UNIT 11 16.

1
16.2
Chapter 16 16.3
Electric Forces and
Fields 16.4
Slide 1
 16.1 ELECTRIC CHARGE
When a piece of amber is polished by rubbing it with a piece of fabric,
the amber will subsequently attract small objects, such as bits of string or
hair. We say that the amber is charged by rubbing: some electric charge
is transferred between the amber and the cloth.

Conservation of Charge:
The net charge of a closed system never changes.

There are two types of charge, called positive ( + ) and negative ( − ).

The net charge of a system is the algebraic sum of all the charges,
taking care to include the positive and negative signs of the charges of
the constituent particles in the system.

An object that is electrically neutral has equal amounts of positive

and negative charge and thus a net charge of zero.
Slide 2
 16.1 ELECTRIC CHARGE
Elementary Charge
The magnitude of charge on the proton and electron is the same. And
the amount of charge is called the elementary charge (symbol e ).

The SI unit of charge is Coulomb (C). The net charge of any object is an
integral multiple of the elementary charge. That is, if an object has N
number of elementary charges then then the net charge of that object is
q = Ne.

Slide
Slide 3
3
Example
Calculate how many electrons are there in one coulomb of negative
charge.

SOLUTION
q  Ne
q  1.00 C
N   6.25  1018

e - 1.60 10-19 C

Slide 4
Example
EXAMPLE 1: A metal sphere has a charge of 8.0 C.
Calculate the net charge after 6.0  1013 electrons have been
placed on it.

SOLUTION [DONE IN CLASS]

EXAMPLE 2: A plate carries a charge of 3.0 C, while a rod

carries a charge of 2.0 C. Calculate how many electrons
must be transferred from the plate to the rod, so that both
objects have the same charge.

SOLUTION [DONE IN CLASS]

Slide 5
Attraction and Repulsion

Like charges repel one another; unlike charges attract one

another.

Slide 6
Not only can electric charge exist on an object, but it can also move through
and object.

Substances that readily conduct electric charge are called electrical

conductors.

Materials that conduct electric charge poorly are called electrical insulators.

Intermediate between conductors and insulators are the semiconductors .

Slide 7
 16.2 ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND
INSULATORS
Charging Insulators by Rubbing
When different insulating objects are rubbed against one another, both
electrons and ions (charged atoms) can be transferred from one object to
the other.

Slide 8
 16.2 ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND
INSULATORS
Charging a Conductor by Contact
Touch a charged insulator to the conductor. Since the charge transferred
to the conductor spreads out, the process can be repeated to build up
more and more charge on the conductor.

Slide 9
16.2 ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND
INSULATORS
Charging a Conductor by Induction
A conductor is not necessarily discharged when it is grounded if there
are other charges nearby. It is even possible to charge an initially
neutral conductor by grounding it.

Slide 10
 16.3 COULOMB’S LAW
The magnitude of the electrostatic force exerted by one point charge on
another point charge is directly proportional to the magnitude of the
charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between
them.

The constant k , is called the Coulomb constant , and the constant ϵ0 is

called the permittivity of free space :

Slide 11
 Problem-Solving Tips for Coulomb’s Law
1. Use consistent units; since we know k in standard SI units (N⋅m2/C2),
distances should be in meters and charges in coulombs. When the
charge is given in μC or nC, be sure to change the units to coulombs:
1 μC = 10−6 C and 1 nC = 10−9 C.
2. When finding the electric force on a single charge due to two or more
other charges, find the force due to each of the other charges
separately. The net force on a particular charge is the vector sum of the
forces acting on that charge due to each of the other charges.
Often it helps to separate the forces into x- and y-components, add the
components separately, then find the magnitude and direction of the
net force from its x- and y-components.
3. If several charges lie along the same line, do not worry about an
intermediate charge “shielding” the charge located on one side from
the charge on the other side. The electric force is long-range just as is
gravity; the gravitational force on the Earth due to the Sun does not
stop when the Moon passes between the two.
Slide 12
 Example
Calculate the magnitude and direction of the net force on q1.

Strategy and SOLUTION

The force on q2 due to q1 and the force on q2 due to q3 are determined separately. After
sketching a free-body diagram, we add the two forces as vectors. Let the distance
between charges 1 and 2 be r12 and the distance between charges 2 and 3 be r23 .

F12  k
q1 q2

8.99 10 9
 
N  m 2 C2 3.0 106 C 4.0 106 C   2.7 N
r2 0.20m2

F13  k
q1 q3

8.99 10 9
 
N  m 2 C 2 3.0 106 C 7.0 106 C   8.4 N
r2 0.15m2
  
F  F12  F13  2.7 N  8.4N  5.7N
Slide 13
 Example 16.3
Suppose three point charges are arranged as shown in the figure. A
charge q1 = + 1.2 μC is located at the origin of an (x, y) coordinate
system; a second charge q2 = − 0.60 μC is located at (1.20 m, 0.50 m)
and the third charge q3 = + 0.20 μC is located at (1.20 m, 0). Calculate
the magnitude and direction of the force on q2 due to the other two
charges?

