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Electric Charge & Electric Field

Chapter 21 of Young & Freedman’s
University Physics
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Basic Laws/ Facts

We will devote about Sixty Days to study the ramifications of these Six
Wisdoms.
1. Charge is conserved.
2. The electric field produced by a charge
distribution is given by Coulomb’s Law.
3. Magnetic monopole or charge does not exist,
while electric monopole or charge does exist.
4. A changing magnetic field produces an
electric field.
5. The magnetic field is related to the currents,
and to changing electric fields.
6. Electric and magnetic fields produces forces
on charges according to the Lorentz
equation.
http://images.allposters.com/images/30/007_yoda.jpg
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Goals for the Day

1. Discuss the dichotomy, quantization & conservation of
electric charge

2. Given the initial/final charge distribution, calculate the

final/initial charge distribution using conservation
principles

3. Predict charge distributions, & the resulting attraction or

repulsion, in a system of charged insulators & conductors

4. Outline the process of charging

5. Calculate the net electric force on a point charge exerted

by a system of point charges
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Greeks, Amber & Wool

Elektron (Greek) = Amber (English)  Electron

http://wikipedia/commons/6/68/Raffael_058.jpg; http://www.thebakken.org/electricity/images-static/amber-wool.jpg; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gouttes-drops-resine-2.jpg;
http://www.freewebs.com/fromagatetozoisite/Ambers.jpg; http://www.vision.smgroup.info/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/lamb.jpg
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Electron

Joseph John Thomson

(1856 – 1940)

Electron Microscope Images

Electron Microscope
http://www.aip.org/history/electron/images/jj-equip.jpg; http://www.le.ac.uk/bs/em/images/sem_montage.jpg; http://www.engr.uky.edu/~bjhinds/facil/images/2010.jpg
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 Quantization
Electric Charge
 e = 1.602 x 10-19 Coulomb
 Neutron: 0
 Proton: +e
 Electron: -e
 Nproton: total number of proton; integer
 Nelectron: total number of electron; integer
 Charge of an object, q = Nproton *(+e) + Nelectron*(-e)

 Dichotomy
 positive (+) & negative (-)
 Positively charged object: Nproton > Nelectron
 Negatively charged object: Nproton < Nelectron
 Uncharged/neutral object: Nproton = Nelectron

 Conservation of Electric Charge Benjamin Franklin

 Charge is NOT created nor destroyed (1706 – 1790)
 Charge is only transferred from one object to another
 Fundamental law of nature (like conservation of energy)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Usdollar100front.jpg
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Electric Charge: Interaction

 Positively charged object REPELS another
positively charged object

 Negatively charged object REPELS another

negatively charged object

 Positively charged object ATTRACTS negatively

charged object

 Uncharged/neutral object ATTRACTS charged

(positive or negative) object

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/wiredscience/education/wired,megavolt1.JPG;
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/Phys/Class/estatics/u8l1c1.gif
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Wait a minute!!! Contradictions?...

Like charges repel…
Opposite charges attract…

but…
r ≈1 Angstrom
≈10-10 meters
Why do protons not repel each other in the nucleus?
Why do electrons not collapse into the nucleus?

Classical Electromagnetism CANNOT explain the structure of the atom…

Quantum Mechanics can…

Classical Electromagnetism only explains phenomena at scales

greater than 10-10 meters.
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Kinds of Materials: Insulator

Insulators:
electrons are bound to a nearby nucleus;
electrons are not free to move about the entire material
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Kinds of Materials: Conductor

Conductors:
electrons are free to move about the entire material
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Kinds of Materials
electric cable
(conductor within an insulator)

water (conductor) glass (insulator)

Earth/ground (conductor)
rubber (insulator)

copper (conductor) wood (insulator)

http://www.ntsb.gov/events/twa800/crossect.jpg; http://www.billfrymire.com/gallery/webJpgs/bounce-rubber-band-ball-elastic.jpg; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17.jpg ;
http://www.friedlandindustries.com/images/new/NonferrousMetalsCopper.jpg; http://www.liquidsculpture.com/images/water/water-drop-a.jpg
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Kinds of Materials
 Semiconductor
 Conductivity is dependent on the
applied voltage
 Conducting at certain voltages;
insulating at other voltages

 Superconductors
 Conductivity is perfect at certain
temperature & below (very, very
cold temperature)

Cannot be explainable by Classical Electromagnetism

http://www.cstl.nist.gov/div837/Division/images/semi3.gif; http://www.chemistryland.com/CHM107/AirWeBreathe/Comp/superconductor2.jpg
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Charging
Basic ideas:
Charge is conserved.
Charging = add/remove charge to /from an object.
Mechanically add or remove (rubbing an object with
another charged object).
Apply electric force (repel or attract) and allow the repelled
charge to conduct to somewhere else.

