Electric Charges and Fields

Electric charge

Electric charge is the property of matter that exhibits its electrostatic interaction with other
matter.

The study of electric charges at rest and the physical quantities associated with electric
charges at rest is called Electrostatic or Static electricity.

Unlike charges attract and like charges repel each other.

A body can be charged by rubbing one material against or by simple bringing a charged
body in contact with another uncharged or neutral body.

The material, which loses electrons or has a deficit of electrons, becomes positively
charged.

The material, which gains electrons or has excess electrons, becomes negatively charged.

A gold leaf electroscope is used to determine whether a body is charged or uncharged.

Properties of electric charge:

Charge is a scalar quantity.

Total charge in an isolated system is always conserved.

Conductors are materials that readily allow the flow of electric current through them.

Insulators are materials that offer high resistance to the flow of electricity through them.

Charges are distributed over the entire surface of a conductor, whereas they stay in one
place in the case of an insulator.

The process of transforming any excess charge on a body to the earth, using a wire
connected to the earth, is known as earthing or grounding.

Charging a body

There are three, methods to charge a body:

Charging by friction
Charging by conduction
Charging by induction

The process of charging two uncharged or neutral objects made of different materials by
rubbing against each other is called charging by friction.

The process of charging by bringing a charged body in contact with a neutral body is
called charging by conduction.

The process of polarisation of the charge on an uncharged body when a charged body is
held close to it is called induction of charge.
Coulomb’s Law

Coulomb’s law states that the electrostatic force between two charges is directly
proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between the charges.

Unit charge is a charge which experiences an electrostatic force of 9 X109 N, when placed
at a distance of one metre from another unit charge in free space.

According to the principle of superposition, the net electrostatic force on a charge is equal
to the vector sum of the individual electrostatic forces on that charge due to every other
charge of the system of charges.

The electrostatic force is enormously greater than the gravitational force.

Electric field

Electric field is the region in which the influence of a charge is felt.

Electric field strength or intensity of electric field (E) is the force on unit positive charge
acting at a particular point in the electric field.

Electric field strength, E, is a vector quantity pointing in the direction of the force on a unit
positive charge at a point in the electric field.

E = 1/4πε0 Qi/r ѓ

An accelerating charged particle is a source of electromagnetic waves.

Surface charge density, σ, is the charge per unit surface area.

Volume charge density, ρ, is the charge per unit volume. It is generally known as charge
density.

E = 1/4πε0 Qi/r ѓ

Electric field lines

An electric field line is defined as the path followed by a unit positive charge in an electric
field.

The number of the field lines per unit area perpendicular to a surface is equal to the
magnitude of the electric field strength.

The tangent drawn to an electric field line at a point in the electric field gives the direction
of the electric field strength E, at that point.

Electric field lines diverge normally from a positive charge and converge normally at a
negative charge.

Electric field lines do not intersect each other.

Electrostatic field lines never form closed loops due to the conservative nature of the
electric field.

In a charge free region, the electric field lines are continuous curves without any breaks.
Electric flux

Electric flux is the dot product of the magnitude of electric field and the area of cross
section.

In the SI system, electric flux is measured in N m2 C-1

Gauss’ law

Gauss’ law states that “The electric flux through any closed surface is proportional to the
enclosed electric charge.” Φ = qin/ε0

The net electric flux (φ) through any closed surface is independent of the shape of the
closed surface.

The net flux through a closed surface not enclosing any charge is zero.

Gauss’ law is applicable to any closed surface of any arbitrary shape.

Applications of Gauss’ law- infinite straight line

Using Gauss’ law, the electric field strength due to an infinite long straight wire is
expressed as :
E = λ/2πrε0

Applications of Gauss’ law- thin spherical shell

Electric field strength, E, due to a uniformly charged thin spherical shell of radius, R can
be expressed as:

E = (1/4πε0) (q/d2) d>R

E= 0 d<R

Electric dipole

An electric dipole comprises of a positive charge and a negative charge separated by a

Electric dipole moment , P, is the product of the length of the dipole and the magnitude of
the charge,

P = 2 aq

Molecules in which the centers of all positive and negative charges coincide are called
non- polar molecules. Non polar molecules do not have any dipole moment.

Molecules in which the centers of all positive and negative charges do not coincide are
called polar molecules. Polar molecules are permanent dipoles.
Dipole in a uniform external electric field

τ = pE sin ⍬

where: p = Electric dipole moment

E = Electric field strength

⍬ = Angle between dipole axis and direction of external electric field.

⍬= 900 →τmax = ᴘE

⍬ = 00 or 1800 →τ = 0

Applications of Gauss’ law – infinite sheet

Using Gauss’ Law, the electric field strength due to an infinite plane sheet of charge is
expressed as:

E = σ/2ε0