Lecture 5

Topic 5

Electric Forces and

Electric Fields 1
 Outline
1. Static Electricity and Electric Charge
2. Conductors and Insulators
3. Electrostatic Charging
4. Coulomb’s Law and Electric Force
5. The Electric Field and Electric Flux
6. Gauss’s Law - Introduction

2
 1: Static Electricity and Electric Charges

Objects can
be charged by
rubbing.

Static electricity refers to the build up of

electric charge on the surface of objects. The static
charges remain on an object until they either bleed
off to ground or are quickly neutralized by a
discharge. 3
Charge comes in two
types, positive and
negative; like charges
repel and opposite
charges attract.

Electric charge is
conserved – the
arithmetic sum of the
total charge cannot
change in any
interaction.
4
 2: Insulators and Conductors

Conductor: Insulator:
Charge flows freely Almost no charge flows
Metals Most other materials

Some materials are semiconductors.

6
 3: Electrostatic Charging

Metal objects can be They can also be

charged by conduction: charged by induction:

7
Nonconductors won’t become charged by
conduction or induction, but will experience
charge separation:

8
 The Electroscope

The electroscope
can be used for
detecting charge:

9
The electroscope can be charged either by
conduction or by induction.

10
The charged electroscope can then be used to
determine the sign of an unknown charge.

11
 Example 1:
A negatively charged rod is brought near
one end of an uncharged metal bar. The
end of the metal bar farthest from the
charged rod will be charged

A positive.
B negative.
C neutral.
D none of the given answers

Answer: B
12
 Example 2:
A metal sphere A has charge Q. Two other
spheres, B and C, are identical to A except they
have zero net charge. A touches B, then the two
spheres are separated. B touches C, then those
spheres are separated. Finally, C touches A and
those two spheres are separated. How much
charge is on each sphere?

[Answer: A: 3Q/8, B: Q/4, C: 3Q/8]

13
 4: Coulomb’s Law and Electric Force
Experiment shows that the electric force between
two charges Q1 and Q2 is proportional to the
product of the charges and inversely proportional
to the distance, r between them.

14
Coulomb’s law:

Q1 Q2
F k 2
r

This equation gives the magnitude of the force.

15
The force is along the line connecting the charges,
and is attractive if the charges are opposite, and
repulsive if they are the same.

16
Unit of charge: Coulomb, C

The proportionality constant in Coulomb’s law

is then:

Charges produced by rubbing are typically

around a microcoulomb:

Charge on the electron:

17
The proportionality constant k can also be
written in terms of , the permittivity of free
space:
Q1 Q2
1
F
4 o r 2

where

1  12
o  2
8.85 10 C /N  m 2

4k
18
Coulomb’s law strictly applies only to point
charges.

Superposition:
For multiple point charges, the forces on each
charge from every other charge can be
calculated and then added as vectors.

19
Example 3:
The electron and proton of a hydrogen atom
are separated (on the average) by a distance of
approximately 5.3 × 10–11 m.
Calculate the magnitudes of the electric force
and the gravitational force between the two
particles.
[G=6.67 x 10-11 Nm2 /kg2,
k = 8.99 x 109 Nm2/C2
me = 9.11 x 10-31 kg, mp = 1.67 x 10-27kg]

[Answer: 8.2 x 10–8 N, 3.6 x 10–47 N]

20
Solution
: rom Coulomb’s
F law, the magnitude of the electric
force is:

Magnitude of the gravitational force is:

To solve problem for force on a charge by two other
charges:
1. Label the charges as 1,2 and 3
2. Draw the forces on the charge concerned
(F12= force on charge 1 by 2,
F13= force on charge 1 by 3)
Like charges repel, unlike charges attract.
3. For three charges on the same axis, add or subtract
the two forces.
4 For other situations, add the two forces by vector
method and determine the direction of the force.
Example 4:

The figure below shows three charges that

lie along the x axis in a vacuum. Determine
the magnitude and the direction of the net
electrostatic force on q1.
0.20 m 0.15 m
q2 q1 q3
–4.0 mC + 3.0 mC –7.0 mC

[Answer: +5.7 N] 23
Solution
The free-body diagram F12 F13
of the forces that act +x
q1
on q1:
 The magnitudes of the forces are:

 9 N .m 
2

k q1 q2  8.99 10 2
 3 .0 10 6
C 4 .0 106
C

 C 
F 12  r12
2 
0.20m  2 2.7 N

 9 N .m 
2

k q1 q3  8.99 10 2
 3 . 0 10 6
C 7 .0 106
C

 C 
F 13  r13
2 
0.15m  2 8.4 N

24
Since F12 points in the negative x-direction and F 13
points in the positive x-direction, the net force F is:

  
F F12  F13  2.7 N   8.4 N  5.7 N

25
Example 5:

[Answer: 9.02x10-3 N, 41.6○ above +x axis]

Solution
 9 N .m 
2

 kq q
 8.99 10 2 
C 
 3 .0 10 6
C 2
. 0 10 6
C 
FY F 21  2 1  
r 212 3 . 0 m 2

5.99 10  3 N
 9 N .m 
2

 kq q
 8.99 10 2
C 
 
 3.0 10  6 C 4.0 10  6 C 
FX F 23  2 3
 
r 23 2 4 . 0 m 2

6.74 10  3 N

2 2
  
2
F  FX  FY  6.74 10  3  5.99 10  3 2
9.02 10  3 N

3
1 FY  1 5.99 10
 tan tan 3
41.6
FX 6.74 10
27
5: The Electric Field and Electric Flux
The electric field is the force on a small charge,
divided by the charge:
F
E
q
It is a region where a force acts
on a charged body.
For a point charge:
Q
E k 2
r
1 Q
E
4 o r 2
28
Force on a small charge in an electric field:

Superposition principle for electric fields:

29
The direction of the electric field strength is
the direction of the force on the positive
test charge at that point.

Unit: Newton per coulomb (NC–1)

Positive Positive test

+ test charge charge
-Q
+Q + – +

30
Problem solving in electrostatics: electric
forces and electric fields

1. Draw a diagram; show all charges,

with signs, and electric fields and
forces with directions

2. Calculate forces using Coulomb’s law

3. Add forces vectorially to get result

31
 Field Lines

The electric field can be represented by field

lines. These lines start on a positive charge and
end on a negative charge.

