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ELECTRIC FORCE
  In physics, a force is an interaction between two
objects that has the ability to change the motion of
one or both of the objects.
 One of the fundamental forces of the universe is
the electric force. This is the force that exists
between all charged particles. 
 The electric force is responsible for such diverse
phenomena as making your hair stand up on a cold
dry day, creating chemical bonds, and allowing you to
see when you turn on a lamp on a dark night.
ELECTRIC CHARGE

 Charge – the property of an object that causes electrical

force.
 Positive and Negative charges exist.
 Like charges repel
 Unlike charges attract (opposites attract)
+ -
ELECTRIC FORCE AND TYPES OF CHARGES

 There are two types of charge, positive and negative,

and they interact with each other in predictable ways.
 Unlike charges exert attractive forces on each other,
while like charges exert repelling forces on each other.
 This means that if two objects that are both positively
charged come close to each other, they will repel, or
push each other away.
 If a positively charged object comes close to a
negatively charged object, the two objects
will attract each other and try to come together.
 ORIGINS OF ELECTRICAL CHARGE
 Anatomy of an atom?
 Protons – Positive charge
 Neutrons – Neutral charge
 Electrons – Negative charge
Normal atom has no net charge
Electrons can move in some
substances
Principle of conservation of charge
 The net electrical charge in an isolated system
never changes. (hair and comb)
 ELECTRICAL FORCE
Charles Coulomb and his law
 The electrical force between two charged bodies is
directly proportional to the charge on each body and
inversely proportional to the square of the distance
between them. charges

N m2
F E= K qq
1 2
Where K = 9.0 x 109
d2 C2

Distance SI unit = Coulomb (C)

Elementary Charge - Charge on one electron or proton = 1.6 x

10-19 C
ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL
 When charges are within an electric field an electrical
potential difference is created.
 Volt – unit of measurement for potential difference.
(electrical potential, voltage)
 Voltage is the prime mover in electrical systems (like
pressure in fluid system).
ELECTRICAL POTENTIAL

Flow caused by “potential” difference

Fluid system Electrical system

Current – Flow
SOURCES OF DIFFERENCE

A pump is a source of fluid A battery is a source of

pressure difference electrical potential difference
COMPONENTS OF ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
 Voltage source (battery or generator)
 Conductors (wires or circuit board)
 Load (motor, lights, etc.) Electrical
circuit
 Control element (switch)
Control

Voltage Electrical
source Load
AC VS. DC
 Direct Current (DC) – charge flows in one direction.
 Batteries
 Solar Panels
 Alternating Current (AC) – charge flows back and
forth.
 Alternators
 Generators
BATTERIES
 Cell – a single unit housing one or more chemical.
 Battery – consist of several cells
How does it work?
 Chemicals react and electrons are removed creating a
potential difference (voltage)
 Primary Cells – one time use batteries (cannot be
recharged)
 Secondary Cells – Can be recharged
A SIMPLE DC CIRCUIT
AC CIRCUITS
 An AC voltage source reverses the positive and
negative terminals many times per second.
 The current flows one direction and then the other
then the other…..
 This changing of polarity or cycling is called
frequency, measured in cycles per second (hertz).
AC VS DC
ELECTRIC CHARGE QUANTIZATION
 Quantization simply means that the values are not
continuous but are rather discrete. 
 Specifically, by saying that charges are quantized, we're
saying that charges cannot attain just any value (unlike
weight -- if you think of any number, that could be the
weight of some arbitrary object). 
 Charges are quantized because the charge of any object
(ion, molecule, etc.) are multiples of a fundamental quantity
 We can say that any charge can be expressed as  , where  is
an integer, while  is the fundamental unit of charge - or the
elementary charge. 
ELECTRIC CHARGE QUANTIZATION-CONTINUE
 The value of  is the charge of the electron/proton (they only
differ in sign) which is approximately  coloumbs.
 Charge quantization, then, means that charge cannot take
any arbitrary values, but only values that are integral
multiples of the fundamental charge (charge of
proton/electron).
 For example, in a hydrogen ion, we usually denote it with a
positive sign to indicate that there's one proton more than
there are electrons. The positive sign actually corresponds to
one fundamental charge. Hence, we can have charges that
are 2e, -5e, 10e, and 6e but not 1/2 e, 1/5e, and other non-
integer values. This is the quantization of charge.
 The Electric Field
F12

 A charged particle propagates (sends out) a

"field" into all space. +
F13

 Other charged particles sense the F31

+
field, and “know” that the first one -
is there. like
charges F21 unlike
repel charges
attract

A charged particle modifies the

properties of the space around
it.
We define the electric field by the force it exerts on a test charge q 0:


 F0 The subscript “0” reminds you the force is
E= on the “test charge.” I won’t require the

q0 subscripts when you use this equation for

boardwork or on exams.

