FINAL TERM

Physics 1 [Fall 2024-2025]

Department of Physics
Faculty of Science & Technology (FST)
American International University-Bangladesh

1
 Reference Books
 Fundamentals of Physics (Edition: 10th)
Written by Halliday, Resnick and Walker

 University Physics (13/14th Edition) written

by Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman
 LESSON 1

BOOK CHAPTER 22

ELECTRIC FIELDS
 Think, why……..

Lightning
Taking off the hat in Attraction between the
the winter balloon and hair

Static charge is
responsible for all of
these.

Why do you feel the shock when you

scuff your shoes across a carpet and This is due to charged particles leaping
then reach for a metal doorknob? between your finger and the doorknob.
 Nature of electric charge
Like charges repel, unlike charges attract  A positive charge and a
negative charge attract each
+ve + - Attract other.
Charge  Two positive charges or two
+ +
-ve Repel negative charges repel each
- - other.

Charge is a conserved quantity. Electric Charge is quantized.

Charges are additive in nature.

Net charge Q = 0 q1 q2 q3
Q
Q=nxe Q

gains 2 electrons loses 2 electrons

Q= q1 + q2 + q3
The magnitude of charge of the
electron or proton is a natural unit
The principle of conservation of charge: of charge.
The algebraic sum of all the electric Every observable amount of electric The charge of an electron
charges in any closed system is constant. charge is always an integer multiple or a proton,
of this basic unit. That is charge is e = 1.6021764871402 x
quantized 10-19 C
 Coulomb’s Force (Electrostatic force)
Coulomb’s law: (Charles Augustin
de Coulomb) q1 q2
The magnitude of the electric force
between two-point charges is directly
proportional to the product of the
charges and inversely proportional to
- r
+
the square of the distance between
them.
The magnitude F of the force that each of two-point charges q1 and q2 , a distance r apart,
exerts on other can be expressed as

𝒒𝟏 𝒒𝟐
𝑭 =𝒌 𝟐
𝒓

1 𝑞1 𝑞2
𝑜𝑟 , 𝐹 = e = 1.6021764871402 x 10-
4 𝜋 𝜖𝑜 𝑟 2 19
C
The directions of the forces the two charges exert on each other are always along the line
joining them.
 Electric force versus gravitational force
An  particle (the nucleus of a helium atom) has mass m = 6.64 x 10 -27 kg and charge q
= 3.2 x 10-19 C. Compare the magnitude of the electric repulsion between two 
(“alpha”) particles with that of the gravitational attraction between them.
Answer: The Electric repulsion force between two  particles,
1 𝑞1 𝑞2 1 𝑞2
𝐹 𝑒= =
4 𝜋 𝜖𝑜 𝑟 2 4 𝜋 𝜖𝑜 𝑟 2
The gravitational attractive force between two  particles,

𝑚1 𝑚2 𝑚
2
𝐹 𝐺=𝐺 2
=𝐺 2
𝑟 𝑟
The ratio of electric force to gravitational force,
𝐹𝑒 1 𝑞
2
=
𝐹 𝐺 4 𝜋 𝜖 𝑜 𝐺 𝑚2
𝟑𝟓
¿ 𝟑 . 𝟏× 𝟏𝟎
This astonishingly large number shows that the gravitational force in
this situation is completely negligible in comparison to the electric
force.
Gravitational force always attractive but electrostatic force may be
attractive or repulsive depends on charge types.
 Force between two-point charges
Solve it by yourself
!
1. Two point charges, q1= 25 nC and q2 = -75 nC are separated by a
distance r = 3 cm (Fig. a). Find the magnitude and direction of the
electric force (a) that q1 exerts on q2 and (b) that q2 exerts on q1

2. Two point charges are located on the x-axis of a coordinate system:

q1= 1 nC is at x = +2.0 cm and q2 = -3.0 nC is at x = +4 cm . What is
the total electric force exerted by q1 and q2 and on a charge q3 = 5.0 nC
at x = 0?
 Electric Field and Electric Forces
Think
about
it….. We can answer those questions by saying
that particle 2 sets up an electric field in
When two electrically charged the space surrounding itself. If we place
particles in empty space interact, particle 1 at any given point in that
How does particle 1 “know” of the
space, the particle “knows” of the
presence of particle 2? That is,
since the particles do not touch, presence of particle 2 because it is
how can particle 2 push on affected by the electric field that particle
particle 1—how can there be such 2 has already set up at that point. Thus,
an action at a distance? particle 2 pushes on particle 1 not by
touching it but by means of the electric
field produced by particle 2.

