EKT 241/4:

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA PERLIS

ELECTROMAGNETIC
THEORY

CHAPTER 3 ELECTROSTATICS

PREPARED BY: NORDIANA MOHAMAD SAAID

dianams@unimap.edu.my1
 Chapter Outline
Maxwells Equations
Charge and Current Distributions
Coulombs Law
Gausss Law
Electric Scalar Potential
Electrical Properties of Materials
Conductors & Dielectrics
Electric Boundary Conditions
Capacitance
Electrostatic Potential Energy
Image Method 2
 Maxwells equations
Maxwells equations:

D v Where;
B
E E = electric field intensity
t D = electric flux density
B 0 v = electric charge density
per unit volume
D
H J H = magnetic field intensity
t B = magnetic flux density
3
 Maxwells equations
Maxwells equations:
Relationship:
D v D=E
B B=H
E
t
B 0 = electrical permittivity of
the material
D
H J = magnetic permeability
t of the material

4
 Maxwells equations
For static case, /t = 0.
Maxwells equations is reduced to:

Electrostatics Magnetostatics

D v B 0
E 0 H J
5
Charge and current distributions
Charge may be distributed over a volume,
a surface or a line.
Electric field due to continuous charge
distributions:

6
Charge and current distributions

Volume charge Total charge Q

density, v is defined contained in
as: a volume V is:

v lim
q dq
C/m 3 Q v dV C
v 0 v dv v

7
Charge and current distributions

Surface charge Total charge Q on

density a surface:

s lim
q dq
C/m 2 Q S dS C
s 0 s ds S

8
Charge and current distributions

Line charge Total charge Q

density along a line

l lim
q dq
C/m Q l dl C
l 0 l dl l

9
 Example 1
Calculate the total charge Q contained in a
cylindrical tube of charge oriented along the z-
axis. The line charge density is l 2 z ,
where z is the distance in meters from the
bottom end of the tube. The tube length is 10
cm.

10
 Solution to Example 1
The total charge Q is:

dz 2 zdz z
0.1 0.1
2 0.1
Q l 0 0.01 C
0 0

11
 Example 2
Find the total charge
over the volume with
volume charge density:

10 5 z
V 5e C
m3

12
 Solution to Example 2
The total charge Q:

Q V dV
V
0.01 2 0.04
10 5 z
5e dddz
0 0 z 0.02
14
7.854 10 C

13
 Current densities
Current density, J is defined as:

J v u A/m 2
Where:
u = mean velocity of moving charges
For surface S, total current flowing through
is
I J ds A
S
14
 Current densities
There are 2 types of current:
1) Convection current
generated by actual movement of electrically
charged matter; does NOT obey Ohms law
E.g movement of charged particles in cathode
ray tube
2) Conduction current
atoms of conducting material do NOT move;
obeys Ohms law
E.g movement of electrons in a metal wire 15
 Coulombs Law
Coulombs law for
a point charge:

q
ER (V/m)
4R 2

Where;
R = distance between P and q
R = unit vector from q to P
= electrical permittivity of the medium containing
the observation point P
16
 Force acting on a charge
In the presence of an electric field E at a given
point in space,
F q 'E (N)
F is the force acting on a test charge q when
that charge is placed at that given point in space

The electric field E is maybe due to a single

charge or a distribution of many charges

Units:
F in Newtons (N), q in Coulombs (C)
17
 For acting on a charge
For a material with electrical permittivity, :

D=E

where:
= R 0
0 = 8.85 1012 (1/36) 109 (F/m)

For most material and under most condition, is

constant, independent of the magnitude and
direction of E
18
E-field due to multipoint charges
At point P, the electric
field E1 due to q1 alone:
q1 R - R1
E1 (V/m)
4 R R1
3

At point P, the electric

field E1 due to q2 alone:

q 2 R - R 2
E2 (V/m)
4 R R 2
3

19
E-field due to multipoint charges
Total electric field E at
point P due to two
charges:

E E1 E 2

1 R - R 1 R - R2
q1 q2
4 R R 1 3
R R 2
3

20
E-field due to multipoint charges
In general for case of N point of charges,
1 N qi R Ri
E V/m
4 i 1 R Ri 3

21
 Example 3
Two point charges with q1 2 105 C
and q2 4 105 C
are located in free space at (1, 3,1) and
(3, 1,2), respectively in a Cartesian coordinate
system.

