PHY 106
Physics for Biological Sciences II
- (Part I: Electrostatics) -
Lecturer
Professor O. O. Jegede
Dept. of Physics & Engineering Physics, OAU.
Rain Semester, 2021/2022 Session
Lectures
Mon., Wed. & Fri.
___________________
Recommended Text:
College Physics (11th Ed., 2018)
by R. Serway & C. Vuille
Topics
• Electric Charge
• Electric Force – Coulomb’s Law
• Electric Field
• Electric Potential
• Electrical Energy
• Capacitance
Intro…….
“Electricity is the lifeblood of
technological civilization and
modern society……”
Serway & Vuille (pg. 495)
The SmartPhone
Most important invention of the 21st century
(only 15 years ago!!)
Properties of electric charges
• Two types: Positive + and Negative -
- Nature’s basic carrier of negative charge is the
electron
- Gaining or losing electrons is how an object
becomes charged
• Electric charge is always conserved
– Charge is not created, only exchanged
– Objects become charged because negative
charge is transferred from_ one object to another
-
There are two kinds of electric
charges:
Positive: + or or + or +
Negative: - or or - or -
Properties of electric charges
• Positive
FORCE: PUSH
• Negative
FORCE: PULL
Repulsion - like charges
Two Negative
Point Charges
Two Positive
Point Charges
Attraction of (opposite) charges
Attraction
Repulsion
Magnitude of Electrical Charges
The total charge on a body is a multiple
of a fundamental unit of charge,
symbolized by e.
SI unit of charge is the Coulomb (C).
Magnitude of charge on an electron, -ee
is 1.6 x 10-19 C
Electrical Charges
An electron has a charge of -e,
e.g., -1.6 x 10-19C
A proton has a charge of +e.
e.g., +1.6 x 10-19C
Example
If a body carries a total charge of
- 4.8 x 10 C or (- 4.8 mC).
-6
[The total charge on a body is a multiple of a
fundamental unit of charge, 1.6 x 10-19 C]
This body contains 3 x 1013 excess
electrons on it.
A charged body has +1.44 x 10-16 C on it.
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 (𝐶)
# 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠 =
1.6 𝑥 10_19 𝐶
1.44 𝑥 10_16𝐶
# 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑠 = = 900
1.6 𝑥 10_19 𝐶
This means that it contains 900 excess
protons (or less electrons) on it.
Note: A neutral atom or any
mass (matter) with no net
charge contains as many
protons as electrons
Material Substances can be broadly
classified as Conductors or Insulators
• Conductors – electrical charges (electrons) move
freely in the materials
Examples: metals (aluminium, copper, etc.)
• Insulators – Insulators are materials in which electric
charges do not move freely
Examples: glass, rubber
• Semiconductors – The characteristics of semiconductors
are between those of insulators and conductors.
Examples: silicon, germanium
Charging Processes (metallic object)
(a) Conduction (b) Induction
There
is
no
contact
There is a contact
Charging by Conduction
• A charged object (the rod) is
placed in contact with
another object (the sphere)
• Some electrons on the rod
can move to the sphere
• When the rod is removed, the
sphere is left with a charge
• The object being charged is
always left with a charge
having the same sign as the
object doing the charging
Charging by Induction
A negatively charged rubber rod
is brought near an uncharged
sphere
Some of the electrons in the
sphere are repelled from the
electrons in the rod
The region of the sphere nearest
the negatively charged rod has an
excess of positive charge
A grounded conducting wire is
connected to the sphere allows
some of the electrons to move
from the sphere to the ground
Electric charge is always
conserved.
Charge isn’t created. When two neutral objects
are rubbed together; rather, the objects become
charged because negative charge is transferred
from one object to the other.
One object gains negative charge while the
other loses an equal amount of negative charge
and hence is left with a net positive charge.
Electric Charges (Summary)
• Like (same) charges repel, unlike (opposite)
charges attract
• Naturally occurring positive charges –
protons (+)
• Naturally occurring negative charges –
electrons (-)
In a neutral atom, there are equal numbers of
electrons and protons.
Quiz
A suspended object A is attracted to a
neutral wall. It is also attracted to a positively
charged object B. Which of the following is
true about object A?
(i) It is uncharged.
(ii) It has a negative charge.
(iii) It has a positive charge.
(iv) It may be either charged or uncharged
