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Lecture 1 : Electrostatics

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Electric charge:
central concept in the study of electricity
and magnetism
fundamental property of all of matter
quantity of electricity characterized by
either negativity

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Particle Charge Mass (kg)

Electron (-) 1.6x10 -19 C 9.11 x 10 -31

Proton (+) 1.6x10 -19 C 1.673 x 10-27

Neutron 0 (Zero) 1.675 x 10-27

Atomic number, Z = # of p+
= # of e -
Mass number, A = # of p+ + n0
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Electrification and the creation of ions
In theory, a charged particle can be created from an initially
neutral atom (with equal numbers of protons and
electrons).

Anion – a negatively- charged atom

Cation – a positively-charged atom

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An anion is created by:

a) Removing protons
b)Adding electrons

A cation is produced by:

c) Removing electrons
d)Adding protons
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Electrification:
Process of inducing the creation of a net charge on a body
1. Conduction - uses direct contact
Ex: rubbing a glass rod to a silk cloth

2. Induction – uses indirect contact

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8 Basic Law of Electrostatics
When a body acquires a net negative charge, it is
electrically unstable.
The BLE describes how a pair of charges behave when
placed at a proximate distance from each other
Attraction is observed between charges of unlike signs
whereas repulsion exists between like charges.

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Kinds of (solid) electrical Materials
1. Conductors – mostly metallic, allow the
movement of electric charges through them
Ex: copper, silver, aluminum, gold
2. Insulators – non-metallic substances, inhibit
the flow of electric charges
Ex: sulfur, phosphorus, iodine, gases in ordinary
conditions
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10 Kinds of (solid) electrical Materials
3. Semiconductors – metalloids, part
insulator/part conductor; under ordinary
conditions they are insulators, but when
heated or subjected to an electric field and
the addition of impurity atoms, they become
conducting
Ex: silicon, germanium

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Simple circuit to
determine solid
conductivity

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Kinds of (liquid) electrical Materials
1. Electrolytes – acid, base, and salt solutions; ionic
substances that conduct electricity
Ex: solutions of sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide,
sodium chloride
2. Non-electrolytes – non-ionic, mostly covalent
compounds, inhibit charge flows
Ex: alcohol, sugar, pure water

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Electrostatic Force and Coulomb’s Law
Electrostatic force, F – force of either attraction
or repulsion between two charges objects
F depends on:
1. Charge magnitude, q
2. Distance between the charges - r

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F=

Where:
F = electrostatic force in Newton, N
q1 q2 = charge magnitude in coulomb, C
r = distance of separation in meter, m
k = Coulomb’s proportionality constant,
9 x 10 9Nm2/C2
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 Points to remember:
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1.The equation only allows the calculation of the force
magnitude, and the force direction should be analyzed
separately.
2.When more than a pair of charges interact, the total
force on one charge (called the reference charge) is
obtained by taking all the Coulomb forces acting on it
and adding them vectorially.

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Points to remember:
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3. In converting statC to C, use 1C = 3 x 10 9 statC
4. The constant k is also equal to
where is called the permittivity of free space
and is equal to 8.86 x 10 -12 C2/Nm2

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Problems:
1. At what distance could the repulsive force between
two electrons have a magnitude of 1 N? between two
protons?
2. Two small plastic balls are given positive electric
charges. When they are 5 cm apart, the repulsive
forces between them have a magnitude 0.10N. What
is the charge on each ball a) if the two charges are
equal and b) if one ball has twice the charge of the
other?
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Problems:
3. A small charge pith ball is suspended 2 cm above a
second charged pith ball resting on an insulated surface.
If the charge of the lower ball is +20statC and it has
a mass of 0.25g, what charge must be on the upper
ball to lift the lower ball?
4. A solid brass sphere of 5 mm radius on which there is
a positive charge of 800 statC is put in contact with a
hollow brass sphere of the same radius on which is a
negative charge of 500 statC. The spheres are then
separated so that there is a distance of 200 mm between
them. What is the force between them?
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Problems:
5. Two point charges are located in the plane as
follows:
A charge of 2.0 x 10 -9 C is at the point (4cm, 0cm),
and a charge of -3.0 x 10 -9C is at the point (4cm, 3cm).
a) If a third charge of 4.0 x 10 -9 C is placed at the origin,
find the x and y components of the total force on this
third charge. b) Find the magnitude and the direction
of the total force on the charge at the origin.

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Problems:
6. A charge A of +300 statC is placed on a line between two
charges B of +100 statC and C of charge -400 statC. The
charge A is 10 cm from B and 20 cm from C. What is the
force on A?
7. Calculate the position of the point in the neighborhood
of two point charges 1.67 x10-6 C and -0.6 x10-6 C,
situated 400 mm apart where a third charge would
experience no force.

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Problems:
8. Two small balls, each of mass 10g, are attached to
silk threads 1 m long and hang from a common point.
When the balls are given equal quantities of negative
charge, each thread makes an angle of 20o with the
vertical. Find the magnitude of the charge of the ball.

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Electric field, E:
 a region surrounding a charge where
electrostatic force may be experienced
 E magnitude is measured in terms of its
intensity called the electric field strength

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Electric field:
 by definition:
E= =
Where:
q – the charge which exerts the field
r – distance separating q and the point where the field is
exerted
k – Coulomb’s constant
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 Properties of electric field:
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1. It is a force field – the enveloping region or space surrounding a
charge develops electrostatic forces on other charges placed in it,
2. It is a vector quantity – its direction is dependent on the force
direction it generates. Electric field lines represents field
direction. These lines radiate outward from a positive point
charge and are directed radially inwards to a negative point
charge
3. When more that a pair of charges interact, the total field on a
single charge (reference charge) is obtained by the
superposition’s principle. Fields are added vectorially like
electrostatic forces.
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Problems:
1. What is the intensity of the electric field which will just
support a water droplet having a mass of 10 microgram and
a charge of 1x10-7C?
2. At what distance from a particle of charge 5x10-9C does
the electric field of that charge have a magnitude of 2 N/C?
3. Three points A, B, C are on the corners of an equilateral
triangle. At A, there is a point charge of +0.1 microcoulomb.
What is the magnitude of electric field intensity at a point
midway between B and C, if BC is 10cm?

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Problems:
4. A rectangle, 10 cm high and 20 cm wide, has a +200
statC charges placed on each corner. What is the magnitude
and direction of the electric field intensity at the center of the
rectangle?
5. What is the electric field of a gold nucleus, at a distance of
10-14m from the nucleus?
6. A small object carrying a charge of -5x10-9C experiences
a downward force of 20x10-9N when placed at a certain point
in an electric field. What is the electric field at that point, in
magnitude and direction?
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Problems:
7. A uniform electric field exists in the region between two
oppositely charge plane parallel plates. An electron is
released from rest at the surface of the negatively charged
plate and strikes the surface of the opposite plate, 2.0 cm
distant from the first, in the interval of 1.5x10 -8s.
a) Find the electric field
b) Find the velocity of the electron when it strikes the
second plate.

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