6. Tear little bits (2 to 3.

5 mm) of newspaper or tissue paper (about 30 pieces) and

place them on the table. Take your plastic sheet, charged it as before and place it
over the little bits of paper at a height of about 4 cm. Describe what happened to
the little bits of paper. ________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Discover

ELECTRIC CHARGE

From the previous activity, you were able to produced and observed electric
charges. From the Electron Theory, we learned that any material is composed of
atoms of different kinds. Each atom on the other hand is made up of protons,
neutrons and electrons. Different materials have different numbers of protons and
electrons in their atoms.

Atomic structure refers to the structure of atom comprising a nucleus

(center) in which the protons (positively charged) and neutrons (neutral) are
present. The negatively charged particles called electrons revolve around the center
of the nucleus.

Normally, materials are electrically neutral, however when they come in

intimate contact and are separated one gets a positive charge while the other gets a
negative charge. The intensity of the charge depends on the nature of the 2
materials, the rapidity of separation and the insulating property of the air at the
time of separation

In many ways, it is similar to the quantity we call mass of a particle

determines how it reacts when a force acts on it. The mass of a particle is a
measure of the amount of matter it carries, whereas the charge of a particle is a
measure of the amount of “electric-ness” it carries. An electric charge is the
amount of charge that is “on” or “carried by” a particle determines how the particle
reacts to electric fields.

TWO KINDS OF CHARGE

A neutral material has equal number of protons and electrons in it.

+ -+-+-+-+-+-+-
-+ -+-+-+-+-+-+
+ -+-+-+-+-+-+-
-+ -+-+-+-+-+-+
Neutral object
Rubbing or by contact of two different materials may result into an electric
charge, one will be positive charge and the other one, negative charge.

1. Positively charge. A material is a positive charge if it lacks electrons. When a

material losses electrons, leaving more protons, it becomes positively charge.
The number of protons exceeded the number of electrons

+ ++-+++-+++-+
-+ ++-+-+++-++
+ -+-+++++++-+
++ -+++-+-+++-
Positive charge

2. Negatively charge. When a material gains electrons, it becomes negatively

charge due to excess number of electrons. The number of electrons is more than
the number of protons

+ - - - + - - - + - + - +-
-- -+---+-+---+
+ -----+---+-+-
-+ -+-----+---+
Negative charge

LAWS OF CHARGES

1. A charge body (positive or negative) attracts a neutral body.

attract _ attract
+
positive neutral negative neutral
charge body charge body
2. Unlike charges attract each other
attract _
+
positive negative
charge charge

3. Like charges repel each other

repel + _ repel _
+
positive positive negative negative
charge charge charge charge

ELECTROSCOPE
An electroscope is a device that detects the presence of electric charges on
objects. It is a made of a small compartment mostly made of glass (a glass jar, for
example) with a metal rod inserted into it through an insulator cap.

Positive
Negative charged rod
charged rod

Metal Knob

Metal Rod
Glass
container

Foil/leaf

Electroscope Electroscope
Neutral
approached with a approached with a
Electroscope
negative rod. Like positive rod. Like charge
charge foils repel foils repel

Detecting charge by an electroscope

The end of the rod that is inside the compartment has two small metal foils
(aluminum , gold, or another metal) hinged to it that are free to open up like the
wings of a butterfly. The outer end is connected to a metal sphere or a pan. When
a charged object (no matter positive or negative) is brought into contact with the
outer sphere or pan, some of the charges get transferred to the foils via the metal
rod. The foils become charged up with like charges that repel each other causing
the foils to separate and open up. That is how the foils indicate that some electric
charges are transferred to them. Even if a charged object is held near the sphere or
the pan with no physical contact, the foils still open up, but if the object is taken
away from the pan, the foils drop down again.
 CHARGING THE ELECTROSCOPE

Charging by Negative
Conduction charge rod

When charged rod is

Uncharged Electroscope made
removed, the
Electroscope contact with a negative electroscope is now
rod. Excess electrons charged. It has the same
transferred to the
charged as the rod
electroscope

Positive
charged rod

Uncharged
Electroscope made contact Electroscope is
Electroscope
with a positive rod. Electrons positive charged
from the electroscope
transferred to the rod.

