Electrostatic

Objectives:
At the end of this lesson the student should be able to:

1.Describe properties of electric charge

2.State and explain coulomb’s Law
3.Solve problems of Electric force, Electric field and Potential Difference
• Electricity
• Phenomenon resulting from
the presence and flow of
electric charge.

• Magnetism
• Phenomenon exhibited by
magnets.
 Electromagnetism
• The study of the forces acting between charges in motion.
• Physics that deals with the relationship between electricity and
magnetism.

One of the fundamental forces of nature along with the gravitational force
and nuclear force.
 Electricity
 Electrostatics

• Study of charges nearly at rest.

 Electrodynamics

• Study of charges in motion.

 Ex. A carbon nucleus has 12 protons.
Calculate the amount of charge.

Given:
Solution:
n= 12
e = 1.6 x10 -19 C
q=12( 1.6 x10 -19 C)
Required: q
 Like charges repel, unlike charges attract.
 Charge is conserved
“ Charge can be separated and can be transferred from one
matter to another, but they can neither be created nor
destroyed”

 Charge can be ionized

Ionization happens when there is gaining and losing of
electrons
Charging (Ionization of Charge)
• Process that involves transfer of electron from one body to
another.
• The object that loses electrons is said to be positively charged
while the object that gained is negatively charged.
• Charging by Friction (rubbing)
Example: rubbing a glass rod with a silk,
the loosely held particle of glass rod will
likely to transfer to silk. Glass rod will
become positively charge since it loses
electron, while the silk will become
negatively charge since it gains electron.

• Charging by Conduction
• neutrally charged object will gain a
charge if it is in direct contact with a
charged object.
• Charging by Induction
• redistribution of electrical charge in an object caused by influence by
nearby charges.
Classification of Matter Based on Electrical Conductivity
• Conductors
• Allows the flow of charges.
• Some of the electrons are free electrons that can move
freely from one atom to another.
• Has fewer than four valence electron (electron on the
outermost shell of an atom)

Example: Copper ( 1 valence electron)

• Insulators
• Resists the flow of charges.
• Electron are bound to atoms and cannot move freely through another atom.
• Have more than four valence electrons.

Example: Phosporus (5 valence electrons)

• Semiconductors
• normally an insulator but may become conductor at certain condition.
• exactly has four valence electron.
Example: Germanium (4 valence electrons)
Basic law for the interaction of electric charges at rest.
Coulomb’s Law:
The electrostatic force between two charges is directly proportional to the
absolute product of the two charges , but inversely proportional to the square of
the distance between them.
 Unit: Newton (N)

Where,
Fe = electric force
q1 ,q2= charges (C)
r= radial distance between two charges
(m)
k= proportionality constant (k=9x109
N.m2/C2)

∈0 = 8.85x10-12 C2/N m2
 Sample Problems:
1. A negative charge of 0.50x10-6 C exerts a repulsive force of magnitude 0.2N on an
unknown charge 0.20m away. What is the unknown charge?
 Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
2. Electric force versus Gravitational force
An alpha particle (2 electrons) is the nucleus of a helium atom. It has a mass,
m = 6.64x10-27kg and a charge q = 3.2x10-19C. Compare the force of electric
repulsion between two alpha particles with the force of gravitational
attraction between them.
F grav. = G m2/r2 , G = 6.67 x10-11N m2/kg2
Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
3. Two point charges are located on the positive x-axis of a
coordinate system. Charge q1=1.0nC is 2.0cm from the origin, and
charge q2=-3.0nC is 4.0cm from the origin. What is the total force
exerted by these two charges on a charge q3=5.0nC located at the
origin?
Gravitational forces are negligible.
Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
4. Two small balls, each of mass 10g are attached to silk threads
1m long and hung 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 charge on each ball.
Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
5. Three charges are placed as shown. It is known that the magnitude of q1 =
4x10-6C, but its sign and the value of the charge q2 are not known. The
charge q3 equals
+1x10 -6C, and the resultant force F on q3 is measured to be entirely in the
negative x direction. a) Calc. the magnitude of q2.
b) Determine F
Electric Field Intensity E
A charged body creates an electric field in the space around it.
Wherein this electric field exerts a force on the charges in that
region.

E = F/q’ where: q’= test charge

(if no given sign consider it as +)
Field Lines
An imaginary lines drawn through a region of space, so that
every point it is tangent to the direction of the electric field.
 Sample problems:
1. Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field at a point 0.5m directly above
a particle having an electric charge of +2.0 x10-6C.
2. Two particles having charges q1 =1.0x10-9C and q2=2.0x10-9C are separated by a
distance of 2.00m. At what point is the total electric field due to the two charges
equal to zero?
Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
3. An electron is projected with an initial
Vo = 1x107m/s into a uniform field between the parallel plates as
shown. The direction of the electric field is vertically downward, and the
field is zero except in the space between the two plates. The electron
enters the field at a point midway between the plates. If the electron
just misses the upper plate as it emerges from the field, find the
magnitude of the field.
me = 9.11x10-31kg, qe=1.6x10-19C
 Electric Potential Energy (U)
is the work done when a conservative force acts on a
particle to move it from one point to another.
 POTENTIAL PROBLEM
Sears and Zemansky’s University Physics by Young & Freedman
4.Two point charges q1= 40µC and q2= -30µC are 10cm apart. Point A is midway
between them, point B is 8cm from q1 and 6cm from q2. Find:
a. potential at Pt. A
b. potential at pt. B
c. work in bringing a charge q’= 1µC from B to A
5. A dust particle with mass m = 5.0 µg and charge qo = 2.0nC starts
from rest at point A and moves in a straight line to point B. What is its
speed at point B?