Chapter 21-Electric Charge and Electric Field

Chapter 21
Electric Charge and

Electric Field
Electric Charges
• There are two kinds of electric charges
• Called positive and negative
• Negative charges are the type possessed by
electrons
• Positive charges are the type possessed by
protons
• Charges of the same sign repel one another and charges

with opposite signs attract one another.
• q is the standard symbol used for charge as a variable

• e is the fundamental unit of charge
• The SI unit of charge is the coulomb (C)
|e| = 1.6 x 10-19 C
Electron: q = -e, Proton: q = +e
Conservation of Charge
• The proton and electron have the same magnitude
charge.
• The magnitude of charge of the electron or proton is a
natural unit of charge. All observable charge is
quantized in this unit.
• The universal principle of charge conservation
states that the algebraic sum of all the electric
charges in any closed system is constant.
Coulomb's Law
• Coulomb’s Law: The magnitude
of the electric force between two
point charges is directly
proportional to the product of
their charges and inversely
proportional to the square of the
distance between them.
q1q2
F =k
r2
k is called the Coulomb constant
• k = 8.9875 x 109 N.m2 /C2 = 1/4𝜋𝜖0
• 𝜖0 is the permittivity of free space
• 𝜖0= 8.8542 x 10-12 C2 / N.m2
EXAMPLE 21.1: Electric force versus gravitational force
An α particle (the nucleus of a helium atom) has mass m = 6.64 x 10-27 kg and
charge q = +2e = 3.2 x 10-19 C. Compare the magnitude of the electric repulsion
between two a (“alpha”) particles with that of the gravitational attraction between
them.
Solution:
These are both inverse-square forces, so the r2 factors cancel when we take the
ratio:
Coulomb's Law
• Remember the charges need to be in coulombs

• Typical charges can be in the µC range
• Remember that force is a vector quantity
• The resultant force on any one charge equals the
vector sum of the forces exerted by the other
individual charges that are present
F1 = F21 + F31 + F41 + …
The Superposition Principle

EXAMPLE 21.3: Vector addition of electric forces on a line
Two point charges are located on the x-axis of a coordinate system: q1 = 1.0 nC is
at x = +2.0 cm, and q2 = -3.0 nC is at x = +4.0 cm. What is the total electric force
exerted by q1 and q2 on a charge q3 = 5.0 nC at x = 0?
EXAMPLE 21.4: Vector addition of electric forces in a plane
Two equal positive charges q1 = q2 = 2.0 μC are located at x = 0,
y = 0.30 m and x = 0, y = -0.30 m, respectively. What are the
magnitude and direction of the total electric force that q1 and q2
exert on a third charge Q = 4.0 μC at x = 0.40 m, y = 0?
Solution:
From Coulomb’s law, both forces have magnitude
Electric Field: Introduction (1 of 3)
• To introduce the concept of electric field, first consider the

mutual repulsion of two positively charged objects A and B.
• Next consider object A on its own.
• We can say that object A somehow modifies the

properties of the space at point P.
• We can measure the electric field produced by A with