Ground - a very large conductor that

can supply an unlimited amount and
kind of charge (e.g. earth).
Earth/ground
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Charging

http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/estatics/u8l2b.html
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Charging

http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/estatics/u8l2b.html
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Charging
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Charging: Electroscope

Electroscope: device for detecting electric charge

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Electric Force: Coulomb’s Law

The electrostatic force, F, between
two point electric charges, q1 and q2, is
directly proportional to the product, *,
of the magnitudes of each charge and
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb inversely proportional to the square
1736 – 1806
of the distance, r, between the
charges.
F = k q1 * q2 ř12 = k (±N1 e) * (±N2 e) ř12
r212 r212

k (proportionality constant) = 1 ≈ 9 x 109 Nm2/C2

4πεo

εo (permittivity of free space) ≈ 8.85 x 10-12 C2/Nm2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Coulomb.jpg
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Recall Newton’s Gravitational Law?

The electrostatic force, F, between
two point masses, m1 and m2, is
directly proportional to the product, *,
of the magnitudes of each charge and
inversely proportional to the square
Isaac Newton of the distance, r, between the
1642 – 1726
masses.
F = G m1 * m2 ř12
r212

G (gravitational constant) = 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2/kg2

http://www.crystalinks.com/newton.jpg
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Electric Force: Coulomb’s Law

Force
 Vector quantity
 Depends on charge
 Attractive or Repulsive
 Inverse square
 Central; Weaker at greater distance
 Can act through vacuum
 Stronger than gravity
 Obeys Newton’s 3rd Law (Action-Reaction)
 F12= - F21
 Independent of geometrical & mechanical
properties
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Principle of Superposition
The net force is the vector sum of all the
individual forces acting on a system.

…in other words…

Consider two (test charge + another charge) at a time.

Apply Coulomb’s Law on each pair (as if other charges are not there).

Sum these pair-by-pair forces by vector addition.

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Basic Electrostatic Problem

There is a group of charges…

There is charge of
interest (test), Q0 …

What is the force exerted on Q0 by the other charges?

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Basic Electrostatic Problem

To determine whether they attract/ repel,
identify the magnitude & sign of the charges.
q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
q8
Example:
Q0 > 0 Q0 q9
X
q1 > 0
q2 < 0 q4 q10
q3 < 0
q4 > 0 q5
q11 q12 q13
etc…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Calculate the distance between the other charges & Q0.

q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
q8

Example: Q0 q9
X
r01 = distance bet. Q0 & q1
r02 = distance bet. Q0 & q2 q4 q10
r03 = distance bet. Q0 & q3
r04 = distance bet. Q0 & q4 q5
etc… q11 q12 q13
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Use Coulomb’s Law on each pair.

F01 = k Q0 * q1 ř01 q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
r201
q8
F02 = k Q0 * q2 ř02
r202 Q0 q9
X
F03 = k Q0 * q3 ř03 q4
r203 q10
F04 = k Q0 * q4 ř04 q5
r204 q11 q12 q13
etc,…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Get the net/total force, Fnet. Add the forces as vectors.

F01 = F01xi + F01yj q1 q2 q3 q7

q6
F02 = F02xi + F02yj q8
F03 = F03xi + F03yj
Q0 q9
F04 = F04xi + F04yj
etc,… q4 q10
Fnet = F01 + F02 + F03 + F04 +… Fnet on Q0
q5
Fnet = (F01x+F02x+F03x+F04x+…)i + (F01y+F02y+F03y+Fq04y q
11+…)j12
q13

Note the arrow heads (recall Q0 > 0; q1 > 0; q2 < 0; q3 < 0; q4 > 0; etc…)
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

If you know vectors & vector addition,
its chicken!
q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
q8

Q0 q9
X

q4 q10

q5
q11 q12 q13

Vector:
Magnitude & Direction

http://www.earthsmightiest.com/images/news/animation/penguins2.jpg;
http://uk.gizmodo.com/ChickenLittleSing.jpg
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Is there an alternative (better)

approach to these problem?

Yes! Electric Fields…

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Will the rubber ball go up?