Find:
(a) the electric field E at (3, 1,2)
(b) the force on a 8 105 C charge located at that
point. All distances are in meters.

22
 Solution to Example 3
The electric field E with = 0 (free space) is
given by:
E E1 E 2

1 R - R 1 R - R2
q1 q2
4 R R 1 3
R R 2
3

The vectors are:

R1 x y 3 z , R 2 x 3 y z 2, R x 3 y z 2

23
 Solution to Example 3
a) Hence,
x y 4 z 2
E 10 5 V/m
1080
b) We have

x y 4 z 2 x 2 y 8 z 4
F q3 E 8 10 5 5
10 10 10 N
1080 270

24
E-field due to charge distribution
continuous distribution

Total electric field due to 3 types of continuous

charge distribution:

1 v dv'
E dE R (volume distributi on)
v
4 v ' R' 2

1 s ds'
E dE R (surface distributi on)
S'
4 S ' R' 2

1 l dl '
E dE R 2 (line distributi on)
l'
4 l ' R'

25
 E-field of a ring of charge
Electric field due to a ring of charge is:

h
dE z Q
40 b h
2

2 3/ 2

26
 Example 4
Find the electric field at a
point P(0, 0, h) in free
space at a height h on
the z-axis due to a
circular disk of charge in
the xy plane with
uniform charge density
s as shown.
Then evaluate E for the
infinite-sheet case by
letting a. 27
 Solution to Example 4
A ring of radius r and width dr has an area
ds = 2rdr

The charge is: s ds 2s rdr dq

The field due to the ring is:

dE z
h
2s rdr
40 r 2 h
2 3/ 2

28
 Solution to Example 4
The total electric field at P is
sh a
rdr s h
E z
2 0 0 r 2 h 2 3 / 2
z
2 0
1
a h


2 2

With plus sign corresponds to h>0, minus sign corresponds to h<0.

For an infinite sheet of charge with a =,

s
E z infinite sheet of charge
2 0
29
 Gausss law
Electric flux density D through an enclosing
surface is proportional to enclosed charge Q.
Differential and integral form of Gausss law:

D v Gauss' s law

D ds Q Gauss' s law
S

30
 Example 5
Use Gausss law to obtain an expression
for E in free space due to an infinitely
long line of charge with uniform charge
density l along the z-axis.

31
 Solution to Example 5
Construct a cylindrical Gaussian surface.
The integral is:
h 2
Q rD
z 0 0
r rrddz

Q 2hDr r .... (1)

But Q l h .... (2)

Equating both equations, and re-arrange, we get:

l
Dr
2r 32
 Solution to Example 5
Then, use D 0 E for free space , we get:

Dr l
E
D
r r infinite line of charge
0 0 20 r

Note: unit vector r is inserted for E due to

the fact that E is a vector in r direction.

33
 Electric scalar potential
Electric potential energy is required to
move a unit charge between 2 points

The presence of an electric field between

two points give rise to voltage difference

34
 Electric Potential as a function
of electric field
Integrating along any path between point P1 and
P2, we get:
Potential difference between P1 and P2 ,
regardless of path 1, 2 or 3 :
P2

V21 V2 V1 E dl
P1

35
 Electric Potential as a function
of electric field
Kirchhoffs voltage law states that the net
voltage drop around a closed loop is zero.
Line integral E around closed contour C is:

E dl 0 Electrosta tics
C

The electric potential V at any point is given by:

P2

V E dl (V)
P1

Integration path between point P1 and P2 is

arbitrary 36
 Electric potential due to point
charges
For a point charge located at the origin of a
spherical coordinate systems, the electric field at
a distance R:
q
ER (V/m)
4R 2

The electric potential between two end points:

R q
V R 2
RdR dR (arbitrary path)

4R dl R
q
(V)
4R 37
 Electric potential due to point
charges
For charge Q located other than origin, specified
by a source position vector R1, then V at the
observation vector R becomes:

V R V
q
4 R R1

For N discrete point charges, electric potential is:

N
qi
V R V
1
4
R Ri
i 1
38
 Electric potential due to
continuous distributions
For a continuous charge distribution:

