AP Physics 1 Chapter 15.

1-3
Electric Charge and Force
 Chapter 15: Electric Charge, Force,
and Field
15.1 Electric Charge
15.2 Electrostatic Charging
15.3 Electric Force
 Homework for Chapter 15
• Read Chapter 15.1-3

• HW 15.A: p.506-507: 7-10, 13, 14, 22,23,25-28, 30.

Warmup: Electric Force Physics Warmup #102

An electric force is the force that exists between any two charged particles due to
their charge. Objects with opposite charges will attract each other, while objects
with the same charge will repel each other.

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Complete the table for each pair of objects listed.

Pair of Objects Electric Force Present Repel or Attract?

a proton and a proton yes repel
a neutron and a proton no
an electron and a neutron no
a neutron and a neutron no
an electron and an electron yes repel
a proton and an electron yes attract
15.1: Electric Charge
electrostatics - the study of electric forces between charged objects at rest.

electric charge - the property of an object that determines its electrical

behavior: the electric force it can exert, and the electric force it can experience.

There are two types of charges:

positive (+) – associated with the proton

negative (-) – associated with the electron

• The positive and negative signs are arbitrary conventions.

• Both protons and electrons have the same charge, but with opposite signs.
Neutrons have no charge.

law of charges or charge-force law -

Like charges repel each other,

and unlike charges attract each other.
• The fundamental unit of charge is the magnitude of the charge of an electron:

 e  = 1.60 x 10-19 C

coulomb (C) - the SI unit of charge

• Charge is “quantized”; it can only occur in integral multiples of e.

The charge of an object is q=ne (n = 1,2,3…)

net charge - an object has an excess of either positive or negative
charges.

law of conservation of charge -

The net charge of an isolated system remains constant.

Protons and neutrons are composed of fundamental particles (quarks).

Electric charges on protons and neutrons result from their quark
compositions.
Example 15.1: A piece of glass has a net charge of -2.00 C.
a) Are there more protons or electrons?

b) What happens if an identically charged piece of glass is placed near

the first one?

c) How many fundamental units of excess charge does one piece of the
glass contain?
15.2: Electrostatic Charging
conductor - a material which
has the ability to conduct or transmit
electric charges
ex: metals
valence electrons are loosely
bound, can move

insulator - poor electrical

conductors
ex: glass, rubber, plastic
valence electrons are tightly
bound, can’t readily move

semiconductor - electron
conductivity is intermediate between a
conductor and insulator
ex: transistors, computer
chips
electroscope - a device that can be used to demonstrate
characteristics of electric charge.

• When a charged object is brought near the bulb of a neutral

electroscope, the leaves separate.
electrostatic charging - the process by which an insulator or an
insulated conductor receives a net charge.

• Electrostatic charging can be done by four processes.

1) charging by friction - insulators are rubbed with different materials

and the insulators and the materials acquire equal but opposite charges.

ex: Rubbing a rubber rod with fur will transfer electrons from the fur to the
rubber, and leave the rod with a net negative charge.

ex: After walking across a carpet, you get zapped when touching a metal
doorknob.
2) charging by contact or by conduction - a charged object
makes a contact with a uncharged object and some of the charge on the
charged object is transferred to the uncharged object.
3) charging by induction - a charged object is brought near (not
touching) an uncharged object, the uncharged object is then “grounded”,
and the uncharged object acquires an opposite charge than the charged
object.
4) charging by polarization - the positive and negative charges are
simply separated or realigned within the object and the net charge of the object
is still zero. Charges are merely separated so a portion of the object has excess
positive charges and another has excess negative charges.

When the balloons are charged by

friction and placed in contact with the
wall, an opposite charge is induced on
the wall’s surface, to which the
balloons then stick by the force of
electrostatic attraction.
Water molecules are polar in nature, but some
molecules that are normally not polar can
become induced molecular dipoles in the
presence of a nearby charged object.