Slide 14
Example 16.3
Strategy and SOLUTION
The force on q2 due to q1 and the force on q2 due to q3 are determined
separately. After sketching a free-body diagram, we add the two forces as
vectors. Let the distance between charges 1 and 2 be r12 and the distance
between charges 2 and 3 be r23 .

Slide 15
Example 16.3
Solution

Slide 16
Example 16.4
Two Styrofoam balls of mass
10.0 g are suspended by threads
of length 25 cm. The balls are
charged, after which they hang
apart, each at θ = 15.0° to the
vertical.
(a) Are the signs of the charges
the same or opposite?
(b) Are the magnitudes of the charges necessarily the same?
Explain.
(c) Find the net charge on each ball, assuming that the
charges are equal.

Slide 17
Example 16.4
Strategy
The gravitational forces that the balls exert on one another are negligibly
small, but the gravitational forces that Earth exerts on the balls are not
negligible. The third force acting on each of the balls is due to the tension in a
thread. We analyze the forces acting on a ball using an FBD. The sum of the
three forces must be zero since the ball is in equilibrium.
Solution
(a) The electric force is clearly repulsive—the balls are pushed apart—so the
charges must have the same sign. There is no way to tell whether they are
both positive or both negative.

(b) The force on either of the balls is proportional to the product of the two
charge magnitudes; F ∝ q1q2. In accordance with Newton’s third law,
Coulomb’s law says that the two forces that make up the interaction are
equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. The charges are not
necessarily equal.

Slide 18
Example 16.4
Solution
(c)

Slide 19
Example 16.4
Solution
(c)

Slide 20
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Electric Field Lines
The visual representation of the electric field is a sketch of
the electric field lines , a set of continuous lines that
represent both the magnitude and the direction of the
electric field vector as follows.

Slide 21
Interpretation of Electric Field Lines
• The direction of the electric
field vector at any point is
tangent to the field line
passing through that point
and in the direction indicated by arrows on the field
line.
• The electric field is strong where field lines are close
together and weak where they
are far apart.

Slide 22
Rules for Sketching Field Lines
• Electric field lines can start only on positive charges and
can end only on negative charges.
• The number of lines starting on a positive charge (or
ending on a negative charge) is proportional to the
magnitude of the charge.
(The total number of
lines you draw is
arbitrary; the more lines
you draw, the better
the representation of
the field.)

Slide 23
Rules for Sketching Field Lines
• Field lines never cross. The electric field at any point has
a unique direction; if field lines crossed, the field would
have two directions at the same point.

Slide 24
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Field Lines for a Point Charge
The figure shows sketches of the field lines due to single
point charges.
The field lines show that the direction of the field is radial
(away from a positive charge or toward a negative charge).

Slide 25
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Field Lines for a Point Charge
The lines are close together near the point charge, where
the field is strong, and are more spread out farther from the
point charge, showing that the field strength diminishes
with distance.

Slide 26
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Electric Field due to a Dipole
A pair of point charges with equal and opposite charges that
are near one another is called a dipole (literally two poles ).

To find the electric field due to the dipole at various points

by using Coulomb’s law would be extremely tedious, but
sketching some field lines immediately gives an approximate
idea of the electric field (next slide).

Slide 27
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Electric Field due to a Dipole

Slide 28
16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD

Slide 29
 16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
If a point charge q is in the vicinity of other charges, it experiences an
electric force .

DEFINITION OF ELECRIC FIELD: The electric field that exists at a point is

the electrostatic force experienced by a small test charge placed at that point
divided by the charge itself:

Slide 30
 Example
The charges on the two metal spheres and the ebonite rod create an
electric field at the spot indicated. The field has a magnitude of 2.0 N/C.
Calculate the force on the charges in (a) and (b)

Slide 31
Example

(a)  
F  qo E  2.0 N C 18.0 108 C  36 108 N

(b)  
F  qo E  2.0 N C 24.0 108 C  48 108 N

Slide 32
Example 16.5
A small sphere of mass 5.10 g is
hanging vertically from an insulating
thread that is 12.0 cm long. By
charging some nearby flat metal
plates, the sphere is subjected to a
horizontal electric field of magnitude
7.20 × 105 N/C. As a result, the sphere
is displaced 6.00 cm horizontally in
the direction of the electric field.
(a) What is the angle  that the thread makes with the
vertical?
(b) What is the tension in the thread?
(c) What is the charge on the sphere?
Slide 33
Example 16.5
Solution
(a) What is the angle q that the thread
makes with the vertical?

Slide 34
Example 16.5
Solution
(b) What is the tension in the thread?