1 v
V (R )
4 R'
v'
dv' (volume distributi on)

1 s
V (R )
4 R'
S'
ds ' (surface distributi on)

1 l
V (R )
4 R'
l'
dl ' (line distributi on)

39
 Electric field as a function of
electric potential
To find E for any charge distribution easily,

E V

where: V = gradient of V

40
Poissons & Laplaces equations
Differential form of Gausss law:

D v
V
This may be written as: E

Then, using E V , we get:

V
V

41
Poissons & Laplaces equations
Hence: 2V V Poisson' s equation

2V 0 Laplace' s equation
Poissons and Laplaces equations are used
to find V where boundaries are known:
Example: the region between the plates of a
capacitor with a specified voltage difference
across it. (we will see in capacitance topic)
42
 Conductivity
Conductivity characterizes the ease with
which charges can move freely in a material.
Perfect dielectric, = 0. Charges do not move
inside the material
Perfect conductor, = . Charges move freely
throughout the material

43

 Conductivity
Drift velocity of electrons, u e in a conducting
material is in the opposite direction to the
externally applied electric field E:

u e e E (m/s)
Hole drift velocity, u h is in the same direction as
the applied electric field E:
u h h E (m/s)
where: e = electron mobility (m2/V.s)
h = hole mobility (m2/V.s) 44
 Conductivity
Conductivity of a material, , is defined as:
- ve e vh h
N e e N h h e S/m semiconduc tor
ve e Ne ee S/m conductor
where ve = volume charge density of free electrons
vh = volume charge density of free holes
Ne = number of free electrons per unit volume
Nh = number of free holes per unit volume
e = absolute charge = 1.6 1019 (C) 45
 Conductivity
Conductivities of different materials:

46
 Ohms Law
Point form of Ohms law states that:
J E A/m Ohm' s law
2

Where: J = current density

= conductivity
E = electric field intensity

Properties for perfect dielectric and conductor:

Perfectdielectric with 0 : J 0, regardless of E
Perfectconductor with : E 0, regardless of J
47
 Example 6
A 2-mm-diameter copper wire with conductivity
of 5.8 107 S/m and electron mobility of 0.0032
(m2/Vs) is subjected to an electric field of 20
(mV/m).

Find (a) the volume charge density of free

electrons, (b) the current density, (c) the current
flowing in the wire, (d) the electron drift velocity,
and (e) the volume density of free electrons.

48
 Solution to Example 6
5.8 107
a) ve 1.811010 C/m 3
e 0.0032

b) J E 5.8 107 20 103 1.16 106 A/m 2

c) I JA 1.16 106 4 10 3.64 A

6

4
d) u E 0.0032 20 10 3 6.4 10 5 m/s
e e

e) N e ve1.81 1010
1.13 10 29
electrons/ m 3

e 1.6 1019

49
 Resistance
The resistance R of a conductor of length l and
uniform cross section A (linear resistor) as
shown in the figure below:

l
R ( )
A

50
 Resistance
For a resistor of arbitrary shape, the resistance
R is:
E dl E dl
V
R l
l

I J ds E ds
S S

The conductance G of a linear resistor:

1 A
G S or siemens
R l
51
 Joules Law
Joules law states that for a volume v, the total
dissipated power P is:

P E Jdv W Joule' s law

v

For a linear resistor, the dissipated power P:

P VI
I 2R

52
 Dielectrics
Conductor has free electrons.
Dielectric electrons are strongly bounded to the
atom.
In a dielectric, an externally applied electric field,
Eext cannot cause mass migration of charges
since none are able to move freely.
But, Eext can polarize the atoms or molecules in
the material.
The polarization is represented by an electric
dipole.
53
 Dielectrics

Fig (a) - Eext is absent: the center of the electron

cloud is co-located with the center of the nucleus
Fig (b) - Eext is present: the two centers are
separated by a distance d
Fig (c) an electric dipole caused by Eext 54
 Electric Boundary Conditions
Electric field maybe continuous in each of two
dissimilar media
But, the E-field maybe discontinuous at the
boundary between them
Boundary conditions specify how the tangential
and normal components of the field in one
medium are related to the components in other
medium across the boundary
Two dissimilar media could be: two different
dielectrics, or a conductor and a dielectric, or
two conductors
55
 Dielectric- dielectric boundary

