Chapter 21

Electric Charge and

Electric Field
Lecture 1: Sec. 21.1 - 21.4
1

Goals for Chapter 21

To study electric charge and charge conservation
To see how objects become charged
To calculate the electric force between objects
using Coulombs law

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Introduction
Water makes life possible
as a solvent for biological
molecules. What
electrical properties allow
it to do this?

We now begin our study

of electromagnetism, one
of the four fundamental
forces.
We start with electric
charge and look at
electric fields.
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Water (H2O)

21.1. Electric charge

Two positive or two negative charges repel each other. A positive
charge and a negative charge attract each other.
Figure 21.1 below shows some experiments in electrostatics
(charging by contact).

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Laser printer
A laser printer makes use of forces between
charged bodies.

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Electric charge and the structure of matter

The particles of the atom
are the negative electron,
the positive proton, and the
uncharged neutron.
Protons and neutrons make
up the tiny dense nucleus
which is surrounded by
electrons (see Figure 21.3
at the right).
The electric attraction
between protons and
electrons holds the atom
together.
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Atoms and ions

A neutral atom has the same number of protons as electrons.
A positive ion is an atom with one or more electrons removed.
A negative ion has gained one or more electrons.

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Conservation of charge
The proton and electron have the same magnitude
charge.

The magnitude of charge of the electron or proton is a

natural unit of charge. All observable charge is
quantized in this unit.
The universal principle of charge conservation states
that the algebraic sum of all the electric charges in any
closed system is constant.

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21.2. Conductors and insulators

A conductor permits the easy movement
of charge through it. An insulator does
not. Conductor has free charge carriers.
Most metals and humans are good
conductors, while most nonmetals are
insulators (See Figure 21.6 at the right).
Insulators have No free charge carriers.
Semiconductors are intermediate in their
properties between good conductors and
good insulators.
Careful! Insulators may become
conductors if under high potential (see
later Ch 24) or e.g. wet.
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Charging by induction
In Figure 21.7 below, the negative rod is able to charge the metal
ball without losing any of its own charge. This process is called
charging by induction.

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Charge by Induction

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Conclusions about Induction

Induction gives opposite charge to the one

used
No need for contact/friction
Charges move around or just redistribute
Object is less negative than initially or more
positive these are equivalent statements

12

Questions to be answered

What kind of interaction (i.e. forces) between

charged objects (i.e. charges)?
What direction of forces?
What happens when have more than 2 point
charges?
Not all along a straight line?
Actually, why there is force?

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Electric forces on uncharged objects

The charge within an insulator can shift slightly. As a result, two
neutral objects can exert electric forces on each other, as shown in
Figure 21.8 below.

In metal the charges moved and redistributed while in insulators

they just rotated or re-oriented.
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Electrostatic painting
Induced positive charge on the metal object attracts the
negatively charged paint droplets.

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Point Charge
When we say charge we really mean a charged
object:
Point charge is particle of zero size carrying a charge,
e.g. electrons and protons.
More precisely, particles separation is much larger than
particle dimension.
We can have few charges separated by large distances,
or many charges spread like touching each other:
Continuous Charge Distribution
Later on, see charge distribution over length, surface,
volume

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21.3 Coulombs Law

Objectives

Point charge
Experimental setup
Electric force properties
Coulombs law: Equation

Physical constants e0, ke and Units

Vector quantities

Superposition Principle: Resultant Force

Problems
17

21.3 Coulombs Law: Experimental

Setup

Torsion balance
Attraction or repulsion force
between 2 charged spheres (i.e.
point charges)
Force Torque Suspended
fiber twisted
Angle read force
Vary charges and measure force
as function of charge & distance
Electric force >> gravitational
18

21.3. Coulombs law

Coulombs Law: The
magnitude of the electric
force between two point
charges is directly
proportional to the
product of their charges
and inversely proportional
to the square of the
distance between them.
(See the figure at the
right.)
Mathematically:
F = ke|q1q2|/r2 = (1/4e0)|q1q2|/r2
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21.3 Coulombs Law: Electric

Force Properties

Fe 1/r2

Fe product q1 q2

Where r is distance separating two charges;

q1 and q2 are charges of object1 and 2
Fe is directed along line joining 2 charges Fe is
attractive for opposite charge type, and
repulsive for
Fe is conservative force..GP1!
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21.3 Coulombs Law: Equation

