Electric Charge, Force &

Field
PHYS2212/1114

Dr. Dragos Amarie, GSU/Math-Phys 2050

Electric Charge
Intrinsic property of electrons and protons
o Atoms are made from a nucleus (protons and neutrons) and electrons

Can be positive and negative

o The proton carries exactly one +e or e+ and the electron exactly e or e
o N.B. + = | |
o The quarks make up protons, neutrons, and other elementary particles

Quarks carry -1/3 e or +2/3 e: for a for example proton (2/3 + 2/3 1/3) e = e+
Quarks were never observed in isolation
The electric charge of an neutron is ZERO (2/3 1/3 1/3) e = 0e

What is the net charge of an atom?

Different atoms interact with each other and make up matter

Electric Charge
Is quantized, it comes in discrete amounts!

o The electron and the proton carry the Elementary Charge

Is conserved in nature!
In Physics, the charge is conserved in a closed system
o the algebraic sum of charges remains unchanged

This is true even if new particles are created or destroyed

Is measured in the SI in Coulombs (C).

o SI = International System of Units (aka Le Systme international d'units)

o 1 C = 6.25 1018 +
o 1 + = 1.60 10-19 C

12

Coulombs Law

It describes the interaction between elementary charges

o Between the same type charges: repulsion

o Between different type charges: attraction
+

Coulombs law gives the electrostatic force exerted by a first

charge q1 (the culprit) on a second charge q2 (the victim)
separated by a distance 12 from each the other.
1 2

12 =
Coulombs Vectorial Law:
12

2
(12 )
where k = 9.0 109 Nm2/C is universal constant, and
12
=

Newtons

12
12

3rd

, where 12 = 12

Law (action and reaction): 21 =

2 1

(21 )2 21

12

12

12

The Big Picture: Coulomb Forces on Charges

The Superposition Principle

culprit
culprit

Consider a system of charges at rest. All the

electrostatic forces obeys the superposition
principle:
The net electrostatic force exerted by a subset of
1 charges on the th charge is the vector sum
of all those 1 forces experienced by the th
charge, each interaction treated independently.
The net electric force is the vector sum of the
individual forces:
1

=
=1

a)

victim
b)

c)

The Electric Field

I do not depend on
any test charge!

An electric field is a physical quantity that provides information about the electrical charge in
every point in space (and time)
o Analogy: Imagine a flower and its perfume spreading in the space around us (and over time). The
scent is than the perfume field (or the physical quantity) that tells you (or the scent tester)
about the existence of this flower somewhere in space.
o Does the presence of flower and the spreading of its scent in space depend on you?

The electric charge produces the electric field which describes the electric force experienced
by a positive test charge at any point in space.
The electric field is the Coulomb force per unit charge, or the force that a test charge q

experiences at that point in space:

F
E=
q

Electric Field vs. Gravitational Field

The electric force and field are analogous to
the gravitational force and field
Compare the force per unit mass (gravitational
field) with the force per unit charge (electric
field):
1 2

12 = 2 ;
=

1 2

12 =
;
=
2

where G = 6.671011 Nm2/kg2 is the

gravitational constant, and = 9.81 m/s2 is the
gravitational acceleration

The Electric Field Lines

The electric field line of a point charge is radial:

o outward for a positive charge and
o inward for a negative charge.

kq
Epoint charge = 2 r
r

General rules for drawing field lines:

o Lines do not cross or overlap,
o Lines start at a positive charge,
o Lines end at a negative charge, and
o Lines curve evenly with no sharp
angles in them.

Problem: Rank Charges Generating these Electric Field Lines

The Dipole: An Important Charge Configuration

An electric dipole is a system of two point charges of
equal magnitude but opposite signs, held at a very
short distance apart.
o Molecules, inside many materials behave like
electric dipoles.
o The dipole is electrically neutral, but the
charges produce a characteristic electric field.
o The product of the charge q and charge
separation d defines the dipole moment:

= .

o Far from the dipole, its electric field falls off as

the inverse cube of the distance ( 3 ).

The Dipole: An Important Charge Configuration

Far from the dipole, its electric field falls off as the inverse cube of the distance ( 3 ) except
on the dipole axis where the electric field is zero.

= 3 ,

,
3

(2

2
+

3
2
) 2

Dipole Moment of Molecules: Polarity

Polar vs. Non-polar molecules: Molecules with a non-zero dipole moment are polar molecules

C=O=S

HCl

2-

4+

-------- --------

2-

Carbonyl Sulfide

CO2

CH4
2-

4+

-------- --------

2-

4+
Methane

Conductors and Insulators

Materials in which charge is free to move are conductors.
Materials in which charge isnt free to move are insulators or
dielectrics.
o External electric fields can force charges to separate. Even if
molecules arent intrinsically dipoles, they can acquire induced
dipole moments as a result of electric forces stretching the
molecule.
o Alignment of induced molecular dipoles reduce the external
electric field.

Matter in Electric Fields

Point charge q in an electric field : Newtons 2nd law and the

electric force combine to give charges acceleration: a = qE / m.

Dipole in an uniform electric field : The dipole moment in

electric field results in a torque that re-aligns the dipole moment

with the field: = p E.
pE (cos cos 0 ),
The work required to rotate the dipole is W =
where are the final and initial angles between and .

Dipole in a non-uniform electric field : The dipole experiences

a net force.

A dipole in an electric field has a potential energy U = p E.

Charge Distributions
Charges (Q net change) can spread
over or inside objects of different
dimensions.
Such spreads are called
distributions:
o Line Distribution or Density

1D (e.g. wire): = ; L length

o Surface Distribution or Density

2D (e.g. thin film): = ; A area

o Volume Distribution or Density

3D (e.g. bulk): = ; V volume

Discrete vs. Continuous Charge Distributions

Charges reside on individual particles, but when particles are very small its convenient to
consider them distributed continuously on a line, over an area, or through the space.
o The electric field of a charge distribution follows by discrete summing (or integrating) the fields of
individual discrete charge (or charge elements ) each treated as a point charge.

Problems: Line vs. Ring Charge Distributions

A. The electric field on the
axis of a charged ring:

Eon axis =

kQx

2
2
x
+
a
(
)

The electric field of an infinite line of charge is oriented radially

outward for positive and inward for negative charge distributions
(Example 20.7)

i
32

(Example 20.6)

2
=

Summary
Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter.

o Charge can be positive (+) and negative (-).

o In nature or any closed system the charge is conserved.
o The force between any two charges is given by Coulombs law.

The electric field describes the force per unit charge at a point in space.
o The electric field of a dipole is proportional to 1 3

The electric forces and fields obey the superposition principle.

o The electric forces and fields of discrete charge distributions are calculated by summation.
o The electric forces and fields of continuous charge distributions are calculated by integration.

In an electric field, a point charge experiences a force that accelerates parallel to the field.
In an electric field, a dipole experiences a torque (only in uniform field) and a net force (in an
non-uniform field).