Slide 35
Example 16.5
Solution
(c) What is the charge on the sphere?

Slide 36
 16.4 THE ELECTRIC FIELD
Electric Field due to a Point Charge
The electric field due to a single point charge Q can be found using
Coulomb’s law. Imagine a positive test charge q placed at various
locations. Coulomb’s law says that the force acting on the test charge is

The electric field strength is then

Principle of Superposition
The electric field at any point is the vector sum of the field
vectors at that point caused by each charge separately.

Slide 37
Electric fields from different sources add as vectors.
Slide 38
SUMMARY:

𝑄 𝑞 1 𝑄 𝑞
𝐹=𝑘 2 𝐹=
𝑟 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟 2
𝐹
𝐸=
𝑞

𝑄 1 𝑄
𝐸=𝑘 2 𝐸=
𝑟 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟 2
Slide 39
Example 16.6
Two point charges are located on the x -axis. Charge q1 = +0.60 μC is
located at x = 0; charge q2 = − 0.50 μC is located at x = 0.40 m. Point P
is located at x = 1.20 m. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the
electric field at point P due to the two charges.

Slide 40
Example 16.6
Solution

Slide 41
Example 16.6
Solution

Slide 42
Example 16.6
Solution

Slide 43
Example 16.7
Three point charges are placed at the corners of a rectangle,
as shown in the figure.

(a) What is the electric field due to these three charges at

the fourth corner, point P?
(b) What is the acceleration of an electron located at point
P? Assume that no forces other than that due to the
electric field act on it.

Slide 44
Example 16.7
Strategy
(a) After determining the magnitude and direction of the
electric field at point P due to each point charge
individually, we use the principle of superposition to add
them as vectors.

(b) Since we have already calculated at point P, the force

on the electron is , where q = −e is the charge of
the electron.

Slide 45
Example 16.7
Solution
(a)

Slide 46
Example 16.7
Solution
(a)

Slide 47
Example 16.7
Solution
(b)
The force on the electron is . Its acceleration is
then . The electron charge qe = −e and mass
me are given in Table 16.1. The acceleration has
magnitude a = eE/me = 6.2 × 1016 m/s2. The direction of
the acceleration is the direction of the electric force,
which is opposite the direction of since the electron’s
charge is negative.

Slide 48
Example
Two positive point charges, q1=+16μC and q2=+4.0μC are separated in
a vacuum by a distance of 3.0m. Calculate the spot on the line between
the charges where the net electric field is zero.

Strategy.
Between the charges the fields contribution have opposite directions,
and the net electric field is zero at the place where the magnitude of E1
equals that of E2. However, since q2 is smaller than q1 this location
must be closer to q2, in order that the field of the smaller charge can
balanve the field of the larger charge.
Slide 49
Example

q
Ek
r2
E1  E 2

k

16 10 C
6
k
4.0 10 C 6

d2 3.0m  d  2

4.03.0m  d   d 2
2

2.03.0m  d   d
d  2.0 m
Slide 50
 SELF ASSESSMENTS

A) Iron atoms have been detected in the sun’s outer atmosphere,

some with many of their electrons stripped away. Calculate the net
electric charge (in coulombs) of an iron atom with 26 protons and
7 electrons? Be sure to include the algebraic sign ( or ) in your
answer. Answer: 3.04  1018 C

B) Four identical metallic objects carry the following charges: 1.6 C,
6.2 C, 4.8 C, and 9.4 C. The objects are brought simultaneously
into contact, so that each touches the others. Then they are
separated. (a) What is the final charge on each object? (b) How many
electrons (or protons) make up the final charge on each object?
Answer: (a) 1.6 C (b) 1.0  1013

Slide 51
C) Two spherical objects are separated by a distance that is 1.80 
103 m. The objects are initially electrically neutral and are very
small compared to the distance between them. Each object acquires
the same negative charge due to the addition of electrons. As a result,
each object experiences an electrostatic force that has a magnitude of
4.55  1021 N. Calculate how many electrons did it take to produce
the charge on one of the objects. Answer: 8 electrons

D) A charge of +3.00 C is fixed at the center of a compass. Two

additional charges are fixed on the circle of the compass, which has
a radius of 0.100 m. The charges on the circle are +4.00 C at the
position due north and 5.00 C at the position due east. Calculate
the magnitude and direction of the net electrostatic force acting on
the charge at the center. Specify the direction relative to due east.
Answer: 17.3 N 38.7 S of E

Slide 52
E) An electric field of 260 000 N/C points due west at a certain
spot. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force that
acts on a charge of 7.0 C at this spot.
Answer: 1.8 N due east

F) Four point charges have the same magnitude of 2.4  1012

C and are fixed to the corners of a square that is 4.0 cm on a
side. Three of the charges are positive and one is negative.
Calculate the magnitude of the net electric field that exists at
the center of the square.
Answer: 54 N/C

Slide 53