Electric Charge,

Dipoles,Force,Field,
And Flux Problems
B Y: J O H N D AV E L A R R O Z A
 W H AT I S
ELECTRIC
CHARGE?
Electric charge, basic property of matter carried by some elementary
particles. Electric charge, which can be positive or negative, occurs in
discrete natural units and is neither created nor destroyed.
Electric charges are of two general types: positive and negative. Two
objects that have an excess of one type of charge exert a force of repulsion
on each other when relatively close together. Two objects that have excess
opposite charges, one positively charged and the other negatively charged,
attract each other when relatively near.
 W H AT I S
ELECTRIC
CHARGE?
BASIC PRELIMINARIES:

Two basic charges:

-Positive and Negative
Each having an absolute value of:
-1.6 x 10 Coulombs
-19

Experiments have shown that:

-Like signed charges repel each other
-Unlike signed charges attract each other
For an isolated system, the net charge of the system remains constant:
-Charge Conservation
 Two basics type of materials:

Conductors
Materials, such as metals, that allow the free movement of
charges

Insulators
Materials, such as rubber and glass, that don’t allow the free
movement of charges
 Coulomb’s Law
Coulomb found that the electric force between two charged
objects is:
-Proportional to the product of the charges on the objects, and
-Inversely proportional to the separation of the objects squared

q1q2 k being a proportionality constant,

F k
r 2
having a value of 8.988 x 10 Nm /c
9 2 2
 Electric Force
As with all forces, the electric force is a
Vector
So we rewrite Coulomb’s Law as  q1q2
F12  k 2 r̂12
r

This gives the force on charged object 2 due to charged object 1

q1 q2
is a unit vector pointing
from object 1 to object 2
 Electric Force
The direction of the force is either parallel or antiparallel to
this unit vector depending upon the relative signs of the charges.

The force acting on each charged object has the same

magnitude
--but acting in opposite directions
 
F12  F21 (Newton’s Third Law)
 Electric Force
Example 1
A charged ball Q1 is fixed to a horizontal surface as shown. When
another massive charged ball Q2 is brought near, it achieves an
equilibrium position at a distance d12 directly above Q1. When Q1 is
replaced by a different charged ball Q3, Q2 achieves an equilibrium
position at a distance d23 (< d12) directly above Q3.
For 1a and 1b which is the correct answer Q2

Q2
1a: A) The charge of Q3 has the same sign of the charge of Q1 d12 d23
g
B) The charge of Q3 has the opposite sign as the charge of Q1
Q1 Q3

C) Cannot determine the relative signs of the charges of Q3 & Q1

 Electric Force
1b: A) The magnitude of charge Q3 < the magnitude of charge Q1
B) The magnitude of charge Q3 > the magnitude of charge Q1
C) Cannot determine relative magnitudes of charges of Q3 &
Q1
1a: A) The charge of Q3 has the same sign of the charge of Q1
B) The charge of Q3 has the opposite sign as the charge of Q1
C) Cannot determine the relative signs of the charges of Q3 & Q1
 Electric Force
•To be in equilibrium, the total force
on Q2 must be zero. Q2

•The only other known force acting

Q2

on Q2 is its weight.
•Therefore, in both cases, the d12
g
d23

electrical force on Q2 must be Q1 Q3

directed upward to cancel its weight.

•Therefore, the sign of Q3 must be
the SAME as the sign of Q1
 Electric Force

1b: A) The magnitude of charge Q3 < the magnitude of charge Q1

B) The magnitude of charge Q3 > the magnitude of charge Q1
C) Cannot determine relative magnitudes of charges of Q3 &
Q
• The
1 electrical force on Q2 must be the Q2

same in both cases … it just cancels the Q2

weight of Q2 d12
g
d23

• Since d23 < d12 , the charge of Q3 must be

Q1 Q3
SMALLER than the charge of Q1 so that
the total electrical force can be the same!!
 Electric Field
-A Field is something that can be defined anywhere in
space.
-A field represents some physical quantity
(e.g., temperature, wind speed, force)
 It can be a scalar field (e.g., Temperature field)
 It can be a vector field (e.g., Electric field)
 It can be a “tensor” field (e.g., Space-time curvature)
 Electric Field
-We say that when a charged object is put at a point in space,
The charged object sets up an Electric Field throughout the
space surrounding the charged object

-It is this field that then exerts a force on another charged object

Like the electric force,

the electric field is also a vector
 Electric Field
If there is an electric 
force acting on an  F
object having a charge
qo, then the electric E
field at that point is q0
given by
(with the sign of q0 included)
 Electric Field
The force on a
positively charged
object is in the
same direction as
the electric field at
that point,
 Electric Field
While the force on
a negative test
charge is in the
opposite direction
as the electric field
at the point
 Electric Field
A positive charge
sets up an
electric field
pointing away
from the charge
 Electric Field
A negative
charge sets up an
electric field
pointing towards
the charge
 Electric Field
Earlier we saw that the force on a charged object is given by
-The term in parentheses remains the
  same if we change the charge on the
  q 
object at the point in question
F j  q j  k 2 rˆij 
 i
 r 
 i  j ij  -The quantity in the parentheses can
 
be thought of as the electric field at
the point where the test object is
placed
 Electric Field
The electric field of a As with the electric force, if there are
point charge can then be several charged objects, the net electric
shown to be given by field at a given point is given by the
vector sum of the individual electric
 q fields
E  k 2 rˆ  
r E   Ei
i
 Electric Field
If we have a Hints
continuous charge
distribution the 1) Look for and exploit symmetries
summation becomes in the problem.
an integral 2) Choose variables for integration
carefully.
 dq 3) Check limiting conditions for
E  k  2 rˆ appropriate result
r
 Electric Field
Electric Field Electric Field
Ring of Charge Line of Charge
 Electric Field
If we have a Hints
continuous charge
distribution the 1) Look for and exploit symmetries
summation becomes in the problem.
an integral 2) Choose variables for integration
carefully.
 dq 3) Check limiting conditions for
E  k  2 rˆ appropriate result
r
 Electric Field
Example