Charging by Induction using a Negative Rod

Negative
charged rod

e-

Uncharged Leaves charged Electrons When charged rod

Electroscope negatively by repelled to the and finger were
induction earth through removed,
the finger electroscope is
charged positively
Charging by Induction using a Positive Rod
Positive
charged rod

e-

Uncharged Leaves charged Electrons are When charged rod

Electroscope positively by attracted to the and finger were
induction electroscope removed,
from the earth electroscope is
through the charged negatively
finger

ELECTRIC FIELDS AND ELECTRIC FORCE

In the SI system of units, electric charge is measured in coulombs (C) in

honor of French physicist Charles de Coulomb. The charge on a single electron is

electron charge, -e = -1.60 x 10-19C

proton charge, +e = +1.60 x 10-19C

Charles Coulomb first described electric field strengths in the 1780's. Using
a device called the torsion balance, he found that for point charges, the electrical
force varies directly with the product of the charges. In other words, the greater the
charges, the stronger the field. And the field varies inversely with the square of the
distance between the charges. This means that the greater the distance, the weaker
the force becomes. That is Coulomb’s Law, in equation,

where:
F – force between charges expressed in Newtons (N)
q1 and q2 – point charges expressed in coulomb (C)
r – distance between the two charges expressed in meter (m)
k = 9 x 109 N.m2/C2

Another way to write Coulomb’s law is:

∈0 = 8.85 x 10-12 C2 /N.m2

Example 1. A point charge q1 has a magnitude of 2 x 10-6C. A second charge q2 has
a magnitude twice as the first point charge and is located 0.1 m from the first
charge. Determine the electrostatic force each charge exerts on the other.

Given:

q1 = 2 x 10-6 C q2 = 2 x q1 r = 0.1 m k = 9 x 109 N.m2/C2

F=?

= (9 x 109 N.m2/C2)(2 x 10-6C)(2)(2 x 10-6 C)

(0.1 m)2
F = 7.2 N

Example 2. Two identical particles of charge 5 x 10-6 C are separated by a

distance, d, as shown in the figure below. What is the net force on the third
charge q3 placed between these two charges?

q1 = 5 x 10-6 C F q3 q2 = 5 x 10-6 C
F2 F1

½d ½d

The net force on q3 is equal to the sum of the forces from charges q 1 and q2. Since
the charges are identical, both charges exert an equal force to q 3, therefore,

F = F1 + (-F2) = 0

ELECTRIC FIELDS

Let us think of an electric charge as creating an electric field in the region of

space surrounding it. That field, in turn, exerts a force on any other charge in that
region. The electrical interaction between charged particles can be reformulated by
using the concept of electric field.

Whenever you have a charge Q placed anywhere in space, it will be

surrounded by a region such that if you will put any other charge q at any point P
in this region, the charge q will be acted upon by an electric force F. We call this
region around Q the electric field E of Q.
 Electric field lines or lines of Electric field lines or lines of force
force around a positive charge Q around a negative charge Q

The strength of the electric field is operationally defined as the ratio of the
electric force F to the charge q placed at that point in the field. In symbols,

F
E=
q

where:
E – is electric field expressed in N/C
F – is the electric force due to the charge expressed in newton, N
q – is the charge within the electric field expressed in coulomb, C

Electric lines of force Electric lines of force

between unlike charges between like charges
https://images.app.goo.gl/dbDZiaPTygiSt4R3A

Example 1. A charge of 3.0 µC present in an electric field produces a force of 0.08N.

What is the intensity of the electric field?

Given:
q = 3.0 x 10-6C F = 0.08 N E=?
F 0.08 N
E= = = 26 666.7 N/C
q 3.0 x 10-6C
Example 2. A charge of 0.000025 C is placed in an electric field whose intensity is
8.0 x 106 N/C. How strong is the force acting on the charge?

Given:
q = 0.0025C E = 8.0 x 106 N/C F=?

E = Fq = (8.0 x 106 N/C)(0.000025 C) = 200 N

Example 3. Determine the charge of a point charge in an electric field of

6.5 x 103 N/C and experienced an electric force of 4 x 10-2 N

Given:
E = 6.5 x 103 N/C F = 4 x 10-2 N q=?