Interface between two dielectric media

56
 Dielectric- dielectric boundary
Based on the figure in previous slide:
First boundary condition related to the tangential
components of the electric field E is:

E1t E2t V/m

Second boundary condition related to the normal
components of the electric field E is:
D1n D2n S

OR 1 E1n 2 E2n S
57
 Perfect conductor

When a conducting slab is placed in an external

electric field, E0
Charges that accumulate on the conductor
surfaces induces an internal electric field Ei E0
Hence, total field inside conductor is zero. 58
 Dielectric-conductor boundary

Assume medium 1 is a dielectric

Medium 2 is a perfect conductor
59
 Dielectric-conductor boundary
Based on the figure in previous slide:
In a perfect conductor,
E D 0 everywhere in the conductor

Hence, E2 D2 0
This requires the tangential and normal
components of E2 and D2 to be zero.

60
 Dielectric-conductor boundary
The fields in the dielectric medium, at the
boundary with the conductor is E1t E2t .
Since E2t 0 , it follows that E1t D1t 0 .
Using the equation, D1n s ,
we get: D1n 1E1n s
Hence, boundary condition at conductor surface:
D1 1 E1 n s at conductor surface
where n = normal vector pointing outward

61
Conductor- conductor boundary
Boundary between two conducting media:

Using the 1st and 2nd boundary conditions:

E1t E2t V/m and 1 E1n 2 E2 n S

62
Conductor- conductor boundary
In conducting media, electric fields give rise to
current densities.
From J E, we have:
J 1t J 2t J 1n J 2n
1 2 S
1 2 and
1 2

The normal component of J has be continuous

across the boundary between two different
media under electrostatic conditions.
63
Conductor- conductor boundary
Hence, upon setting J 1n J 2 n , we found the
boundary condition for conductor- conductor
boundary:

1 2
J1n s electrosta tics
1 2

64
 Capacitance
Capacitor two conducting bodies
separated by a dielectric medium

65
 Capacitance
Capacitance is defined as:

C
Q
C/V or F
V

where: V = potential difference (V)

Q = charge (C)
C = capacitance (F)

66
 Example 7
Obtain an expression for the capacitance C of a
parallel-plate capacitor comprised of two parallel
plates each of surface area A and separated by
a distance d. The capacitor is filled with a
dielectric material with permittivity .

67
 Solution to Example 7
The charge density on the upper plate is s =
Q/A. Hence,
E zE
magnitude of E at the dielectric-conductor
boundary:
E s Q / A
The voltage difference is
d d
V E dl zE zdz Ed
0 0

Hence, the capacitance is: Q Q A

C
V Ed d 68
 Electrostatic potential energy
Assume a capacitor with plates of good
conductors zero resistance,
Dielectric between two conductors has negligible
conductivity, 0 no current can flow through
dielectric
No ohmic losses occur anywhere in capacitor
When a source is connected to a capacitor,
energy is stored in capacitor
Charging-up energy is stored in the form of
electrostatic potential energy in the dielectric
medium
69
 Electrostatic potential energy
1
Electrostatic potential energy, e
W CV 2

2
Q Q A
The capacitance: C
V Ed d

Hence, We for a parallel plate capacitor:

1 A
We Ed E ( Ad ) E v
2 1 2 1 2
2 d 2 2

where V Ed (voltage across capacitor)

v Ad (volume of the capacitor) 70
 Image Method
Image theory states that a charge Q above a
grounded perfectly conducting plane is equal to
Q and its image Q with ground plane removed.

71
 Example 8
Use image theory to determine E at an arbitrary
point P (x, y, z) in the region z > 0 due to a
charge Q in free space at a distance d above a
grounded conducting plane.

72
 Solution to Example 8
Charge Q is at (0, 0, d) and its image Q is at
(0,0,d) in Cartesian coordinates. Using
Coulombs law, E at point P(x,y,z) due to two
point charges:
xx yy zz d

E
1 QR1 QR 2
3
2

Q x y z d
2 2 3/ 2


40 R1 R23 40 xx yy zz d


x 2 y 2 z d 2 3 / 2

73