How about the cannon ball?

http://images.art.com/images/-/LeBron-James--C10126004.jpeg; http://faculty.ssfs.org/~alisonb/Rodin%20Thinker-red.JPG
http://www.tattonpark.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/87A00E0B-9AAA-4852-82EF-9ADCC7137969/0/medievalcannon.jpg
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No! No!!! They will fall. They will fall.

…because of the earth’s

“gravitational field”

http://www.earthsmightiest.com/images/news/animation/penguins2.jpg;
http://uk.gizmodo.com/ChickenLittleSing.jpg
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What is a Field? Come here, Blue

Charge.
Go away, Blue Charge! I am in love.
Red Charge is mine.

Action by CONTACT

FIELD… a quantity that has a value at each point in space;

independent of the presence of object it acts on;
does not act on the object that produced it.
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/740/51217.JPG
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What is a Field? Come here,

Chicken Little.
Go away, Chicken Little! I am in love.
Red Charge is mine.

Anybody who stands here

gets the attention of the X
neighbors… especially of the
Red Charge & Green Charge.
FIELD… a quantity that has a value at each point in space;
independent of the presence of object it acts on;
does not act on the object that produced it.
http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/740/51217.JPG
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“gravitational field” ↔ electric field

Isaac Newton Charles-Augustin de Coulomb

1642 – 1726 1736 – 1806

F = G m * Mearth ř12 F = k Q0 * qother ř12

R2earth R20,other
g = G Mearth ř12 E = k qother ř12
R2earth R20,other
F=mg F = Q0 E
http://www.crystalinks.com/newton.jpg
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

There is a group of charges…

There is charge of
interest (test), Q’ …

What is the force exerted on Q’ by the other charges?

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Basic Electrostatic Problem

To determine whether they attract/ repel,
identify the magnitude & sign of the charges.
q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
q8
Example:
Q’ > 0 Q’ q9
X
q1 > 0
q2 < 0 q4 q10
q3 < 0
q4 > 0 q5
q11 q12 q13
etc…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Calculate the distance between the other charges & Q0.

q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
q8

Example:
q9
Q’ X
r01 = distance bet. Q’ & q1
r02 = distance bet. Q’ & q2
q4 q10
r03 = distance bet. Q’ & q3
r04 = distance bet. Q’ & q4 q5
q11 q12 q13
etc…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Use Coulomb’s Law on each pair.

F01 = k Q’* q1 ř01 q2 q3 q7

q1 q6
r201
q8
F02 = k Q’ * q2 ř02
r202 q9
Q’ X
F03 = k Q’ * q3 ř03 q4
r203 q10
F04 = k Q’ * q4 ř04 q5
r204 q11 q12 q13
etc,…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

E01 = k q1 ř01 q2 q3 q7
q1 q6
r 01
2
q8
E02 = k q2 ř02
r202 q9
E03 = k q3 ř03 q4
r203 q10
E04 = k q4 ř04 q5
r204 q11 q12 q13
etc,…
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

Get the net/total electric field, Enet. Add them as vectors.

E01 = E01xi + E01yj q1 q2 q3 q7

q6
E02 = E02xi + E02yj q8
E03 = E03xi + E03yj
q9
E04 = E04xi + E04yj
etc,… q4 q10
Enet = E01 + E02 + E03 + E04 +… Enet at this point
q5
Enet = (E01x+E02x+E03x+E04x+…)i + (E01y+E02y+E03y+E q12
11 +…)j
q04y q13

Note the arrow heads (recall Q0 > 0; q1 > 0; q2 < 0; q3 < 0; q4 > 0; etc…)
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Vocabulary Check: “Electrostatic”

ALL charge/ charge distribution has its corresponding

electric field…

“Electrostatic” means…
a situation where we assume that…

Electric field of the charge of interest (test charge) does

not change the configuration of the other charges.
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Basic Electrostatic Problem

There is a group of charges…

We are not
interested at charge
of interest (test), Q’
… unless it is there

What is the Electric Field at that position?

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Electric Field Calculations

(at this point)

(at this point)

(at this point)

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Compute the ratio of the electric force to the

gravitational force exerted by a proton on an electron
in a hydrogen atom.
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Three point charges lie on the x - axis; q1= 25nC is at

the origin, q2 = -10nC is at x = 2m, and q0 = 20nC is at
x = 3.5m. Find the net force on q0 due to q1 & q2.
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Charge q1 = +25nC is at the origin, charge q2 = -15nC

is on the x-axis at x = 2m,and charge q0 = +20nC is at
the point x = 2m,y = 2m as shown. Find the resultant
force F on q0.
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When a test charge, q0 = 5nC, is placed at a certain

point, it experiences a force Fnet = 2 × 10−4 N in the x-
direction. What is the electric field E at that point?