Can you recall that Gravity can also be

thought of as an “action-at-a-distance” force
or noncontact force?
 Electric Field
An electric field is a vector field because it is responsible for conveying the
information for a force, which involves both magnitude and direction. This field
consists of a distribution of electric field vectors , one for each point in the space
around a charged object.

We define the electric field at a point as the electric force experienced

by a test charge at the point, divided by the charge That is, the electric
field at a certain point is equal to the electric force per unit charge
experienced by a charge at that point:
⃗
𝐹
⃗
𝐸=
𝑞0
The SI unit for the electric field is the
Newton per Coulomb (N/C).

 A charged body creates an electric field in the

space around it.
 The electric force on a charged body is
Electric Field lines around charged particles (Point Charges)

The field produced by a positive point The field produced by a negative point
charge points away from the charge charge points toward the charge

Electric field lines extend away from positive charge (where they
originate) and toward negative charge (where they terminate).
Field lines for a positive point charge
and a nearby negative point charge Field lines for two equal positive
that are equal in magnitude. point charges.

Electric field lines help us visualize the direction and magnitude of electric fields. The
electric field vector at any point is tangent to the field line through that point. The
density of field lines in that region is proportional to the magnitude of the electric
field there. Thus, closer field lines represent a stronger field.
 Electric Field due to a Point Charge:
If we place a small test charge at the
field point P at a distance r from the point
+ 𝒒𝟎
+𝒒 𝑟 ⃗
𝑬
charge , the magnitude of the force is 𝑃
given by the Coulomb’s law,

1 |𝑞 𝑞0| + 𝒒𝟎
𝐹= −𝒒 𝑟 ⃗
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2 𝑬𝑃
The quantity , called the permittivity
constant. The value of is
^ + 𝒒𝟎
+ 𝒒𝒓 𝑟 ⃗
𝑬
𝑃
The magnitude of the electric field at point P is
^ + 𝒒𝟎
1 |𝑞 𝑞 0| 𝒓
−𝒒 𝑟 ⃗
𝐹 4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2 1 𝑞 𝑬𝑃
𝐸= = =
𝑞0 𝑞0 4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2 In vector form,

1 𝑞 ⃗ 1 𝑞
𝐸= 𝐸= 𝑟^
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2 4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2
Problem 5 (Book chapter 22)
A charged particle produces an electric field with a magnitude of 2.0 N/C at a point
that is 50 cm away from the particle. What is the magnitude of the particle’s charge?

Answer: Required formula: 1 𝑞

𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 2 Given

𝑞 9
𝐸=2.0 𝑁 /𝐶
2=9 × 10
( 0.50 )2 𝑟 =50 𝑐𝑚=0.50 𝑚
1
(2)( 0.25) =9 ×10 9 𝑁 . 𝑚2 /∁ 2
𝑞= =0.0555 ×10 −9
𝐶 4 𝜋 𝜀0
9
9 ×10 𝑞=?
Problem 6 (Book chapter 22)

What is the magnitude of a point charge that would create an electric field of 1.00
N/C at points 1.00 m away?

Answer: Follow exactly similar steps as Problem 5 to

answer problem 6.
 Let’s try !!!!
Fig. 1
1. Calculate electric field at point C for figure 1.

2. Calculate net electric field at point C for fig. Fig. 2

2.

3. Calculate net electric field at the mid point of +10 𝑛𝐶 − 5 𝑛𝐶

the distance between the two point charges Fig. 3
for fig. 3. d =1m

4. In the adjacent figure, two point

charges are at the corner of a square
of edge length a = 7.00 cm . In unit-
vector notation, what net electric field
do the particles produce at the
square's center?
12987.2 i + 116888.6 j
 Electric Dipoles
An electric dipole is a pair of point charges with equal magnitude and opposite
sign (a positive charge and a negative charge ) separated by a small distance
.

