Electrostatics

Electrostatics
(General Physics II)

Sigmund F. Breton
Physics Instructor, College of Science
 2 Electrostatics

Outline (내용)
• Electrostatics
• Coulomb’s Law
• Electric Field
• Electric Flux and Gauss’s Law
• Electric Potential Energy and Electric Potential
 3 Electrostatics

Electrostatics
Study of interactions between electric charges that are at rest (or nearly so)
 4 Electrostatics

Structure of Atom
Strong Nuclear Force – attractive interaction between
protons and neutrons.
Atomic Number – number of protons or electrons.
Ionization – gain or loss of electrons.
 5 Electrostatics

Electric Charge
The ancient Greeks discovered as early as 600 B.C. that after they rubbed amber with wool, the amber
could attract other objects.

Electric – derived from the Greek word elektron,

meaning amber.
Free electrons – resides in an atom’s outer shell.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Neutral Positive Charge Negative Charge
suggested calling the two kinds
Equal protons Missing electrons Too many electrons of charge negative and positive.
and electrons
 6 Electrostatics

Electric Charge
Two positive charges or two negative charges repel each other. A positive charge
and a negative charge attract each other.
Electrostatics
 Electrostatics

Charging by Rubbing/Friction
Electrostatics
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Polarization
 11 Electrostatics

Charging by Induction
Electrostatics
 13 Electrostatics

Law of Conservation of Charge

The algebraic sum of all the electric charges in any closed system is constant.

In any charging process, charge is not created or destroyed; it is merely

transferred from one body to another
 14 Electrostatics

Conductors and Insulators

Conductor – materials that permit electric
charge to move easily from one
region of the material to
another.

Insulator – materials that do not

permit electric charge.

Semiconductors – good conductors and

good insulators.
 15 Electrostatics

Triboelectric Series

Loses electrons

Gains electrons
 Electrostatics

Coulomb’s Law
 17 Electrostatics

Coulomb’s Law

𝑞1 𝑞2 1
𝐹=𝑘 ; 𝑘=
𝑟2 4𝜋𝜖0

SI Unit: coulomb (C)

𝑘 = 8.987551787 × 109 N∙m2/C2 (Coulomb’s constant)

𝜖0 = 8.854 × 10−12 C2/N∙m2 (Electric constant)

𝑒 = 1.602176565(35) × 10−19 C (Fundamental charge)

 18 Electrostatics

Example
An 𝛼 particle (the nucleus of a helium atom) has
mass 𝑚 = 6.64 x 10−27 kg and charge 𝑞 = +2e =
3.2 x 10−19 C. Compare the magnitude of the
electric repulsion between two 𝛼 particles with
that of the gravitational attraction between
them.
 19 Electrostatics

Example
Two point charges, 𝑞1 = +25 nC and 𝑞2 = −75 nC,
are separated by a distance r = 3.0 cm. Find the
magnitude of the electric force -
r = 3.0 cm q2 = -75 nC

+
q1 = +25 nC
 20 Electrostatics

Superposition of Forces
𝐹റ = 𝐹റ1 + 𝐹റ2 + 𝐹റ3 + 𝐹റ4 +…

Example:

Two point charges are located on the x-axis of a

coordinate system: 𝑞1 = 1.0 nC is at 𝑥 = +2.0 cm, and
𝑞2 = -3.0 nC is at 𝑥 = +4.0 cm. What is the total
electric force exerted by 𝑞1 and 𝑞2 on a charge 𝑞3 =
5.0 nC at 𝑥 = 0?
 21 Electrostatics

Electric Field
Electric force experienced by a test charge 𝑞0 at the point, divided by the charge 𝑞0

𝐹റ 𝑄
𝐸= = 𝑘 2 𝑟Ƹ
𝑞0 𝑟

𝑬 - electric field

𝑭 - electric force
Positive Charge Negative Charge
𝑞0 - test charge
Outward 𝑬 Inward 𝑬
 22 Electrostatics

Electric Field
Source point - location of the charge.
Field point - point 𝑃 where we are determining the field.
 23 Electrostatics

