BASIC PROPERTIES OF CHARGE

There are three basic properties of electric charge:

1. ADDITIVITY: The total charge of a system is the algebraic sum of all the
individual charges located at the different points in the system .i.e.,
Q res.=q1+q2+q3+………+qn
2. QUANTIZATION: The quantization of a physical quantity means that it can’t vary
continuously to have any arbitrary value but it can change discontinuously to
take anyone of only a discrete set of values.
3. CONSERVATION: The total charge of the entire universe remains constant.

LAWS OF CONSERVATION OF CHARGE:

1. The total charge of an isolated system remains constant.
2. The electric charges can neither be created nor be destroyed but can be
transferred from one body to another.

COMPARISION BETWEEN ELECTRIC CHARGE AND MASS:

EFFECT OF SPEED ON MASS:

COULOMB’S LAW : According to this law, the force of attraction or repulsion

between two stationary point charges is directly proportional to the product of the
magnitude of the two charges ant inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between them.

LIMITATIONS OF COULOMB’S LAW:

1. The electric charge must be at rest.
2. The electric charge must be a point charge. i.e. the extension of charge must
be much smaller than the separation between them.
3. The separation between the charges must be greater than the nuclear
size(10-15 m), because for distance less than (10-15 m), the nuclear force
dominates over the electrostatic force.
PERMITTIVITY (E) epsilon : Permittivity is the property of the medium which
determines the electric force between two charges situated in that medium.

ELECTRIC FIELD INTENSITY : The force experienced by a unit positive test

charge, placed at that point ,without disturbing the position of source charge.
It is the strength of an electric field at any point.
CONTINUOUS CHARGE DISTRIBUTION: Extremely closed charges for
continuous charge distribution.
Charges is discrete in nature, so distribution is continuous.
CHARGE DENSITIES ARE OF THREE TYPES
1. LINEAR CHARGE DISTRIBUTION: It denotes charge per unit length.