PHY122

Electricity, Magnetism and

Elements of Modern Physics

Mr L.T. Radisigo
Physics Level 100 Coordinator
Office: 233/119

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 Static Electricity;
Electric Charge and
Its Conservation

Static electricity – build up of charge

 Why do I get a shock when I
walk across the rug and touch
the door knob or another
person?
 Why do socks stick to my
shirts in the dryer?
 Why does my hair stick to my
comb?

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 Static Electricity;
Electric Charge and
Its Conservation

Charge comes in two

types, positive and
negative; like charges
repel and opposite
charges attract.

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 Electric Charge in the Atom

Atom:
Nucleus (small,
massive, positive
charge)
Electron cloud (large,
very low density,
negative charge)

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 Insulators and Conductors
Conductor: Insulator:
Charge flows freely Almost no charge flows
Metals (mobile) Most other materials
outer electrons (valence (not mobile)
electrons) are loosely bound to
their atoms, forming a "sea of
free electrons."

Some materials are semiconductors.- Charges are

partially mobile

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 Induced Charge

Metal objects can be charged by conduction:

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 Electric Forces
• charges exert electric forces on other
charges – both attractive and repulsive
– two positive charges repel each other
– two negative charges repel each other
– a positive and negative charge attract each
other

+ + +

How Strong is the Electric Force between two

charges? Coulombs’ Law
7
 Coulomb’s Law
Experiment shows that the electric force
between two charges is proportional to the
product of the charges and inversely
proportional to the distance between them.

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 Coulomb’s Law

Coulomb’s law:

This equation gives the magnitude of

the force between two charges.

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 Coulomb’s Law
The force is along the line connecting the
charges, and is attractive if the charges are
opposite, and repulsive if they are the same.

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 Coulomb’s Law

Unit of charge: coulomb, C.

The proportionality constant in Coulomb’s
law is then:
k = 8.99 x 109 N·m2/C2.

Charges produced by rubbing are

typically around a microcoulomb:
1 μC = 10-6 C.

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 Coulomb’s Law

Charge on the electron:

e = 1.602 x 10-19 C.

Electric charge is quantized in units

of the electron charge.

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 Coulomb’s Law

The proportionality constant k can also be

written in terms of ε0, the permittivity of free
space:

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 Coulomb’s Law

Conceptual Example 21-1: Which charge

exerts the greater force?
Two positive point charges, Q1 = 50 μC
and Q2 = 1 μC, are separated by a
distance  . Which is larger in magnitude,
the force that Q1 exerts on Q2 or the force
that Q2 exerts on Q1?

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 Coulomb’s Law
Example 21-2: Three charges in a line.
Three charged particles are arranged in a line,
as shown. Calculate the net electrostatic force
on particle 3 (the -4.0 μC on the right) due to the
other two charges.

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 Coulomb’s Law
Example 21-3: Electric force using vector
components.
Calculate the net electrostatic force on charge Q3
shown in the figure due to the charges Q1 and Q2.

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 Coulomb’s Law
Conceptual Example
21-4: Make the force
on Q3 zero.
In the figure, where
could you place a
fourth charge, Q4 = -50
μC, so that the net
force on Q3 would be
zero?

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 Additional Examples
1. A charge Q0 is tied to a string hangs vertically. When a charge Q1
is brought close to Q0, Q0 moves toward Q1 until it stops at a
distance d from Q1, making an angle θ with the vertical.
Determine the magnitude of the charge on Q0 (of mass m).
2. Two small balls, each of mass m = 1.5 g, having equal positive
charges Q1 = Q2 = +5 μC are suspended by two insulating strings
of equal length L from a hook A fixed to a support. The balls are
in equilibrium when they are separated by distance r = 5 m with
point B midway and making the angle θ with the vertical.
(a) Draw a free body diagram for any of the charges, Write down
equations of all the forces acting on any of the
A
single charge.
2θ
Find,
(b) the angle between the two strings,
B
r=5m
(c) tension T in any of the two strings. Q1 Q2

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 Additional Examples

Four charges Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 are placed at the corners of a square
of sides a = 50 cm, as shown in the figure below. Q1 and Q3 are
negatively charged, Q1 = Q3 = -1µC and Q2 and Q4 are positively
charged; Q2 = Q4 = 1 µC. Calculate the net electric force exerted on
Q1 due to the other charges.

