Electric Charges and Fields Class 12 Notes Chapter 1
Electric Charges and Fields Class 12 Notes Chapter 1
Chapter 1
1. Electric Charge Charge is the property associated with matter due to which it
produces and experiences electric and magnetic effect.
2. Conductors and Insulators Those substances which readily allow the
passage of electricity through them are called conductors, e.g. metals, the
earth and those substances which offer high resistance to the passage of
electricity are called insulators, e.g. plastic rod and nylon.
3. Transference of electrons is the cause of frictional electricity.
4. Additivity of Charges Charges are scalars and they add up like real
numbers. It means if a system consists of n charges q1, q2, q3 , … ,qn, then
total charge of the system will be q1 +q2 + … +qn.
5. Conservation of Charge The total charge of an isolated system is always
conserved, i.e. initial and final charge of the system will be same.
6. Quantisation of Charge Charge exists in discrete amount rather than
continuous value and hence, quantised.
Mathematically, charge on an object, q=±ne
where, n is an integer and e is electronic charge. When any physical quantity
exists in discrete packets rather than in continuous amount, the quantity is
said to be quantised. Hence, charge is quantised.
7. Units of Charge
(i) SI unit coulomb (C)
(ii) CGS system
(a) electrostatic unit, esu of charge or stat-coulomb (stat-C)
(b) electromagnetic unit, emu of charge or ab-C (ab-coulomb)
1 ab-C = 10 C, 1 C = 3 x 109 stat-C
8. Coulomb’s Law It states that the electrostatic force of interaction or
repulsion acting between two stationary point charges is given by
17. Electric Dipole Two point charges of same magnitude and opposite
nature separated by a small distance altogether form an electric dipole.
18. Electric Dipole Moment The strength of an electric dipole is measured by
a vector quantity known as electric dipole moment (p) which is the product of
the charge (q) and separation between the charges (2l).
2.
19. Electric Field due to a Dipole Electric field of an electric dipole is the
space around the dipole in which the electric effect of the dipole can be
experienced.
21. Torque on an electric dipole placed in a uniform electric field (E) is given
by
24. Dipole is in stable equilibrium in uniform electric field when angle between
p and E is 0° and in unstable equilibrium when angle θ= 180°.
25. Net force on electric dipole placed in a uniform electric field is zero.
26. There exists a net force and torque on electric dipole when placed in non-
uniform electric field.
27. Work done in rotating the electric dipole from θ1 to θ2 is W = pE (cos θ1 –
cos θ2)
28. Potential energy of electric dipole when it rotates from θ1 = 90° to θ2 =0
U = pE (cos 90° – cosθ) = -pE cos θ = – p .E
29. Work done in rotating the dipole from the position of stable equilibrium to
unstable equilibrium, i.e. when θ1 = 0° and θ2 = π.
W = 2 pE
30. Work done in rotating the dipole from the position of stable equilibrium to
the position in which dipole experiences maximum torque, i.e. when θ 1 = 0°
and θ2 = 90°.
W = pE