a test charge.
Electric Force Produced by an
Electric Field
The Electric Field of a Point
Charge (1 of 2)
The Electric Field of a Point
Charge (2 of 2)
• Using a unit vector that points away from the origin,
we can write a vector equation that gives both the
magnitude and the direction of the electric field:
Electric Field of a Point Charge (1 of 2)
• A point charge q produces an
electric field at all points in
space.
• The field strength decreases
with increasing distance.
• The field produced by a
positive point charge points
away from the charge.
Electric Field of a Point Charge (2 of 2)
• A point charge q produces
an electric field at all points
in space.
• The field strength decreases
with increasing distance.
• The field produced by a
positive point charge points
toward the charge.
EXAMPLE 21.6: Electric-field vector for a point charge
A point charge q = -8.0 nC is located at the origin. Find the
electricfield vector at the field point x = 1.2 m, y = -1.6 m
Superposition of Electric Fields
• The total electric field at a point is the vector sum of
the fields due to all the charges present.
EXAMPLE 21.8 Field of an electric dipole
Point charges q1 = +12 nC and q2 = -12 nC are 0.100 m apart (Fig. 21.22).
(Such pairs of point charges with equal magnitude and opposite sign are
called electric dipoles.) Compute the electric field caused by q1, the field
caused by q2, and the total field (a) at point a; (b) at point b; and (c) at point
c.
Solution:
We calculate the other field magnitudes in a similar way.
The results are:
EXAMPLE
An electron enters the region of a uniform electric field, with vi= 3.00 x 106 m/s
and E = 200 N/C. The horizontal length of the plates is ℓ = 0.100 m. (A) Find
the acceleration of the electron while it is in the electric field. (B) Assuming the
electron enters the field at time t = 0, find the time at which it leaves the field.
(C) Assuming the vertical position of the electron as it enters the field is yi = 0,
what is its vertical position when it leaves the field?
EXAMPLE 21.9: Field of a ring of charge
Charge Q is uniformly distributed around a
conducting ring of radius a (Fig. 21.23).
Find the electric field at a point P on the
ring axis at a distance x from its center.
Solution:
(x = 0)
When the field point P is much farther from
the ring than the ring’s radius, we have x >> a
the electric field at P is
EXAMPLE 21.11: Field of a uniformly charged disk
A nonconducting disk of radius R has a uniform positive surface
charge density σ. Find the electric field at a point along the axis of the
disk a distance x from its center. Assume that x is positive.
Solution:
EXAMPLE 21.12: Field of two oppositely charged infinite sheets
Two infinite plane sheets with uniform surface charge densities +σ and -σ are
placed parallel to each other with separation d (Fig. 21.26). Find the electric
field between the sheets, above the upper sheet, and below the lower sheet
Solution:
Electric Field Lines
• An electric field line is an imaginary line or curve
whose tangent at any point is the direction of the
electric field vector at that point.
Electric Field Lines of a Point Charge
• Electric field lines show
the direction of the
electric field at each
point.
• The spacing of field
lines gives a general
idea of the magnitude
of the electric field at
each point.
Electric Field Lines of a Dipole
• Field lines point away from + charges and toward –
charges.
Electric Field Lines of Two Equal
Positive Charges
• At any point, the electric field has a unique direction,
so field lines never intersect.
The Water Molecule Is an Electric
Dipole (1 of 2)
• The water molecule as a whole is electrically neutral, but
the chemical bonds within the molecule cause a
displacement of charge.
• The result is a net negative charge on the oxygen end of
the molecule and a net positive charge on the hydrogen
end, forming an electric dipole.
The Water Molecule Is an Electric
Dipole (2 of 2)
• When dissolved in water, salt
dissociates into a positive sodium
ion and a negative chlorine ion,
which tend to be attracted to the
negative and positive ends of water
molecules.
• This holds the ions in solution.
• If water molecules were not electric
dipoles, water would be a poor
solvent, and almost all of the
chemistry that occurs in aqueous
solutions would be impossible!
Force and Torque on a Dipole
• When a dipole is placed
in a uniform electric field,
the net force is always
zero, but there can be a
net torque on the dipole.
The magnitude of the net torque

is twice the magnitude of either
individual torque
The direction of the electric dipole moment is along the dipole

axis from the negative charge to the positive charge.
Force and Torque on a Dipole
EXAMPLE 21.13: Force and torque on an electric dipole
Problem 21.9
Two small plastic spheres are given positive electric charges. When they are 15.0
cm apart, the repulsive force between them has magnitude 0.220 N. What is the
charge on each sphere (a) if the two charges are equal and (b) if one sphere has
four times the charge of the other?
Problem 21.13
Problem 21.23
A proton is placed in a uniform electric field of 2.75 x 103 N/C.
Calculate (a) the magnitude of the electric force felt by the
proton; (b) the proton’s acceleration; (c) the proton’s speed
after 1.00 μs in the field, assuming it starts from rest.
Problem 21.48
Problem 21.51
Problem 21.50
A very long, straight wire has charge per unit length
3.20 x 10-10 C/m. At what distance from the wire is the
electric-field magnitude equal to 2.50 N/C?

Chapter 21-Electric Charge and Electric Field

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Chapter 21-Electric Charge and Electric Field

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Chapter 21

Electric Charge and

• Charges of the same sign repel one another and charges

• q is the standard symbol used for charge as a variable

• Remember the charges need to be in coulombs

F1 = F21 + F31 + F41 + …

The Superposition Principle

• To introduce the concept of electric field, first consider the

• We can say that object A somehow modifies the

• We can measure the electric field produced by A with

The magnitude of the net torque

The direction of the electric dipole moment is along the dipole

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