ELECTRIC CHARGE AND ELECTRIC FIELD

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Introduction Properties of Electric Charges Coulombs Law Electric Field Electric Field Lines Electric Flux Gausss Law
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ELECTRIC CHARGE
Basic element of electricity is electric charge, which is a fundamental property of matter. Lightning: example of an electrical effect in nature. Electric charge: source of electric force of attraction or repulsion.
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An object that has an excess of electrons is negatively charged, and an object that has a deficiency of electrons is positively charged. First law of electrostatic: Like charges repel each other and unlike charges attract each other. Conservation of charge: Single charge can be neither created nor destroyed
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STATIC ELECTRICITY
Objects can be charged by rubbing

a) Rub a plastic ruler

b) bring it close to some tiny pieces of paper

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A charged comb attracts bits of paper because charges in molecules in the paper are realigned.
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2. PROPERTIES OF ELECTRIC CHARGES

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2.1 Types of Electric Charges

Benjamin Franklin(1706-1790) Positive charge possessed by protons Negative charge possessed by electrons Charges of same sign repel Charges of opposite signs attract

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(a)A negatively charged rubber rod suspended by a thread is attracted to a positively charged glass rod.

(b) A negatively charged rubber rod is repelled by another negatively charged rubber rod.
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2.2 Conservation of Electric Charge

In isolated system, electric charge is always conserved When one object is rubbed against another, charged is not created Electrified state due to transfer of charge from one object to the other The net amount of electric charge produced in any process is zero.

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When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, electrons are transferred from the glass to the silk. Because of conservation of charge, each electron adds negative charge to the silk, and an equal positive charge is left behind on the rod.
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2.3 Electric Charge in the Atom

Atom: Nucleus (small, massive, positive charge) Electron cloud (large, very low density, negative charge)

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2.4 Classification of Materials

Conductors some of electrons are not bounded to atoms and free to move Insulators electrons are bounded to atoms and not free to move Semiconductors somewhere conductors and insulators between

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a) A charged metal sphere and a neutral metal sphere

b) The two spheres connected by a metal nail, which conducts charge from one sphere to the other

c) The two spheres connected by an insulator, almost no charge is conducted

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2.5 Induced Charge; the Electroscope

Metal objects can be charged by conduction:

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Charging a metallic object by induction (that is, the two objects never touch each other). (a) A neutral metallic sphere, with equal numbers of positive and negative charges. (b) The electrons on the neutral sphere are redistributed when a charged rubber rod is placed near the sphere. (c) When the sphere is grounded, some of its electrons leave through the ground wire.

(d) When the ground connection is removed, the sphere has excess positive charge that is nonuniformly distributed. (e) When the rod is removed, the remaining electrons redistribute uniformly and there is a net uniform distribution of positive charge on the sphere. Nii July 09

Nonconductors wont become charged by conduction or induction, but will experience charge separation:

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3. Coulombs Law
Experiment shows that the electric force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the distance between them.

Principle of Coulombs apparatus: When an external charged sphere is placed close to the charged one on the suspended bar, the bar rotates slightly. The suspending fiber resists the twisting motion, and the angle of twist is proportional to the force applied. With this apparatus, Coulomb investigate how the electric force varies as a function of the magnitude of the charges and of the distance between them.

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3.1 Properties of Electric Force Between Two Stationary Charge Particles: The electric force..
is inversely proportional to square of the separation between particles and directed along the line joining them is proportional to the product of the charges q1 and q2 on the two particles is attractive if charges are of opposite sign and repulsive if the charges are of the same sign Is a conservative force
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3.2 Coulombs Law equation

An equation giving the magnitude of electric force between two point charges (Point charges defined as a particle of zero size that carries an electric charge)
q1 q2 Fe = ke r2
Where ke is called the Coulomb constant and ke = 8.9875 x 109 Nm2C-2 (S.I units) or ke = 1/ 40 and 0 = permittivity of free space
-12 2 -1 -2

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The force is along the line connecting the charges, and is attractive if the charges are opposite, and repulsive if they are the same.

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Unit of charge: coulomb, C The proportionality constant in Coulombs law is then:

Charges produced by rubbing are typically around a microcoulomb:

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Electric charge is quantized in units of the electron charge.

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The proportionality constant k can also be written in terms of , the permittivity of free space:

(16-2)

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Example: Question 1

The electron and proton of a hydrogen atom are separated by a distance of approximately 5.3 x 10-11 m. Find the magnitude of the electric force.

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Example: Solution 1
Fe = k e q1 q2 r
2

Fe = 8.99x10 x
Fe = 8.2 x 10-8 N

(1.6x10

19 2

5.3x10 11

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Electric Force is a vector

Two point charges separated by a distance r exert a force on each other that is given by Coulombs law. The force F21 exerted by q2 on q1 is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force F12 exerted by q1 on q2. When the charges are of the same sign, the force is repulsive. Nii July 09

When the charges are of opposite signs, the force is attractive.

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q1q2 F12 = k e r 2 r
Where,

r is a unit vector directed from q1 to q2.

