23.

1 Properties of Electric Charges

23.2 Charging Objects By Induction
23.3 Coulombs Law
23.4 The Electric Field
23.6 Electric Field Lines
23.7 Motion of Charged Particles in a Uniform
Electric Field
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Electric Charge
Types:
Positive
Glass rubbed with silk
Missing electrons

Negative
Rubber/Plastic rubbed with fur
Extra electrons

Arbitrary choice
convention attributed to ?

Units: amount of charge is

measured in

[Coulombs]

Empirical Observations:
Like charges repel
Unlike charges attract
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Charge in the Atom

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Protons (+)
Electrons (-)
Ions
Polar Molecules

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23.1 Properties of Electric Charges

Conservation
electricity is the implication that electric charge is always conserved.
That is, when one object is rubbed against another, charge is not
created in the process. The electrified state is due to a transfer of
charge from one object to the other.
One object gains some amount of negative charge while the other
gains an equal amount of positive charge.

Quantization
The smallest unit of charge is that on an electron or proton. (e =
1.6 x 10-19 C)
It is impossible to have less charge than this
It is possible to have integer multiples of this charge

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23.2 Charging Objects By Indu

Conductors and Insulators

Conductor
transfers charge on contact
Insulator
does not transfer charge on contact
Semiconductor
might transfer charge on
contact

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Charge Transfer Processes

Conduction
Polarization
Induction

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23-3 Coulombs Law

Empirical Observations

1
F 2
r

F q1q 2

Direction of the force is along the line joining the two charges

Formal Statement

r
kq1q 2
F12
r21
2
r21

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 Consider two electric charges: q1 and q2

The electric force F between these two
charges separated by a distance r is given by
Coulombs Law
The constant k is called Coulombs constant
k
and is given by

kq1q 2
F 2
r
910 Nm /C
9

The coulomb constant is also written as

2
1
12 C
k
where 0 8.85 10
4 0
Nm 2

0 is the electric permittivity of vacuum

A fundamental constant of nature
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1
4 0

q1 q 2
r2
8

 Double one of the charges

force doubles

Change sign of one of the charges

force changes direction

Change sign of both charges

force stays the same

Double the distance between

charges
force four times weaker

Double both charges

force four times stronger
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Example:
What is the force between two charges of 1 C separated by 1 meter?

Answer: 8.99 x
109 N,

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Coulombs Law Example

What is the magnitude of the electric
force of attraction between an iron
nucleus (q=+26e) and its innermost
electron if the distance between them is
1.5 x 10-12 m
The magnitude of the Coulomb force is

F = kQ1Q2/r2
= (9.0 x 109 N m2/C2)(26)(1.60 x 1019 C)
(1.60 x 1019 C)/(1.5x1012 m)2
=
2.7 x 103 N.
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Example - The Helium

Nucleus
Part 1: The nucleus of a helium atom has two protons and
two neutrons. What is the magnitude of the electric force
between the two protons in the helium nucleus?

Answer: 58 N
Part 2: What if the distance is doubled; how will the force
change?

Answer: 14.5 N

Inverse square law: If the distance is doubled then the force is

reduced by a factor of 4.

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Example - Equilibrium
Position
Consider two charges located on the x axis

The charges are described by

q1 = 0.15 C
q2 = 0.35 C

x = 0.0 m

x1

x2

x = 0.40 m

Where do we need to put a third

charge for that charge to be at an equilibrium point?
x

At the equilibrium point, the forces from the two charges will
cancel.

Here the forces from q1 and q2 can balance.

q1q3
q2 q3
k
k
2
( x)
(0.4 x ) 2
x 0.16m
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q3

13

Zero Resultant Force, Example

Two fixed charges, 1mC and -3mC are separated by 10cm as shown in
the figure (a) where may a third charge be located so that no force acts on
it?
The magnitudes of the individual forces will be
equal
Directions will be opposite
Will result in a quadratic
Choose the root that gives the forces in
opposite directions
k

q1q3
q2 q3

k
( x) 2
(10 x ) 2

1 106
3 106

2
( x)
( x 10) 2
x 13.7cm
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Example:
two charges are located on the positive x-axis of a coordinate system, as shown in
the figure. Charge q1=2nC is 2cm from the origin, and charge q2=-3nC is 4cm
from the origin. What is the total force exerted by these two charges on a charge
q3=5nC located at the origin?
The total force on q3 is the vector sum of the forces due to q1 and q2 individually.

The total force is directed to the left, with magnitude 1.41x10-4N.

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15

Example - Charged Pendulums

Consider two identical charged balls
hanging from the ceiling by strings
of equal length 1.5 m (in
equilibrium). Each ball has a charge
of 25 C. The balls hang at an angle
= 25 with respect to the vertical.
What is the mass of the balls?

Step 1: Three forces act on each

ball: Coulomb
force,
Ball on
left :gravity and the
tension of the string.
kq 2
Fx T sin 2
d
Fy T cos mg
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Example - Charged
Pendulums (2)
Step 2: The balls are in equilibrium
positions. That means the sum of all
forces acting on the ball is zero!

kq 2
T sin 2
d
T cos mg
T sin kq 2 / d 2

T cos
mg

d=2 l sin

kq 2
mg 2
d tan

Answer: m = 0.76 kg
A similar analysis applies to the ball on the right.
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17

Electric Force and Gravitational

Force
Coulombs Law that describes the electric force and
Newtons gravitational law have a similar functional
form
q1q2
m1m2
Felectric k
Fgravity G
r2
r2

Both forces vary as the inverse square

of the distance between the objects.
Gravitation is always attractive.
k and G give the strength of the force.