Q2
+

Q4
-
Q3

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 The Electric Field
The electric field is defined as the force on a
small charge, divided by the magnitude of the
charge:

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 Field Lines
The electric field can be represented by field
lines. These lines start on a positive charge
and end on a negative charge.

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 Field Lines
Electric dipole: two equal charges, opposite in
sign:

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 Field Lines

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.

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 The Electric Field
For a point charge:

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 The Electric Field
Force on a point
charge in an
electric field:

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 The Electric Field
Example 21-6: Electric field of a single point
charge.
Calculate the magnitude and direction of the
electric field at a point P which is 30 cm to the
right of a point charge Q = -3.0 x 10-6 C.

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 The Electric Field
Example 21-7: E at a point between two charges.
Two point charges are separated by a distance of 10.0 cm.
One has a charge of -25 μC and the other +50 μC. (a)
Determine the direction and magnitude of the electric field
at a point P between the two charges that is 2.0 cm from
the negative charge. (b) If an electron (mass = 9.11 x 10-31
kg) is placed at rest at P and then released, what will be its
initial acceleration (direction and magnitude)?

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 The Electric Field
Example:
Calculate the net electric field at point P due to
charges Q1 = 1 μC, Q2 = -1 μC, and Q3 = 3 μC.
(a is 0.5 m) P

+
Q1
45°
a -Q a +
Q3
2

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 The Electric Field

Example 21-8: E
above two point
charges.
Calculate the
total electric
field (a) at point
A and (b) at
point B in the
figure due to
both charges, Q1
and Q2.
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 Field Lines

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 Field Lines

The electric field between

two closely spaced,
oppositely charged parallel
plates is constant.

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 The Electric Field
Example:
Two point charges Q1 = 4 μC and Q2 = 9 μC are 0.5m
apart. Locate the null point.

NB: A null point is a point where the net electric field

is zero.

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 Field Lines
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.

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 The Electric Field
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.

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 The Electric Field
Additional question
What are the magnitude and direction of the
electric field that will balance the weight of
(i) an electron,
(ii) a proton?

Mass of the electron me = 9.11 x 10-31 kg

Mass of the proton mp = 1.67 x 10-27 kg

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 Motion of a Charged Particle in an
Electric Field

The force on an object


of charge q in
an electric field E is given by:
 
F= qE
Therefore, if we know the mass and
charge of a particle, we can describe
its subsequent motion in an electric
field.

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 Motion of a Charged Particle in an
Electric Field
Example 21-15: Electron
accelerated by electric field.
An electron (mass m = 9.11 x 10 -31 kg) is

accelerated in the uniform field (E = 2.0 x 104
N/C) between two parallel charged plates. The
separation of the plates is 1.5 cm. The
electron is accelerated from rest near the
negative plate and passes through a tiny hole
in the positive plate.
(a) With what speed does it leave the hole?
(b) Show that the gravitational force can be
ignored. Assume the hole is so small that
it does not affect the uniform field between
the plates.

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 Motion of a Charged Particle in an
Electric Field

Example 21-16: Electron moving perpendicular to E.
Suppose an electron travelingwith speed v0 = 1.0 x 107 m/s
enters a uniform electric field E, which is at right angles to
v0 as shown. Describe its motion by giving the equation of
its path while in the electric field. Ignore gravity.

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 Example
A uniform electric field exists between two plane parallel
plates placed horizontally, 5 cm apart and 10 cm wide. An
electron enters very close to the negative plate with a velocity
U0 = 2 x106m/s in the x direction. The magnitude of the
electric field is 200 N/C. Ignoring gravity,
(a) Sketch the trajectory of the electron in the E.
(b) Calculate the acceleration of the electron due to E.
(c) Calculate the time taken to travel through E.
(d) Find the vertical displacement while in E.
(e) Will the electron hit the +ve plate?

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 Summary

• Two kinds of electric charge – positive and

negative.
• Charge is conserved.
• Charge on electron:
e = 1.602 x 10-19 C.
• Conductors: electrons free to move.
• Insulators: nonconductors.

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 Summary

• Charge is quantized in units of e.

• Objects can be charged by conduction or
induction.

• Coulomb’s law:

•Electric field is force per unit charge:

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 Summary
• Electric field of a point charge:

• Electric field can be represented by electric

field lines.

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