If the test charge is "too big" it perturbs the electric field, so the “correct”
definition is

 F0
E = lim You won’t be required to
use this version of the
q0 0 q equation.
0

Any time you know the electric field, you

 can use this equation to calculate
the force on a charged particle in thatFelectric
= qE field:
This version of the electric field equation is on your equation sheet. Use it
for problems involving electric fields and forces:

 
F = qE

This is your second starting equation. The equation tells you the direction
of the electric field is the direction of the force exerted on a POSITIVE test
charge. The absence of absolute value signs around q means you MUST
include the sign of q in your work.
 
  F0  N
E  =
The units of electric field are newtons/coulomb.
  =
 q0  C

In chapter 23, you will learn that the units of electric field can also be
expressed as volts/meter:

N V
 E = =
C m

The electric field can exist independent of whether there is a charged

particle around to “feel” it.
Remember: the electric field direction is the direction a + +
charge would feel a force.

A + charge would be repelled by another + charge.

Therefore the direction of the electric field is away from positive

(and towards negative).

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/physics/phys03/afieldint/default.htm
 The Electric Field
Due to a Point Charge

Coulomb's law says

q1q 2
F =k 2 ,
12 r12

... which tells us the electric field due to a point charge q is

 q q
E q =k 2 , away from + …or just… E=k 2
r r

This is your third starting equation.

 q
E=k 2
r
A physics 2135 equation is like a toaster!

You wouldn’t shove

yogurt down your
toaster, would you?

You can’t expect to just shove numbers into an equation and out pops the
correct answer.

To experience the optimum user satisfaction from your physics 2135

toaster equations you need to understand what they mean and think
about what you are doing with them.
COULUMB’S LAW: EXAMPLE 1
Example Problem:
The force between two identical charges separated by 1 cm is equal
to 90 N. What is the magnitude of the two charges?
Solution:
First, draw a force diagram of the problem.
COULUMB’S LAW: EXAMPLE 1

Define the variables:

F = 90 N
q  = charge of first body
1

q  = charge of second body

2

r = 1 cm
Use the Coulomb’s Law equation

The problem says the two charges are identical, so

q1 = q2 = q
Substitute this into the equation
COULUMB’S LAW: EXAMPLE 1
Since we want the charges, solve for q

Enter the values for the variables. Remember to convert 1 cm to

0.01 meters to keep the units consistent.
COULUMB’S LAW: EXAMPLE 1
q = ±1.00×10-6 Coulombs
Since the charges are identical, they are either both positive or both
negative. This force will be repulsive.
Answer:
Two identical charges of ±1.00×10-6 Coulombs separated by 1 cm
produce a repulsive force of 90 N.
EXAMPLE 2: COULUMBS LAW
 Two point charges, QA = +8 μC and QB = -5 μC, are separated by a
distance r = 10 cm. What is the magnitude of the electric force. The
constant k = 8.988 x 109 Nm2C−2 = 9 x 109 Nm2C−2.

Known :
Charge A (qA) = +8 μC = +8 x 10-6 C
Charge B (qB) = ­-5 μC = -5 x 10-6 C
k = 9 x 109 Nm2C−2
EXAMPLE 2: COULUMBS LAW
The distance between charge A and B (rAB) = 10 cm = 0.1 m
Wanted : The magnitude of the electric force
Solution :
Formula of Coulomb’s law :

The magnitude of the electric force :

EXAMPLE 3: COULUMBS LAW: ASSIGNMENT2
Three charged particles are arranged in a line as shown in figure below.
Charge A = -5 μC, charge B = +10 μC and charge C = -12 μC.
Calculate the net electrostatic force on particle B due to the other
two charges.
 EXAMPLE 4: COULUMBS LAW
+Q1 = 10 μC, +Q2 = 50 μC and Q3 are separated as shown in the figure
below. What is the electrostatic charge on particle 3 if the net
electrostatic force on particle 2 is zero.

Known :
Charge 1 (q1) = +10 μC = +10 x 10-6 C
Charge 2 (q2) = +50 μC = +50 x 10-6 C
The distance between charge 1 and 2 (r12) = 2 cm = 0.02 m = 2
x 10-2 m
The distance between charge 2 and charge 3 (r23) = 6 cm =
0.06 m = 6 x 10-2 m
The net electrostatic force on particle 2 (F 2) = 0
Wanted : charge 3 (q3)
EXAMPLE 4: COULUMBS LAW
Solution
The net force on particle 2 is the vector sum of the force F21 exerted on
particle 2 by particle 1 and the force F 23 exerted on particle 2 by
particle 3.
The force F21 exerted on particle 2 by particle 1 :
EXAMPLE 4: COULUMBS LAW
The direction of the electrostatic force points to particle 3 (point to
right).
The force F23 exerted on particle 2 by particle 3 : 

The direction of the electrostatic force points to particle 1 (point to left).

The net electrostatic force on particle 2 = 0 :