Example
What is the magnitude of the electric field 𝑬 at a field point 2.0 m from a point charge 𝑞 = 4.0 nC?
 24 Electrostatics

Superposition of Electric Field

𝐸 = 𝐸1 + 𝐸2 + 𝐸3 + 𝐸4 +…

Example:

Point charges 𝑞1 = +12 nC and 𝑞2 = -12 nC are 0.100

m apart. (Such pairs of point charges with equal
magnitude and opposite sign are called electric
dipoles.) Compute the electric field caused by 𝑞1 ,
the field caused by 𝑞2 , and the total field (a) at
point 𝑎; (b) at point 𝑏; and (c) at point 𝑐.
 25 Electrostatics

Electric Field Lines

 26 Electrostatics

Example
A proton enters a uniform electric field of magnitude 4.0 x 105 N/C produced by the two charged
plates as shown in the figure. If the speed of the proton when it enters is 1.5 x 107 m/s. What
distance d has the proton been deflected downward when it leaves the plates.
 27 Electrostatics

Electric Dipole
A pair of point charges with equal magnitude and opposite sign (a positive charge 𝑞 and
a negative charge −𝑞) separated by a distance 𝑑
 28 Electrostatics

Electric Flux

ϕ𝐸 = 𝑬 ∙ 𝑨 = 𝐸𝐴 cos 𝜃

ϕ𝐸 - electric flux

𝑬 - electric field

𝑨 - area
 29 Electrostatics

Electric Flux

Outward flux Inward flux

 30 Electrostatics

Example
A disk of radius 0.10 m is oriented with its normal
unit vector n at 30° to a uniform electric field 𝑬 of
magnitude 2.0 x 103 N/C. (Since this isn’t a closed
surface, it has no “inside” or “outside.” That’s why
we have to specify the direction of n in the figure.)
(a) What is the electric flux through the disk? (b)
What is the flux through the disk if it is turned so
that n is perpendicular to 𝑬 ? (c) What is the flux
through the disk if n is parallel to 𝑬 ?
 31 Electrostatics

Gauss’s Law
The total electric flux through any closed surface (a surface enclosing a definite volume)
is proportional to the total (net) electric charge inside the surface

𝑄
ϕ𝐸 = ර 𝑬 ∙ 𝑑𝑨 =
𝜖0

ϕ𝐸 - electric flux

𝑄 - charge

𝜖0 - electric constant
 32 Electrostatics

Gauss’s Law
1. Whether there is a net outward or inward electric flux through a closed surface depends on the
sign of the enclosed charge.

2. Charges outside the surface do not give a net electric flux through the surface.

3. The net electric flux is directly proportional to the net amount of charge enclosed within the
surface but is otherwise independent of the size of the closed surface.

4. The flux through any surface enclosing a single point charge is independent of the shape or size of
the surface
 33 Electrostatics

Zero Net Electric Flux

 34 Electrostatics

Van de Graaff Electrostatic Generator

 35 Electrostatics

Example
Find the electric flux through each of the closed
surfaces A, B, C, and D.
 36 Electrostatics

Field of a Uniform Line Charge

Electric charge is distributed uniformly along an
infinitely long, thin wire. The charge per unit length
is 𝑙 (assumed positive). Find the electric field by
using Gauss’s law.
 37 Electrostatics

Sheet of Charge
Use Gauss’s law to find the electric field caused by a
thin, flat, infinite sheet with a uniform positive
surface charge density 𝑠.
 38 Electrostatics

Sheet of Charge
Positive electric charge 𝑄 is distributed uniformly throughout the volume of an insulating sphere
with radius 𝑅. Find the magnitude of the electric field at a point 𝑃 a distance 𝑟 from the center of
the sphere.
 39 Electrostatics

Charges on Conductors
 40 Electrostatics

Example
A conductor with a cavity carries a total charge of
+7 nC. Within the cavity, insulated from the
conductor, is a point charge of -5 nC. How much
charge is on each surface (inner and outer) of the
conductor?
 41 Electrostatics

Electric Potential Energy

In a Uniform Field

𝑊 = −∆𝑈 = −𝑞0 𝐸(𝑦𝑏 − 𝑦𝑎 ) 𝑈 = 𝑞0 𝐸𝑦

𝑞0 – test charge

𝐸 – electric field

1. +𝑊 – the potential energy decreases.

