absolute value

Example Question #2 : Electric Fields

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Using the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in

is the distance, in .

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #18 : Electrostatics

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of 

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to ?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Using the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in

is the distance, in .

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #1 : Electric Fields

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of 

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in

is the distance, in .

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #2 : Electric Fields

What is the electric field strength of a stationary 30C charge at a distance of 80cm away?

Possible Answers:

 pointing towards the source charge

 pointing towards the source charge

 pointing away from the source charge

 pointing away from the source charge

Correct answer:

 pointing away from the source charge

Explanation:

To solve this question, we need to recall the equation for electric field strength.

Notice that the equation above represents an inverse square relationship between the electric field and the distance between the source charge and the point of space that we are interested in.

Plug in the values given in the question stem to calculate the magnitude of the electric field.

Now that we have determined the magnitude of the electric field, we need to identify which direction it is pointing with respect to the source charge. To do this, we'll need to remember that electric fields point away from positive charges and towards negative charges. Therefore, since our source charge is positive, the electric field will be pointing away from the source charge.

Example Question #21 : Electrostatics

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of 

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in Coulombs

is the distance, in meters.

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #22 : Electrostatics

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to ?

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in Coulombs

is the distance, in meters.

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #11 : Electric Fields

Coloumbs law for varsity

Charge has a charge of 

Charge  has a charge of 

The distance between their centers, is .

What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of due to

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Use the electric field equation:

Where is 

is the charge, in Coulombs

is the distance, in meters.

Convert  to and plug in values:

Magnitude is equivalent to absolute value:

Example Question #24 : Electrostatics

Charge A and B are  apart. If charge A has a charge of  and a mass of , charge B has a charge of  and a mass of , determine the electric field at A due to B.

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Using electric field formula:

Converting to , to and plugging in values:

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