32
The number of field lines starting (ending) on a
positive (negative) charge is proportional to the
magnitude of the charge.

The electric field is stronger where the field

lines are closer together.

33
Electric dipole: two equal charges, opposite in
sign:
E+

P E

E-
y

+ -

34
The electric field
between two closely
spaced, oppositely
charged parallel plates
is constant.


E  ,  is charge
 density

35
Example 6:
Calculate the magnitude and direction of
the electric field strength at the point P
due to the point charge at A and B, as
shown in the figure.
P

10 cm 10 cm

B
A + –
+2.0 mC –8.0 mC

[Answer: 7.4 x 106 NC–1, 14o]

36
Solution:
The electric field strength E1 at P due to the point
charge +2 mC at A is
6
Q1 2 .0 10
E1 k 2 (8.99 109 )
r (0.10) 2
1.8 106 NC 1

The electric field strength E2 at P due to the point

charge –8 mC at B is 6
Q2 8 . 0 10
E2 k 2 ( 8.99 109 )
r ( 0.10 )2
7.2 106 NC 1
37
As shown in the figure, the resultant electric field
strength at P is

E  (1.8 106 ) 2  (7.2 106 ) 2

6 -1
7.4 10 NC E1
P
E
At an angle of ϴ to the line PB give
E2
by E1
tan  
E2
6
+ -
1.8 10

7.2 106
0.25
 14 38
To determine E at a point
1.Label the charge as 1,2 ....
2.Draw the E1 and E2 at the point concerned.
Remember : Draw E away from positive
charge and towards the negative charge
3 and 4 same as problem on force.
Also note that
(i) If F on a charge at the point is known,
then use F=qE to find E .
(ii) If E at the point is known, use F=qE to

find F
Summary of field lines:

1. Field lines indicate the direction of the field;

the field is tangent to the line.

2. The magnitude of the field is proportional to

the density of the lines.

3. Field lines start on positive charges and end

on negative charges; the number is
proportional to the magnitude of the charge.
40
 Electric Fields and Conductors
1. The electric field is zero everywhere inside the conducting
material – if it were not, the charges would move.
2. Any excess charge on an isolated conductor resides entirely
on its surface.
3. The electric field just outside a charged conductor is
perpendicular to the conductor’s surface.

41
6: Gauss’s Law - introduction

Electric flux:

Electric flux through

an area is proportional
to the total number of
field lines crossing the
area. 42
Flux through a closed surface:

43
The net number of field lines through the
surface is proportional to the charge
enclosed, and also to the flux, giving
Gauss’s law:

Qenclosed
E
closed
 A 
o
ΦE
surface

This can be used to find the electric field

in situations with a high degree of
symmetry.
44
Example 7:
Figure below showing three point charges q1, q2 and
q3 are fixed to the corners of an equilateral triangle.
Point P is at the midpoint of charges q1 and q3. The
lengths of the sides of the triangle are 1.0 m.
What is the electric field at point P? Provide the
direction of electric field at point P.
q1  0.10 C
Note: P is a point,
not a point change

q 2 0.20 C q3 0.30 C 45
E1 and E3 have the same direction (from q3 to
q1).The direction of E2 is perpendicular to the
direction of E1 and E3 (from q2 to P).

E1

E3
E2

46
 Thus,

E1  E3  E1  E3

kQ1 kQ2
 2
 2
r1 r3 [1M]
8.98 10 9 (0.30  0.10) 10  6

(0.5) 2
1.44 10 4 V / m (or N / C )
1.44 10 4 V / m(or N / C ) [1M]

The distance between P and Q2 ,

d = 1.0 2  0.52  0.75m [1M]

kQ2
E2  2
r2
8.99 10 9 0.20 10  6
E2 
0.75
E 2 2.40 10 3 V / m [1M] 47
 2 2 2
E net  E 2  E1  E3 [1M]
(2.40 10 3 ) 2  (1.44 10 4 ) 2
E net 1.46 10 4 V / m [1M]

Direction:
E1  E3
tan  
E2

1.44 10 4
 [1M]
2.40 10 3
 80.5 o

Direction of Enet : 80.5 above E2 @80.5 above line q2 P

@110.5 above +X-direction
@69.5 above -X-direction 48
additional exercises
 Exercise 1
-2e
13 m
5 m

+e +e
12 m

[Ans: (a) 8.50×1010 ke2 N]

Solution 1
Exercise 2

[Ans: (a) 6.54×109 N/C, Downward]

 Exercise 3

[Ans: (b) (i) 4.30×105 Nm2/C; (ii) 1.10×105 Nm2/C;

(c) 0.0256 m]
Solution 3 (b)
Solution 3 (c)
 Exercise 4

[Ans: 202 N horizontally to the left]

Solution 4