ELECTROSTATICS

LECTURE - 3
Jayant Nagda
Years Teaching Experience B.Tech, IIT Bombay

AIR- 161 (IIT-JEE 2005) 3 Coaching Institutes with

Among Top 1% in
International Physics
multiple under 15 AIRs
Olympiad Examination
 Electric field due to a Uniformly Charged Ring

Q, λ, R

x P

Q: Charge on the Ring

λ: Charge per unit length on Ring
R: Radius of the Ring
x: Distance of P (on axis) from center of Ring
+
Electric Field due to a Uniformly Charged Disc

Q, 𝝈, R 𝝈 : Charge per unit area of Disc

or
E
x P
 Electric field due to Uniform Infinite Sheet of Charge

Point P is some ‘x’ distance away.

𝝈: Surface charge density

+
+
+ +
+ P
+ +
+
+ +
+
+ +
+
+
Electric field due to a Uniformly Charged Spherical Shell
r : distance of Point from the centre of sphere, at P1 (outside sphere)

Q, 𝝈, R

P1
E
at P2 (inside shell)
P2
Einside = 0
E

r r
r=R
Electric field due to a Uniformly Charged Solid Sphere

r : distance of Point from the centre of sphere, at P1 (outside sphere)

P1
E
P2 at P2 (inside sphere)

r
r=R
Electric Field Lines
Electric Field Lines
Electric field line is a concept, they are imaginary lines,
helps in visualization of Electric Field,
by pictorially mapping the electric field.

Positive Charge Negative Charge

Electric Field Lines
Two Positive Charges
Electric Field Lines
Two Positive Charges
 Electric Field Lines
Dipole (Equal magnitude Positive & Negative charges)
 Electric Field Lines
Dipole (Equal magnitude Positive & Negative charges)
Properties of Electric Field Lines

● Starts from positive

charge and terminates
at negative charge.

● Tangent gives direction

Properties of Electric Field Lines

● They never touch each other i.e.

The line curves are continuous in
a charge-free region.

● Field lines never intersect each other.

Properties of Electric Field Lines

● Never form closed loops

● Crowded Field lines means

stronger Field.
Properties of Electric Field Lines

The number of field lines is directly proportional

to the magnitude of the charge.

-Q -2Q
Properties of Electric Field Lines
Which of the following diagrams is correct
representation of EFL
 Properties of Electric Field Lines
They are perpendicular to the surface of a conductor.

Plane Conductor Spherical Conductor

+
+
+
+
+
Example Three positive charges of equal value q are placed at the
vertices of an equilateral triangle. The resulting lines of forces
should be sketched as in
[2001 IIT-JEE]

A. B.

C. D.
Electrostatic Potential Energy
Electrostatic Potential Energy for a Two Particle System

Work done by an external force in slowly bringing

together two charged particles from infinity to a
particular separation.

r q2

q1
Electrostatic Potential Energy for a Two Particle System

Work done by an external force in slowly bringing

together two charged particles from infinity to a
particular separation.

r q2

q1
Electrostatic Potential Energy for a Two Particle System

Work done against the Electrostatic force between

two charged particles in bringing them together from
infinity to a particular distance.

q2

q1
 Two Particle System

q2
❏ Scalar quantity

❏ S.I. unit Joule (J)

q1

❏ Reference at infinity

❏ Dimensions of [U]=?

❏ Determine using [k] and [q]

Works for all combinations of the + ve and -ve charges

HomeWork Questions
Example
Objective (One or more correct options) [2010 IIT-JEE]

A few electric field lines for a system of two charges Q1 and Q2 fixed at
two different points on the x-axis are shown in the figure.
These lines suggest that
A. |Q1| > |Q2|
B. |Q1| < |Q2|
C. At a finite distance to the left of Q1 the electric field is zero.
D. At a finite distance to the right of Q2 the electric field is zero.
 A long cylindrical shell carries positive surface charge -σ in the lower
Example
half. The electric field lines around the cylinder will look like figure given
in (figures are schematic and not drawn to scale).

A. B.

C. D.
Example True or False

The work done in carrying a point charge from one point to another in
an electrostatic field depends on the path along which the point charge
is carried.
Example Positive and negative point charges of equal magnitude are kept at
(0,0,a/2) and (0,0,-a/2), respectively. The work done by the electric field
when another positive charge in moved from (-a,0,0) to (0,a,0) is

A. Positive
B. Negative
C. Zero
D. depends on the path connecting the initial and final
position.
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