Chapter 21, Problem 55A

To determine

To Explain: The way strength of an electric field changes when the magnitude of test charge is halved.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Electric field strength can be obtained by:

$E=\frac{V}{d}$

Here, V is the electrostatic potential difference and d is the distance between plates.

Also, $E=\frac{kQ}{d^2}$

Here, Q is the charge, k is the Coulomb’s constant and d is the distance between the charge and location where electric field is to be determined.

An electrostatic field is a region around a charge where a test charge experiences an electrostatic force. The strength of the field depends on the charge and not on the test charge. Electric field is also generated when a potential difference is applied across two ends. Thus, when the magnitude of the test charge is halved, there would be no effect on the strength of the electric field.

Conclusion:

Thus, there is no effect on the strength of the electric field if the magnitude of the test charge is altered.