Magnitude
Positive

Magnitude of

Coulombs force

Fe is electric force between charges q1 and

q2; Unit is Newton (N)
ke is Coulombs constant: choice of units

q1 q2
Fe Fe ke
2
r

8.9875 x 109 N m2/C2 9 x 109 N m2/C2

SI unit of charge is Coulomb (C): large quantity

Charge of electron q = - e = -1.602x10-19 C
See Table 23.1
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21.3 Coulombs Law: Equation

Direction

q1q2
F 12 ke 2 r
r

Direction of

Coulombs force

F12 is a Vector quantity; Force exerted by q1

on q2 cause result

is unit vector directed from q1 to q2

For the force exerted by q2 on q1, then r

is unit vector directed from q2 to q1

Newtons 3rd law:

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Vectors

Notice convention of forces and unit vectors

Active: Electric Force and Field

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Point Charge

ke =1/4pe0

e0 permittivity of free space

e0 = 8.8542 x 10-12 C2/N m2

Can have few charges separated by large

distances, or
Many charges spread like touching: Continuous
Charge Distribution
Later on, see charge distribution over length, surface,
volume
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Bashar Issa - General Physics II

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Superposition

Principle: Resultant Force

More than 2 charges see examples

Force vector between any pair is given by
Coulombs vector equation
Resultant force on 1 charge is VECTOR (NOT
algebraic) SUM of all forces
E.g. if 4 charges q1, q2, q3, and q4 are present
then force on q1 is F1
F1 = F21 + F31 + F41

F1 = F21 + F31 + F41 Wrong

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Examples

1A. Calculate the force
acting on point charge q1.
All point charges are fixed
in position. Given q1 = -3
mC, q2 = 2 mC, d = 0.4 m.

1B. Calculate the net

force acting on charge
q2 if q3 = 4 mC.
Spring 2005/6

q1

q2
+

q1

q3

q2

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0.6d
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21.3 Coulombs Law: Examples (23.2)

q1 =q3= 5 mC,q2= - 2mC
(all fixed in position), and
a = 0.1 m. Find resultant
force exerted on q3.

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Examples (23.3)

Solution:
Think! before writing.
Always!
E.g. why is size of q3 not
given? Do we need it?

Spring 2005/6

q1 = 15 mC at x= 2 m,
q2= 6 mC at the origin
(both fixed in position),
and the resultant force
acting on q3 is zero.
What is the coordinate
of q3?

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21.3 Coulombs Law: Examples (23.4)

Mass of each of 2
identical charged spheres
is 3 x 10-2 kg, in
equilibrium. Length of
string 0.15 m, q is 15o.
Find magnitude of q.

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Force between charges along a line

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Coulombs Law: examples

Copyright 2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Revision
Common Mistakes:
Vectors (magnitude & direction) and scalars (only magnitudes)
of force.
Format of force or net force (magnitude and direction or
vector components).
Not all triangles have 30 and 60o angles!
Component of a vector: sina or cosq, angle measurement
Memorize not only formula and meaning of all symbols, but
also when to apply this formula (i.e. conditions must be
available to apply this formula. E.g. point or distributed charge!)

Have objectives been achieved?

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32

Words
Neutral sphere insulator conductor
superposition directly proportional (or
proportional) inversely proportional point
charge distribution charge carriers bound
charge free charge earth conservative
separation net or resultant unit vectors
earth induction charging or electrifying

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Class Activities

Customized by: Physics Department, UAEU, 2014.

Q1

Three point charges lie at the

vertices of an equilateral triangle as
shown. All three charges have the
same magnitude, but Charges #1
and #2 are positive (+q) and Charge
#3 is negative (q).
The net electric force that Charges
#2 and #3 exert on Charge #1 is in

Charge #2
+q
Charge #1
+q
y
q
x

A. the +x-direction.

B. the x-direction.

C. the +y-direction.

D. the y-direction.

Charge #3

E. none of the above

35

Q2

Two point charges and a point P lie

at the vertices of an equilateral
triangle as shown. Both point
charges have the same magnitude q
but opposite signs. There is nothing
at point P.
The net electric field that Charges
#1 and #2 produce at point P is in

Charge #1
q
P
y
+q
x

A. the +x-direction.

B. the x-direction.

C. the +y-direction.

D. the y-direction.

Charge #2

E. none of the above

36

Q3

Two point charges and a point P lie

at the vertices of an equilateral
triangle as shown. Both point
charges have the same negative
charge (q). There is nothing at
point P.
The net electric field that Charges
#1 and #2 produce at point P is in

Charge #1
q
P
y
q
x

A. the +x-direction.

B. the x-direction.

C. the +y-direction.

D. the y-direction.

Charge #2

E. none of the above

37

Summary

Customized by: Physics Department, UAEU, 2014.