A charged balloon easily attracts polar water

molecules.
Check for Understanding

1.A combination of two electrons and three protons would have a net charge (in
coulombs) of

a) +1 C

b) -1 C

c) +1.6 x 10-19 C

d) -1.6 x 10-19 C

Answer: c
Check for Understanding

2. The directions of the electric forces on two interacting charges are given by

a) the conservation of charge

b) the charge-force law

c) the magnitude of the charges

d) none of these

Answer: b “Like charges repel each other, and unlike charges attract each
other.
Check for Understanding

3. A rubber rod is rubbed with fur (fur will lose electrons to a rubber rod). The fur
is then quickly brought near the bulb of an uncharged electroscope. What is the
sign of the charge on the leaves of the electroscope?

a) positive

b) negative

c) neutral

d) unable to tell

Answer: a. When positively charged fur is brought near an electroscope, the

leaves are charged by induction, so the charges on the leaves are positive.
Check for Understanding

4. When a positively charged rod is brought near the bulb of a negatively

charged electroscope, the leaves

a) separate further

b) collapse

c) remain unchanged

d) unable to tell

Answer: b. Negative charge is drawn to the top, and the leaves collapse.
Warmup: Just Charge It Physics Warmup #100

Most objects are electrically neutral. They contain equal amounts of positive and
negative charges. However, many objects often become charged as they gain or
lose electrons. One way this may happen is through charging by friction, in which
two neutral objects rub against each other. The resulting transfer of electrons
leaves one object negatively charged and the other positively charged.

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Draw a picture of a common event in which objects become charged by friction.
Have your neighbor guess what you drew.

Answer: example – walking across a carpet; clothes tumbling in a dryer.

15.3: Electric Force
• On your gold sheet, Coulomb’s law constant k is expanded to:

k = 1 where 0 = 8.85 x 10-12 C2/N·m2 (vacuum permittivity)

40

k = 9.0 x 109 Nm2/C2

• The mutual electrostatic forces on two point charges are equal and
opposite.
• Like the universal law of gravitation, Fg = Gm1m2 ,
r2
Coulomb’s law is an inverse square law because force is proportional to 1/r2.

• Electrical forces are MUCH stronger than gravitational forces.

• Electric charge comes in two types, positive and negative. Mass does not; it only
attracts.
Example 15.2: Two charges are separated by a distance d and exert mutual
attractive forces F1 on each other. What are the mutual attractive forces if the
charges are separated by a distance of 3d?
Example 15.3: A +4.0 coulomb charge is at the origin and a +9.0 coulomb charge
is at x = 4.0 m. Where can a third charge q3 be placed on the x axis so the net
force on it is zero?
Example 15.5: What is the electric force between an electron and a proton placed
5.3 x 10-11 m apart, the approximate radius of a hydrogen atom?
Check for Understanding:

1.The magnitude of the electric force between two point charges is given by

a) the charge-force law

b) conservation of charge

c) Coulomb’s law

d) both a and b

Answer: c
Check for Understanding:

2. Compared to that of the electric force, the strength of the gravitational force
between two protons is

a) about the same

b) somewhat large

c) very much larger

d) very much smaller

Answer: d
Check for Understanding:

3. An electron is a certain distance from a proton. How would the electric force be
affected if the electron were moved twice the distance away from the proton?

a) 2 times greater

b) 4 times greater

c) half as much

d) one quarter as much

Answer: d
Check for Understanding:

4. Two identical point charges are at a fixed distance from one another. How would
the electric force be affected if one of the charges was doubled and the other
halved?

a) 2 times greater

b) same

c) half as much

d) one quarter as much

Answer: b

HW 15.A: p.506: 7-10, 13, 14, 22,23,25-28, 30.

Warmup: It’s a Wrap Physics Warmup #101

Clear food wraps cling to whatever surface they are pressed against (even
themselves). When stretched tightly over a container and pressed against the
sides, they keep their tension and secure the container. The secret behind these
plastic wraps is static electricity. Some of the static charge is created when the roll
is manufactured. Since plastic is not a good conductor, the charge remains for a
long time. More static charge is created when the plastic is pulled off the roll. Pull
faster and it will cling even better.

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You might have noticed that these clear plastic wraps do not work as well in humid
conditions and hardly work at all when the container has moisture on it. Explain
why this is so.

Answer: Moisture drains the static charge.

Static Electricity Simulation

• Google “phet sims physics”. Run “Balloons and Static Electricity” and “John
Travoltage”.

• Write (10) lines using and underlining the words positive, negative, charge,
polarization, and induction. (You may use other forms of the word, such as
induce instead of induction.)

• The FCAs are:

– Correct physics
– All words are used and underlined
– Proper grammar

• Have your shoulder partner read your paragraph and give you advice.

• Make your revisions and turn in your paper.

Summary of Chapter 15 Formulas