2. −𝑊 – the potential energy increases.

 42 Electrostatics

Electric Potential Energy

U increases if the test charge moves in the direction opposite the electric force
 43 Electrostatics

Electric Potential Energy

U decreases if charge moves in the same direction as the force
 44 Electrostatics

Electric Potential Energy, 𝑼

Two Point Charges

𝑞1 𝑞2 1 𝑞1 𝑞2
𝑈=𝑘 =
𝑟 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟

𝑘 ≅ 8.99 𝑥 109 𝑁𝑚2 /𝐶 2

𝑞1 , 𝑞2 – electric charges

𝑟 – distance between 𝑞1 and 𝑞2

 45 Electrostatics

Electric Potential Energy

 46 Electrostatics

Example
A positron (the electron’s antiparticle) has mass 9.11 x 10−31 kg and charge 𝑞0 = +1.60 x 10−19 C.
Suppose a positron moves in the vicinity of an 𝛼 particle, which has charge 𝑞 = 3.20 x 10−19 C and mass
6.64 x 10−27 kg. The 𝛼 particle’s mass is more than 7000 times that of the positron, so we assume that
the 𝛼 particle remains at rest. When the positron is 1.00 x 10−10 m from the 𝛼 particle, it is moving
directly away from the 𝛼 particle at 3.00 x 106 m/s.

a. What is the positron’s speed when the particles are 2.00 x 10−10 m apart?
b. What is the positron’s speed when it is very far from the 𝛼 particle?
c. Suppose the initial conditions are the same but the moving particle is an electron (with the same
mass as the positron but charge 𝑞0 = +1.60 x 10−19 . Describe the subsequent motion.
 47 Electrostatics

Electric Potential (Potential), 𝑽

Potential energy per unit charge

𝑈 1 𝑞
𝑉= =
𝑞0 4𝜋𝜖0 𝑟

𝒒𝟎
SI Unit: J/C = Volts (V)

𝑈 – potential energy

𝑞0 – test charge

𝑟 – distance between 𝑞 and 𝑞0

 48 Electrostatics

Electric Potential, Work, and Electric Field

𝑈𝑎 − 𝑈𝑏 𝑊
𝑉𝑎 − 𝑉𝑏 = =
𝑞0 𝑞0

𝑉𝑎 − 𝑉𝑏 = 𝐸(𝑟𝑎 − 𝑟𝑏 ) (uniform 𝑬)

𝑉𝑎 − 𝑉𝑏 (voltage)

𝑈𝑎 , 𝑈𝑏 – potential energy at 𝑎 and 𝑏

𝑟𝑎 , 𝑟𝑏 – initial and final position

 49 Electrostatics

Electric Potential (Potential), 𝑽

 50 Electrostatics

Example
A proton (charge +𝑒 = 1.602 x10−19 C) moves a distance d = 0.50 m in a straight line between
points a and b in a linear accelerator. The electric field is uniform along this line, with magnitude E =
1.5 x 107 V/m = 1.5 x 107 N/C in the direction from 𝑎 to 𝑏. Determine

a. the force on the proton;

b. the work done on it by the field;
c. the potential difference 𝑉𝑎 - 𝑉𝑏 .
 51 Electrostatics

Electric Dipole
An electric dipole consists of point charges 𝑞1 = +12 nC
and 𝑞2 = -12 nC placed 10.0 cm apart. Compute the
electric potentials at points 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐.
 52 Electrostatics

Parallel Plates
Find the potential at any height y between the two
oppositely charged parallel plates.
 53 Electrostatics

Charged Conducting Sphere

A solid conducting sphere of radius 𝑅 has a total charge 𝑞. Find the electric potential everywhere,
both outside and inside the sphere.
 54 Electrostatics

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