Two equal, but opposite

charges are placed on the x
axis. The positive charge is
placed at x = -5 m and the
negative charge is placed at x =
+5m as shown in the figure
above.
 Electric Field
1) What is the direction of the electric field at point A?
a) up b) down c) left d) right e) zero

2) What is the direction of the electric field at point B?

a) up b) down c) left d) right e) zero
 Electric Field
Electric Field
Lines
-Possible to map out the electric field in a region of space
An imaginary line that at any given point has its tangent being in the
direction of the electric field at that point
-The spacing, density, of lines is related to the magnitude of the electric
field at that point
-At any given point, there can be only one field line
The electric field has a unique direction at any given point
Electric Field Lines, Begin on Positive Charges, End on Negative Charges
 Electric Field
Electric Field
Lines
 Electric
Dipole
An electric dipole is a pair of point charges having equal
magnitude but opposite sign that are separated by a
distance d.

Two questions concerning dipoles:

1) What are the forces and torques acting on a dipole
when placed in an external electric field?
2) What does the electric field of a dipole look like?
 Electric
Dipole
Force on a Dipole
-Given a uniform external field
-Then since the charges are of
equal magnitude, the force on
each charge has the same
value
However the forces are in opposite directions!
Therefore the net force on the dipole is F = 0
net
 Electric
Dipole
d is a vector
Torque on a Dipole pointing from
the negative
-The individual forces acting on charge to the
the dipole may not necessarily be positive charge
acting along the same line.
-If this is the case, then there will
be a torque acting on the dipole,
The torque is then given
causing the dipole to rotate.
 
by   
t = qE dsinf   q d  E
 Electric
Dipole
Potential Energy of a Electric Field of a Dipole
Dipole
Given a dipole in an external field:
-Dipole will rotate due to torque
-Electric field will do work
-The work done is the negative of
the change in potential energy of the
dipole
 
-The potential energy can be shown
 
U  q d  E
to be
 Electric Flux
Electric flux, property of an electric field that may be thought of as the
number of electric lines of force (or electric field lines) that intersect a given area.
Electric field lines are considered to originate on positive electric charges and to
terminate on negative charges. Field lines directed into a closed surface are
considered negative; those directed out of a closed surface are positive. If there is
no net charge within a closed surface, every field line directed into the surface
continues through the interior and is directed outward elsewhere on the surface.
The negative flux just equals in magnitude the positive flux, so that the net, or
total, electric flux is zero. If a net charge is contained inside a closed surface, the
total flux through the surface is proportional to the enclosed charge, positive if it
is positive, negative if it is negative.
 Electric Flux
The mathematical relation between electric flux and enclosed charge
is known as Gauss’s law for the electric field, one of the fundamental
laws of electromagnetism. In the metre-kilogram-second system and the 
International System of Units (SI) the net flux of an electric field
through any closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge, in units of 
coulombs, divided by a constant, called the permittivity of free space; in
the centimetre-gram-second system the net flux of an electric field
through any closed surface is equal to the constant 4π times the enclosed
charge, in electrostatic units (esu).
 Electric Flux
If the electric field is uniform,
the electric flux (ΦE) passing through a
surface of vector area S is: ΦE = E⋅S =
EScosθ, where E is the magnitude of
the electric field (having units of
V/m), S is the area of the surface, and
θ is the angle between theelectric field
lines and the normal (perpendicular) to
S.
 Electric Flux
Example
1. A uniform electric field E = 8000 N/C passing through a flat square area
A = 10 m .Determine the electric flux.
2

Known :
The magnitude of the electric field (E) = 8000 N/C
Area (A) = 10 m 2

θ = 0o (the angle between the electric field direction and a line
drawn a perpendicular to the area)
Wanted: Electric flux (Φ)
 /C

Electric Flux
Solution :
The formula of electric flux :
Φ = E A cos q
Φ = electric flux (Nm /C), E = electric field (N/C), A = area
2

(m ), q = angle between electric field line with the normal line.
2

Electric flux :
Φ = E A cos q = (8000)(10)(cos 0) = (8000)(10)(1) = 80,000 =
8 x 10  Nm /C
4 2
 /C

Electric Flux
2.  A uniform electric field E = 5000 N/C passing through a flat square
area A = 2 m .Determine the electric flux.
2

Known :
Electric field (E) = 5000 N/C
Area (A) = 2 m 2

θ = 60 (the angle between the electric field direction

o 

and a line drawn perpendicular to the area)

Wanted : Electric flux (Φ)
 /C

Electric Flux
Electric flux :
Φ = E A cos q = (5000)(2)(cos 60) = (5000)(2)(0.5) = 5000 = 5 x
10  Nm /C
3 2