Fig.1
⃗
𝑑 Fig.2

The product of the chargeand the separation

is the magnitude of a quantity called the
electric dipole moment, denoted by
The pattern of electric field lines
around an electric dipole, with an
In vector form, ⃗ =𝑞 ⃗
𝑝 𝑑 electric field vector shown
(Figure 2) at one point (tangent to
The direction of is from negative charge to the field line through that point).
positive charge as shown in figure 1.
 The Electric Field Due to an Electric Dipole:
The net magnitude of the electric field at point P is

𝐸 = 𝐸 ¿¿
1 𝑞
𝐸=
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟 ¿ ¿ ¿

[( ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0
) ( )
2 2
𝑑 𝑑
𝑧− 𝑧+
2 2

[{ ( ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
)} { ( )}
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑑
2
𝑑
2

𝑧 1− 𝑧 1+
2𝑧 2𝑧

[( ]
𝑞 1 1
𝐸= −
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2
) ( )
2 2
𝑑 𝑑
1− 1+
2𝑧 2𝑧
 [( ) ( ) ]
−2 −2
𝑞 𝑑 𝑑 For
𝐸= 1− − 1+
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
2
2𝑧 2𝑧
𝑑 We use the form of binomial theorem,
𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒 ≪1
2𝑧 𝑛 𝑛𝑥 𝑛 ( 𝑛 − 1 ) 𝑥2
( 1+ 𝑥 ) =1+ + +. . .( 𝑥2 <1
1! 2!
𝑇h𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 ,𝑤𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 ,

𝐸=
𝑞
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
2 [( 1+
2𝑑
2𝑧) (
− 1−
2𝑑
2𝑧 )]
𝐸=
𝑞
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2
1+ [
𝑑
𝑧
−1+
𝑑
𝑧 ]
𝐸=
𝑞
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
2
2
𝑑
𝑧 [ ]
2 𝑞𝑑 2𝑝 𝑝
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 , 𝐸= 3
= 3
= 3
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧 2 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑧
h𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑝=𝑞𝑑=𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑖𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
 Problem 7 (Book chapter 22)
In the adjacent figure, the four particles form a square
of edge length a = 5.00 cm and have charges , and . In unit-
vector notation, what net electric field do the particles produce
at the square's center?

Answer:

The net electric field at the center of the square along

x-axis is
+𝒚
𝑞1 =+10 𝑛𝐶 𝑞 2=−20 𝑛𝐶

𝐸 𝑥 =𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 450 +𝐸 1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 450 −(𝐸3 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 0 +𝐸 4 𝑐𝑜𝑠 450 ) 𝑟 𝑟

⃗
𝐸3 ⃗
𝐸2
Here,
−𝒙 +𝒙
−9 −9 𝑟⃗𝐸 𝐸 1𝑟
⃗
1 10 ×10 1 20 × 10 4
𝐸1 =𝐸 4= And 𝐸 3 =𝐸 2 =
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟
2
4 𝜋 𝜀0 𝑟
2
𝑞 4=−10 𝑛𝐶 𝑞 3=+20 𝑛𝐶
−𝒚
𝐸 𝑥 =𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 450 +𝐸 1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 450 − 𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 0 − 𝐸1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 0

0 N/C
 The net electric field at the center of the square along
y-axis is +𝒚
𝑞1 =+10 𝑛𝐶 𝑞 2=−20 𝑛𝐶
0 0 0 0
𝐸 𝑦 =𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 +𝐸 3 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 −(𝐸¿¿1𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 +𝐸 4 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 )¿ 𝑟
𝑟 ⃗
⃗
𝐸3 𝐸2
−𝒙 +𝒙
0 0 0 0
𝐸 𝑦 =𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 +𝐸 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 −( 𝐸¿¿1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 +𝐸1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 )¿ 𝐸 1𝑟
𝐸4 ⃗
𝑟⃗

0 0
− 𝒚𝑞 3=+20 𝑛𝐶
𝑞 4=−10 𝑛𝐶
𝐸 𝑦 =2 𝐸2 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45 − 2 𝐸1 𝑐𝑜𝑠 45
9 −9 9 −9
2× 9 ×10 × 20 ×10 ×0.707 2 ×9 ×10 ×10 ×10 × 0.707
𝐸𝑦= 2
− 2
𝑟 𝑟

√ √
2 2 2
𝑎 𝑎 2𝑎
127.26 127.26 𝑟= + =
𝐸𝑦= 2
= 2
=101.55 ×10 3
𝑁 /𝐶 4 4 4
𝑟 ( 0.0354)
𝑎 0.05
𝑟= = =0.0354 𝑚
√2 1.414
 Linear charge density:
When charge is distributed along a line (such as a long, thin, charged plastic rod), we
use (the Greek letter lambda λ) to represent the charge per unit length known as
linear charge density.
That is
𝐴𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓𝑐h𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑢𝑡𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑡h𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑑
𝜆= [For uniform linear charge density]
𝐿𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡h 𝑜𝑓 𝑡h𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑑
The SI unit of λ is Coulomb/meter;
simply, we use C/m.

Note:
THANK YOU