E = Fnet / q0= [(2 × 10−4 N)i]/(5 × 10−9 C) = 4 × 104 N/C)i

What is the force, Fnet, on an electron placed at a

point where the electric field is E = (4 × 10+4 N/C)i?
(e ≈ 1.6 x × 10-19 C)

Fnet = q0E = (1.6 × 10−19 C)(4 × 10+4 N)i = (6.4 × 10-15 N)i
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A positive charge q1 = +8nC is at the origin, and a second
positive charge q2 = +12nC is on the x-axis at a = 4m. Find
the net electric field (a) at point P1 on the x-axis at x = 7m,
and (b) at point P2 on the x-axis at x = 3m.
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A charge q is at x = a and a second charge -q is at x =

a. Find the electric field on the x-axis at an arbitrary
point x > a. (b) Find the limiting form of the electric
field for x >> a.
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Electric Field Calculations:

Discrete Charges
(at this point)

(at this point)

(at this point)

You will need Algebra & Trigonometry

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Electric Field Calculations:

Continuous Charges
(at this point)

(at this point)

(at this point)

Isaac Newton
(invented Calculus) Now, you will need Calculus &
Trigonometry.
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Electric Field Calculations

volume

line

surface
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Charge Densities
linear charge density
surface charge density
1 unit
length

length
1 unit
1 unit
length
1 unit

length
ng t
le uni
th
1

1 unit volume charge density

length
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E on the Axis of a Finite Line Charge

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E off the Axis of a Finite Line Charge

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E off the Axis of an Infinite Line Charge

inverse linear distance dependence

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E on the Axis of a Ring Charge

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E on the Axis of a Uniformly Charged Disc

E due to an Infinite Plane of Charge

no distance dependence
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Electric Field Lines

Electric field lines begin on positive charges (or at infinity)
& end on negative charges (or at infinity).

The lines are drawn symmetrically entering or leaving an

isolated charge.
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Electric Field Lines

Number of lines leaving a positive
charge or entering a negative charge is
proportional to the charge magnitude.

Density of the lines (number of lines /unit area perpendicular to

the lines) at any point is proportional to the magnitude of the
field at that point.
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Electric Field Lines

At large distances from a system of
charges, the field lines are equally
spaced & radial, as if they came from a
single point charge equal to the net
charge of the system.

Field lines do not cross. (If two

field lines crossed, that would
indicate two directions for the
electric field at the point of
intersection.)
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Electric Dipole

-q
- + d
+q

Two (2) charges [two “di”; charges  poles]

same magnitude, q
opposite sign
close (bound) together
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Electric Dipole: Dipole Moment

-q
- + d
+q

Dipole Moment, P
vector (arrow: from - to +) p = qd
“resistance” to turning/rotation
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Dipole in a Uniform Electric Field:

Forces & Torque
+ -
+ -
+
+
+ E - + -
-
-
+ -
+ -
 same magnitude
ZERO (0) Net Force
 opposite sign

But if it has an angle

 it will turn  TORQUE
+ - +
-
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Dipole in a Uniform Electric Field:

Forces & Torque
+ -
+ -
+
+
+ E - + -
-
-
+ -
+ -
 same magnitude /Fon - /= /Fon + / = F
 opposite sign Fon - - Fon + = Fnet = 0

τ = 2F(d/2)sinΘ = qEdsinΘ = qdEsinΘ

TORQUE, τ
τ = qdEsinΘ = p x E
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Dipole in a Uniform Electric Field:

Potential Energy
Dipole Potential Energy U = -p ∙ E p = qd

+ - + - +
-
Umaximum = -(-p0) ∙ E U = -p ∙ E Uminimum = -(p0) ∙ E
= +p0∙ E = -p0EcosΘ; = -p0E
/cosΘ/>0

Equilibrium (stable): Uminimum

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Electric Field of a Dipole, Ed

-q +q
Ed on the x-axis at an arbitrary point x > a.

- +
d
a
=d/2

Note: Ed is different from E The limiting form of Ed for x >> a.

shown in the previous slide.
Ed is the field of the dipole. Ed, at x>>a
E is the field acting on the
dipole.