Electric Forces and Fields

Chapter 16
Electric Forces and Fields

16.1 Electric Charge
Properties of Electric Charge
Running a plastic comb through your hair sometimes
causes the comb to attract the hair strands.
If you rub a balloon against your hair it may then stick to
the wall.
This process works best on dry days (less moisture in the
air)
Sometimes rubbing your feet across a rug can allow a
spark to exit your finger.
Electric Charge
There are two kinds of electric charge
If you charge two balloons by rubbing them
against your hair, they will each have the same
charge.
Like with magnets, like charges repel, unlike
charges attract.
With static electricity, we have positive (+) and
negative (-) charges.
If the object has an equal amount of both
changes, there is no net charge.
If you charge an object (+) that you are
painting and spray (-) charged paint at it,
you will waste less paint.
Electric Charge is conserved
Protons and neutrons are relatively fixed in the nucleus,
but electrons can be easily transferred.
If an atom gains an electron it becomes slightly negatively
charged. This is called an ion.
When a child goes down a slide, it loses electrons. This
causes their body to become slightly positive. The
positively charged hair repels the other strands.
Electric Charge is quantized
Charge is always quantized, or found in factors of “e”
which is the charge of one electron.
A proton has a charge of +1.602 x 10-19 C.
An electron has a charge of -1.602 x 10-19 C.
So one (-) coulomb (c) contains 6.2 x 1018 electrons.
Millikan’s experiments
Transfer of Electric Charge
Materials like copper, aluminum and silver distributes
charge easily over their entire surface.
They are said to be conductors.
Glass, rubber and plastic prevent charges from moving

so they are considered insulators.
Semiconductors are a third class of
materials.
They are somewhere between

insulators and conductors.
Depending on addition of certain
atoms, will increases their ability to
conduct. Silicon is a well known
substance used in a variety of
electronic devices.
The fourth class is superconductors.

Cooled to certain temperatures,
these can conduct electricity
indefinitely without heating.
Insulators and conductors can be
charged by contact
Rubbing a balloon against hair allows
it to become charged. This is known
as charging by contact.
If you try to do the same thing with a
copper rod, you will not get the same
results.
Because you and the copper are both
conductors, the charge flows through
you and becomes balanced with the
earth below you. The earth “grounds”
you because it can accept extra
electrons.
Conductors can be charged by induction
Conductors in contact with earth are said to be grounded.
Because of earth’s size, it is an infinite reservoir for
electrons.
The diagram below shows how a neutral sphere can be
charged by a negatively charged object.
This process is called induction and the charge is said to
be induced on the sphere.
Notice that the object never touches the sphere and never
lost its negative charge.
induction
A surface charge can be induced on insulators by
polarization
Insulators can also be charged with induction.
The presence of the charged object causes surface
molecules to realign themselves, causing polarization.
This allows objects like plastic and paper to become
attracted or repelled.
Questions
1. Like with magnets, like charges repel, unlike charges
______.
attract
2. If an atom gains an electron it becomes slightly

negatively charged, this is called an ___.
ion
3. Glass, rubber and plastic prevent charges from moving

insulators
so they are considered _________.
superconductors can
4. Cooled to certain temperatures, _______________
conduct electricity indefinitely without heating.
5. The presence of a charged object near an insulator

causes surface molecules to realign themselves, causing
__________.
polarization
16.2 Electric Force
Coulomb’s Law
Charged objects near each other experience an
acceleration.
This is due to the fact that there is a force between them.
This is called electric force.
“Like” charges repel, “unlike” attract.
The closer two charges are, the greater the force
on them
The distance two charges are apart affects the electric
force between them.
If you double the charge, the force doubles.
If you move them twice as far apart, the force becomes
1/4th.
kC  8.99  10 N  m / C
9 2 2
Practice A
Coulomb’s Law
The electron and proton of a hydrogen atom are
separated, on average, by a distance of about 5.3 x
10-11 m.
Find the magnitudes of the electric force and the
gravitational force that each particle exerts on the
other.
Given: r .3 ×10-11 m
qe = -1.60 x10-19 C
qp = +1.60 x10-19 C
kC 8.99 ×109 Nm2 /C 2
G = 6.673 x 10-11 Nm2 /kg2
Unknown: Felectric ? and Fg = ?
 q1q2 
Felectric  kC  2  answer 8.2 x 10-8 N
 r 
*Note; the proton is about 1800x more massive than the electron.
 mm2  answer
Fg  G  2  3.6 x 10-47 N
 r 
Resultant force on a charge is the vector sum of
the individual forces on that charge
Coulomb’s law applies when more than two charges are
present.
The resulting force on any single charge is equal to the
others involved.
This is known as the principle of superposition.
Superposition
Practice B
The Superposition Principle
Three point charges q1 q2 and q3, lie along the x-axis at
x=0, x=0.04 m, and x=0.06 m.
Calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric force

on each of the three point charges when q1 = +5.0x10-6 C,
q2 = +2.0x10-6 C and q3 = -3.0x10-6 C.
 q1q2 
Felectric  kC  2 
 r 
Given: r m
q1 = +5.0x10-6 C
q2 = +2.0x10-6 C
kC 8.99 ×109 Nm2 /C 2
Answer 
 56 N 
 q1q2 
 r 
Given: r m
q3 = -3.0x10-6 C
q2 = +2.0x10-6 C
kC 8.99 ×109 Nm2 /C 2
Answer 
 135 N 
 q1q2 
 r 
Given: r m
q3 = -3.0x10-6 C
q1 = +5.0x10-6 C
kC 8.99 ×109 Nm2 /C 2
Answer 
 37 N 
Final solution
If an object is in equilibrium, all net external forces acting
on it must equal zero.
To find the equilibrium position of an electrical charge,
you must find where the charges balance or are equal
and opposite the other charges.
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Practice C
Equilibrium
Three charges lie along the x - axis. One positive
charge, q1 = 15 uC, is at x = 2.0 m, and another positive
charge, q2 = 6.0 uC, is at the origin.
At what point on the x–axis must a negative charge, q3,
be placed so that the resultant force on it is zero?