F 4 x 10-2N
q= = = 6.15 x 10-6 C or 6.15µC
E 6.5 x 103C

Electric Field of a Dipole

According to Coulomb’s law, the magnitude of the electric force exerted on

the test charge q is

F = kQq/r2

Inserting this expression into our relation for the electric field gives

FkQq/r2 = qE

which leads to

E = kQ/r2

Consider an electric dipole consisting of two charges +q and –q as sketch in

the figure. They might be an electron and a proton, or negative and positive ions
that make up part of a molecule.
Make a qualitative sketch showing the magnitude and direction of the
electric field at points A in the vicinity of this dipole.

Field lines from Field lines from

–q alone +q alone

-Q +Q

Point A
To find the total field Etotal at point A, we need to add the electric fields from the
point charge

Recognize the Principle

-Q1 +Q2

E1

Etotal

E2

Determine the electric fields exerted by each charges,

Q1 Q2
E1 = k E2 = k
r2 r2

To determine the Etotal, apply Pythagorean Theorem

Etotal= √𝐸12 + 𝐸22

Electric Flux

The total number of electric field lines passing a given area in a unit time is
defined as the electric flux. Electric flux is the amount of electric field penetrating
a surface area.

Electric Flux it is the product of the electric field and the area of the surface.
Electric flux is denoted by the symbol (ΦE). If the electric field E is perpendicular to
the surface having a total area A, its just the product of A and E.

Area, A

E Normal Line

ΦE = E A
If E is parallel to the surface, no electric field lines cross the surface and flux is
zero.

ΦE = 0
If the electric field makes an angle with the direction normal to the surface,
the magnitude of the flux is proportional to the component of the field
perpendicular to the surface.

Area, A

E θ

ΦE = E A cos θ

Example 1. A uniform electric field E = 6 000 N/C passing through a flat square
area A = 8 m2. Calculate the electric flux.

Given:
E = 6 000 N/C ΦE = E A
A = 8 m2 = (6 000 N/C) (8 m2)
ΦE = ?
= 48 000 N.m2/C

Example 2. A uniform electric field E = 12 000 N/C passing through a flat square
area A = 0.5 m2. The angle between the electric field direction and a line
drawn perpendicular to the area is θ = 50o). Determine the electric flux.

Given:
E = 12 000 N/C ΦE = E A cos θ
A = 0.5 m2 = (12 000 N/C) (0.5 m2) cos 500
θ = 500
= 3 856.7 N.m2/C
ΦE = ?
Example 3. A spherical ball has a radius of 0.2 m and electric charge is 20µC in its
center. Calculate the electric flux pass through the spherical ball.

Given:
r = 0.2 m A= 4Πr2
Q = 20µC Q
E= k
ΦE = ? r2
ΦE = E A

ΦE = (k Q2 )( 4Πr2)
r

ΦE = (9 x 109 N.m2/C2) (20 x 10-6 C) (4) (3.1416)

= 2 261 952 N.m2/C

Explore

You are now ready to apply what you have learned from the previous
discussion.

Activity 1. Coulomb’s Law Analysis

In the illustrations of charges, draw arrows representing the electric force

exerted by each charge, then, write the type of force that exists among the forces.

Example 1:

Force exerted by Q2 Force exerted by Q1

F2 F1
-Q1 -Q2

Force between Q1 and Q2 = repulsive

Example 2:

+Q2
F1 F3
F2
F3
-Q1 -Q3 F1

Force between Q1 and Q2 = attractive

Force between Q1 and Q3 = repulsive
Force between Q2 and Q3 = attractive

Do the illustrations of charges below!

Illustration 1.

-Q1 +Q2 -Q3

a.) Force between Q1 and Q2 = __________________

b.) Force between Q1 and Q3 = __________________
c.) Force between Q2 and Q3 = __________________

Illustration 2.

+Q2

-Q1 -Q3

a.) Force between Q1 and Q2 = __________________

b.) Force between Q1 and Q3 = __________________
c.) Force between Q2 and Q3 = __________________
Illustration 3.

-Q1 +Q2

-Q3 -Q4

a.) Force between Q1 and Q2 = __________________

b.) Force between Q1 and Q3 = __________________
c.) Force between Q1 and Q4 = __________________
d.) Force between Q2 and Q3 = __________________
e.) Force between Q2 and Q4 = __________________
f.) Force between Q3 and Q4 = __________________

Activity 2. Electric Field Analysis

Use arrows to represent the electric fields at points A, B, and C due to Q1

and Q2. Then apply the parallelogram method to represent the net electric field in
that point.

Point A

-Q1

Point C

+Q2
Point B