PHYS 205 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM ©

Electric Forces and Fields CHARGES

CHARGE EXPERIMENTS
Observations Conclusions
#1 No rubbing →Nothing happens There are two types of
charges
#2 Same material rubbed the same way →Repulsive Like charges repel
force
#3 Rubbed glass and rubbed plastic →Attractive Unlike charges attract
force

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QUANTIZATION OF CHARGE
The electric charge, q, is said to be quantized.
• q is the standard symbol used for charge as a variable
• Electric charge exists as discrete packets
• q= ±Ne
o N is an integer
o e is the fundamental unit of charge
o Electron: q = -e
o Proton: q = +e

Particle: Charge Charge(C): Mass(kg):

Electron (e) -1e -1.602x10-19 9.109x10-31
Proton (p) 1e 1.602x10-19 1.672x10-27
Neutron (n) 0 0 1.674x10-27

• |e| = 1.6 x 10-19 coulombs

• The coulomb [C] is the SI unit of charge
o 1C=charge on 6.25x1018 protons

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CHARGING BY FRICTION
Charging by friction is usually caused by creating charged ions by breaking molecular
bonds.
For now we will not concern ourselves with how the objects are being charged.
We will just discuss net charge (either positive or negative).

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CONSERVATION OF CHARGE
• If one objects charges another it acquires the opposite charge
• Charge is not created, but it can be transferred from one object to another

CONSERVATION OF CHARGE
• Charged objects (consider the net charge on the object):
o Uncharged → Equal number of positive and negative charges
o Positive → More positive charges (net pos)
o Negative → More negative charges (net neg)

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INSULATORS
Insulator: Electrons are tightly bound to the positive nuclei. Charges are immobile.

CONDUCTORS
Conductor: Valence electrons are weakly bound to nuclei. Like a sea of free
electrons. Charges can move easily.

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POLARIZATION FORCE

POLARIZATION FORCE
The Polarization force on a neutral piece of metal is due to the slight charge separation.

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POLARIZATION FORCE

POLARIZATION FORCE
But we can also attract an insulator… (what’s up with that?)

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POLARIZATION FORCE
A neutral atom is polarized by an external charge, forming an electric dipole.

WHAT ABOUT INSULATORS?

The atoms in an insulator are polarized by an external charge.

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CHARGING BY INDUCTION

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 END OF SECTION

Electric Forces and Fields

COULOMB’S LAW

FORCES BETWEEN CHARGES

Charles Coulomb used a torsional balance to determine how the force between two
charges varies. It depends on:
• The amount of charge
• The distance between the charges

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THE ELECTRIC FORCE (COULOMB'S LAW)
If two charged particles, having charges q1 and q2,are separated by distance r, then the
magnitude of the force they exert on each other is:

THE ELECTRIC FORCE (COULOMB'S LAW)

Two uniformly charged spheres are firmly fastened to and electrically insulated from
frictionless pucks on an air table. The charge on sphere 2 is three times the charge on
sphere 1. Which force diagram correctly shows the magnitude and direction of the
electrostatic forces?

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COULOMB’S LAW (VECTORS)
• The force is directed along the line joining the particles
• Attractive for opposite charges
• Repulsive for like charges

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EXAMPLE 1
Find the magnitude and direction of the force that particle A exerts on particle B.

SUPERPOSITION PRINCIPLE
The resultant force on any one charge equals the vector sum of the forces exerted by
the other individual charges that are present.

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EXAMPLE 2
Sketch the vector showing the net force on the particle B.

END OF SECTION

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Electric Forces and Fields

ELECTRIC FIELDS

FIELDS
To describe the effects of charged particle A on charged particle B, the idea of an
intermediary was created. A alters the space around it (as does B) and any change
(such as motion or change of charge) varies the alterations to space which in turn
affects B.

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FIELDS
• The term field describes a function that assigns a value to every point in space
(scalar or vectors)
• Charges make alterations everywhere in space
• Alteration of space around a mass is called gravitational field
• Space around a charge is altered to create an electric field
• Source Object: The creator of the field in question

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ELECTRIC FIELDS
Some charges, which we will call the source charges, alter the space around them by
creating an electric field.
A separate charge q (a test charge) in the electric field experiences a force exerted by
the field.

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ELECTRIC FIELD OF A POINT CHARGE
Each point in space has a vector associated with it.
That vector only gives us info about the field at that one point.

EXAMPLE 1
Sketch some of the electric field vectors around a negative point charge.

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EXAMPLE 2A
What are the charges?

EXAMPLE 2B
What are the charges?

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TWO SEPARATE THINGS!
E-field caused by a point charge.

• Points away from a positive charge

• Point towards a negative charge

E-field effect on a point charge.

EXAMPLE 3
What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field at a point 1𝜇𝜇m to the right of an
electron?

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What is the acceleration of the proton if it is travelling in a region in which there is a
magnetic field pointing up with a magnitude of 50V/m?

EXAMPLE 4
The charge configuration below is called a dipole. Find the E-field at each point: P1, P2,
P3.

END OF SECTION

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Electric Forces and Fields

FIELD LINES

ELECTRIC FIELD LINES

Electric field lines are a pictorial representation of the E-field.
1. E-field lines are continuous
2. E-field vectors are tangent to the E-field lines
3. E-Field lines never cross
4. The closer the line spacing the stronger the E-field
5. Start from positive charges and end at negative charges

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ELECTRIC FIELD LINES
Electric field lines are a pictorial representation of the E-field.
1. E-field lines are continuous
2. E-field vectors are tangent to the E-field lines
3. E-Field lines never cross
4. The closer the line spacing the stronger the E-field
5. Start from positive charges and end at negative charges

EXAMPLE 1
A. Sketch some of the electric field vectors due to one positive and one negative
point charge (the charges are opposite and equal in magnitude)
B. Sketch the electric field lines

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QUESTION 1
Which of the following is true?
A. A charged particle will always moves along an electric field line
B. The force exerted on a positively charged particle at some point in an electric
field is in the direction of the field line at that point
C. The force on a charged particle depends on the velocity of the particle
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

SOME MORE FIELD LINES

END OF SECTION

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Electric Forces and Fields

UNIFORM FIELDS

QUESTION
Which of the following E-fields could give rise to the parabolic motion of the charged
particle shown?

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UNIFORM ELECTRIC FIELDS
In the next section we will discuss sources of uniform electric fields more…

• Every vector is the same length and points in the same direction
• All field lines are in the same direction and the distance between them is
constant
This is a uniform electric field. It is in the same direction and has the same magnitude at
every point in space.

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EXAMPLE
Find the electric field at the points A,B due to the three infinite planes of charge shown
below

ELECTRIC FIELD OF TWO PARALLEL PLATES

We will talk about capacitors later. For now, just think of two charged plates
(electrodes).

Convince yourself that this is true between the plates.

END OF SECTION

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