Answer d = 0.77 m
Electric force is a field force
A field force is one in which there
is no physical contact.
Electric force, like gravity, are
field forces.
They are both proportional to the
square of the distance of
separation.
Important differences are that
electrical force can attract or can
repel.
Electrical force is many times
stronger than gravity.
Coulomb quantified electric force with a torsion
balance
Charles Coulomb was the first to measure the force
between charged objects.
He used the device shown here to measure the attractive
force between two charges.
Now we use his constant…
KC = 8.99 x 109 Nm2 / C2
Questions
1. Charged objects near each other experience an
acceleration, this is due to the fact that there is a _____
force
between them.
2. If you move two charges ____ as far apart, the force

twice
becomes 1/4th.
3. If an object is in equilibrium, all net external forces

acting on it must equal ____.
zero
4. A field force is one in which there is no _______
physical
contact.
stronger
5. Electrical force is many times ________ than gravity.
16.3 The Electric Field
Electric Field Strength
A charged object sets up an electric field around it.
As another charge is brought closer, they begin to
interact with one another.

The strength of the electric field is “E”.
Electric field strength is a ratio of force to charge, so “E” is

N/C.
Note
direction of
the force
arrow.
The electric field is also a vector quantity. “E” can be

defined as the direction of the electric force exerted in a
small positive charge. This is call a “test charge”.
Remember, the test charge is always
positive.
To find the electric field, you need to find

the electric force on this charge, then
divide by the force of the test charge.
A strong test charge will cause a

rearrangement of the charges on the
sphere. This is why we use a small test
charge.
Electric Field Strength depends on
charge and distance
Remember field strength depends on  q1q2 
charge and distance.  r 
By substituting this equation with…
We get electric field strength due to a point

q
charge. If more than one charge is present,
we apply the principle of superposition. E  kC 2
r
To find the force at this point, we need to remember if q
is positive, the forces repel. If q is negative, the field is
directed toward q.
As the equation shows, an electric field at a given point
depends only on the charge (q), and the distance(r2) to a
specific point in space.
Practice D
A charge q = +7.00x10-6 C is at the origin.
Find the electric field strength at a point “P”, which is on
the x - axis 0.400 m away.
kc = 8.99 x 109 N*m2/C2
q
E  kC 2
r
Answer 3.93 x 105 N/C

Electric Field Lines
A way of visualizing electric field patterns is to draw lines
pointing in the direction of the electric field.
These are called electric field lines.
They do not really exist but they offer a useful means of
analyzing fields with strength and direction.
The number of field lines is proportional to the
electric field strength
The electric field vector “E” is

tangent to the lines at each point.
The number of lines is proportional
to the strength.
“E” is stronger where the field lines
are closer together.
Electric Field Lines

This is an example of two point charges of equal
strength but opposite charge.
Here we have two equal negative charges.

In this example, the number of lines leaving +2q is twice
the number terminating on charge -q.
The result is only half the lines that leave the positive
charge end at the negative charge.
The remaining half terminate at infinity.
Lines drawn proportional to th

e field strength
Conductors in Electrostatic Equilibrium
A good electric conductor, like copper, contains charges
(electrons) that are only weakly bound to the atom.
When no net motion of charge is
occurring within a conductor, it is
said to be in electrostatic equilibrium.
When there is excess charge, it moves to the outer

surface. This is due to the repulsive nature pushing
charges away from one another.
Excess charges placed on an object moves to its surface.
At the sharp end of an object, repulsion between charges
are directed perpendicular to the surface.
For this reason, the sharp end produces a larger electric
field directed away from the surface.
Questions
1. Electric field strength “E” is a ratio of force to charge, or
coulomb
newtons per ________.
2. T / F A test charge is always negative. false
charge and distance.

3. Field strength depends on ______
4. The number of field lines is proportional to the strength

“E” and are also stronger where the field lines are _____
closer
together.
5. At the “sharp” end of an object, repulsion between

charges are directed ____________
perpendicular to the surface and
produce a large electric field.
End

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Chapter 16

Electric Forces and Fields

They are said to be conductors.

Glass, rubber and plastic prevent charges from moving

They are somewhere between

The fourth class is superconductors.

2. If an atom gains an electron it becomes slightly

3. Glass, rubber and plastic prevent charges from moving

5. The presence of a charged object near an insulator

Calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric force

2. If you move two charges ____ as far apart, the force

3. If an object is in equilibrium, all net external forces

Electric Field Strength

Electric field strength is a ratio of force to charge, so “E” is

The electric field is also a vector quantity. “E” can be

To find the electric field, you need to find

A strong test charge will cause a

By substituting this equation with…

We get electric field strength due to a point

Answer 3.93 x 105 N/C

The electric field vector “E” is

Electric Field Lines

Here we have two equal negative charges.

Lines drawn proportional to th

When there is excess charge, it moves to the outer

2. T / F A test charge is always negative. false

charge and distance.

4. The number of field lines is proportional to the strength

5. At the “sharp” end of an object, repulsion between

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