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Example:
An electron is released above the surface of the Earth. A second electron
directly below it exerts an electrostatic force on the first electron just great
enough to cancel out the gravitational force on it. How far below the first
electron is the second?

FE mg
q1q2
q1q2
k 2 mg r k
r
mg
19 2
(
1
.
6
x
10
)
9
r (9 10 )
5.1 m
31
(9.11x10 )(9.8)

Fe
e
mg

r=?

e
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The electron and proton of a hydrogen atom are separated (on the average) by a
distance of approximately 5.3 x10-11 m. Find the magnitudes of the electric force
and the gravitational force between the two particles.
Compare the electrostatic and gravitational the forces
2
19
1 e2
C
9 N.m 1.60 10

Fe
. 2 9 10
2
2
11
4 0 r
C

5
.
3

10
m

8.2 10 8 N

Fg G

me m p
r

6.7 10

11

N.m 2 9.11 10 31 kg 1.67 10 27 kg

2
2
11
kg
5.3 10 m

3.6 10 47 N
Fe/Fg = 2 x 1039 The force of gravity is much weaker than the electrostatic force
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Electric Forces and Vectors

Electric Fields and Forces are ALL vectors, thus

all rules applying to vectors must be followed.
Consider three point charges, q1 = 6.00 x10-9 C (located at the origin),q3 =
5.00x10-9 C, and q2 = -2.00x10-9 C, located at the corners of a RIGHT triangle. q2
is located at y= 3 m while q3 is located 4m to the right of q2. Find the resultant
force on q3.
4m

q2
3m
q1

q3

Which way does q2 push q3?

Which way does q1 push q3?
Fon 3 due to 1

5m
Fon 3 due to 2

q3

= 37

= tan-1(3/4)

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22

4m

q2
3m
q1

q3

= tan-1(3/4)

F3, 2
F3, 2

(5.0 x10 9 )(2 x10 9 )

(8.99 x10 )
42
5.6 x10-9 N
9

(6 x10 9 )(5 x10 9 )

F3,1 (8.99 x10 )
52
F3,1 1.1x10-8 N
9

Fon 3 due to 1

5m
Fon 3 due to 2

F
F
F

q3

F3,1sin37

= 37
F3,1cos37

F3,1 cos(37) F3, 2

3.18 x10 9 N

F3,1 sin(37) 6.62 x10 9 N

Fresultant ( Fx ) 2 ( Fy ) 2
Fres 7.34x10-9 N
Direction tan 1 (

F
F

64.3 0 above the +x

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23

Coulombs Law Example

y

F1

F3

+
Q F2
L

Q = 6.0 mC
L = 0.10 m
What is the magnitude and
direction of the net force on one of
the charges?

Q
+

We find the magnitudes of the individual forces on the charge at the upper
right corner:
F1= F2 = kQQ/L2 = kQ2/L2
= (9 x109 N m2/C2)(6 x103 C)2/(0.100 m)2 = 3.24 x107 N.
F3= kQQ/(L2)2 = kQ2/2L2
= (9 x109 N m2/C2)(6 x103 C)2 /2(0.100 m)2
= 1.62 x107 N.
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tan

L
1
L

so 450

3x

L
1
so 450
L
F 3 cos 1.62 107 0.707 1.145 107 N

3y

tan

F
F
F
F

sin 1.62 107 0.707 1.145 107 N

3.24 107 1.145 107 4.385 107 N

3.24 107 1.145 107 4.385 107 N

2
2
7
7
6.2 107 N

4
.
385

4.385 10
10

tan 1

F
F

450

along the diagonal, or away from the center of the square.

From the symmetry, each of the other forces will have the same
magnitude and a direction away from the center: The net force on
each charge is= 6.20 710 N away from the center of the square.
.
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Example - Four
Charges
Consider four charges placed at the

corners of a square with sides of

length 1.25 m as shown on the
right. What is the magnitude of the
electric force on q4 resulting from
the electric force from the
remaining three charges?

Answer:
F (on q4) = 0.0916 N
and the direction?
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HOMEWORK :
23-7; Three point charges are located at the corners of an equilateral
triangle. Calculate the net electric force on the 7.00 uC charge.

23-8: Two small beads having positive charges 3q and q are fixed at the
opposite ends of a horizontal insulating rod extending from the origin to the
point x =d. a third small charged bead is free to slide on the rod. At what
position is the third bead in equilibrium? Can it be in stable equilibrium?

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23-12; An object having a net charge of 24.0 C is placed in a uniform electric

field of 610 N/C that is directed vertically. What is the mass of this object if it
floats in the field?

3-18; Two 2.00uC point charges are located on the x axis. One is at x = 1.00
m, and the other is at x =- 1.00 m. (a) Determine the electric field on the y
axis at y =0.500 m. (b) Calculate the electric force on a - 3.00uC charge
placed on the y axis at y = 0.500 m.
23-41; An electron and a proton are each placed at rest in an electric field of
520 N/C. Calculate the speed of each particle 48.0 ns after being released.

23-44; The electrons in a particle beam each have a kinetic energy of 1.60 x 1017
J. What are the magnitude and direction of the electric field that stops these
electrons in a distance of 10.0 cm?

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