F12 = - F21

Since the force obeys Newtons third law, then

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Example: Question 2
Three charged particles are arranged in a line as shown in Figure. Calculate the net electrostatic force on particles 3 (the -4.0 C) due to the other two charges
0.30 m 0.20 m

Q1= -8.0 C

+
Q2= +3.0 C

Q3= -4.0 C

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4. The Electric Field

Examples of field forces: gravitational and electric Field forces act through space even though no physical contact between interacting objects If gravitational force, Fg = mg then, gravitational field, g = Fg/m

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Michael Faraday introduces concept of electric field. An electric field is said to exist in the region of space around a charged object called the source charge. When another charged object- the test charge enters this field, an electric force acts on it.

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A small positive test charge, q0 placed near an object carrying a much larger positive charge Q, experiences an electric field E directed as shown.
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4.1 Definition of Electric Field

The electric field vector E at a point is defined as the electric force Fe acting on a positive test charge q0 placed at that point divided by the test charge:

Fe E q0
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The Electric Field

The electric field is the force on a small charge, divided by the charge:

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The Electric Field

For a point charge:

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The Electric Field

Force on a point charge in an electric field:
(16-5)

Superposition principle for electric fields:

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The Electric Field

Problem solving in electrostatics: electric forces and electric fields 1. Draw a diagram; show all charges, with signs, and electric fields and forces with directions 2. Calculate forces using Coulombs law 3. Add forces vectorially to get result

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5. Electric field lines

Representation of the electric field pattern pictorially The electric vector E is tangent to the electric field at each point The number of lines per unit area through a surface perpendicular to the lines is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field in that region. Thus the field lines are close together where the electric field is strong and far apart where the field is weak
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The density of lines through surface A is greater than through surface B The magnitude of the electric field is greater on surface A than B The lines at different locations point in different directions - This indicates the field is non-uniform Electric field lines penetrating two surfaces. The magnitude of the field is greater on surface A than on surface B.
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The electric field lines for a point charge. (a) For a positive point charge, the lines are directed radially outward.

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The electric field lines for a point charge. (b) For a negative point charge, the lines are directed radially inward. Note that the figures show only those field lines that lie in the plane of the page.
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The electric field lines for a point charge. (c) The dark areas are small pieces of thread suspended in oil, which align with the electric field produced by a small charged conductor at the center.

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(a) The electric field lines for two point charges of equal magnitude and opposite sign (an electric dipole). The number of lines leaving the positive charge equals the number terminating at the negative charge.

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(b) The dark lines are small pieces of thread suspended in oil, which align with the electric field of a dipole.
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(a) The electric field lines for two positive point charges.

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(b) Pieces of thread suspended in oil, which align with the electric field created by two equal-magnitude positive charges. Courtesy of Harold M. Waage, Princeton University
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The electric field between two closely spaced, oppositely charged parallel plates is constant.

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Rules for Drawing Electric Field Lines

The lines must begin on a positive charge and terminate on a negative charge. In the case of an excess of one type of charge, some line will begin or end infinitely far away. The number of lines drawn leaving a positive charge or approaching a negative charge is proportional to the magnitude of the charge No two field lines can cross.

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5.2 Electric Fields and Conductors

The static electric field inside a conductor is zero if it were not, the charges would move.

The net charge on a conductor is on its surface.

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The electric field is perpendicular to the surface of a conductor again, if it were not, charges would move.

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Electric Flux
Electric flux: the number of field lines that pass through a given surface. Larger surface: more field lines pass through corresponding to a larger flux If the electric were stronger, we would indicate it by drawing the filed lines closer together. More lines would pass through surface corresponding to a larger flux.

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Electric Flux
The number of lines of force that pass through the surface is proportional to the electric flux. When the surface is not perpendicular to the direction of field, fewer lines pass through. If the surface is parallel to the field direction, no lines pass through it and the flux is zero.

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Gausss Law
Gausss Law states that the net number of electric lines of force crossing any closed surface in an outward direction is numerically equal to the net total charge within that surface
Q E = 0 E = number of field lines cross the surface Q = net charge inside the surface

0 = permitivity of free space

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Gausss Law
If the field lines are directed outward through the surface, the flux is positive. If the field line are directed inward the surface, the flux is negative. The number of field lines passing through the surface is independent of the radius of the surface.

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Gausss Law
Electric flux:

(16-7)

Electric flux through an area is proportional to the total number of field lines crossing
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Gausss Law
Flux through a closed surface:

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Gausss Law
The net number of field lines through the surface is proportional to the charge enclosed, and also to the flux, giving Gausss law:

This can be used to find the electric field in situations with a high degree of symmetry.
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Summary
Two kinds of electric charge positive and negative Charge is conserved Charge on electron: Conductors: electrons free to move Insulators: nonconductors

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Summary
Charge is quantized in units of e Objects can be charged by conduction or induction Coulombs law: Electric field is force per unit charge:

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Summary
Electric field of a point charge: Electric field can be represented by electric field lines Static electric field inside conductor is zero; surface field is perpendicular to surface Electric flux: Gausss law:
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