GenPhys 2

GENERAL PHYSICS 2

UNIT 1: Electric Charge, Coulomb’s Law, Electric Fields, and Electric Flux
1. Electric Charge
2. Insulators and conductors
3. Induced charges
4. Coulomb’s Law
5. Electric forces and fields
6. Electric field calculations
7. Charges on conductors
8. Electric flux and Gauss’s Law
9. Electric charge, dipoles, force, field, and flux problems

Learning Competencies:
1. Describe using a diagram charging by rubbing and charging by induction;
2. Explain the role of electron transfer in electrostatic charging by rubbing;
3. Describe experiments to show electrostatic charging by induction;
4. State that there are positive and negative charges, and that charge is measured in coulombs;
5. Predict charge distributions, and the resulting attraction or repulsion, in a system of charged insulators and
conductors;
6. Calculate the net electric force on a point charge exerted by a system of point charges;
7. Describe an electric field as a region in which an electric charge experiences a force;
8. Draw electric field patterns due to systems with isolated point charges;
9. Use in calculations the relationship between the electric field and the electric force on a test charge;
10. Calculate the electric field due to a system of point charges using Coulomb’s law and the superposition principle;
11. Predict the trajectory of a point charge in a uniform electric field;
12. Calculate electric flux;
13. Use Gauss’s law to infer electric field due to uniformly distributed charges on long wires, spheres, and large
plates; and
14. Solve problems involving electric charges, dipoles, forces, fields, and flux, in contexts such as, but not limited to,
systems of point charges, classical models of the atom, electrical breakdown of air, charged pendulums, control of
electron and proton beams, electrostatic ink-jet printers.
 GenPhys 2
Electrostatics
Electrostatics – study of all phenomena associated with electric charges at rest.
Static Electricity – charge at rest
Electricity – Grk. “electron” – amber

Structure of Atom
1. Proton - +e
2. Electron - -e
Electrical charges – represented by q
SI unit: coulomb (C) = 6.24 x 1018 e
1e = 1.602 x 10-19 C

Subatomic particle Location Mass Charge

Proton nucleus 1.673 x 10-27 kg 1.602 x 10-19 C
Neutron nucleus 1.675 x 10-27 kg 0
Electron around nucleus 9.109 x 10-31 kg -1.602 x 10-19 C

Conductors and Insulators

Conductivity – measure of the ease at which an electric charge moves through a material.
Conductors – materials that readily allow the flow of charges through them.
ex: Metals are good conductors because they have plenty of free electrons that can easily move
in the material.
Insulators – materials that resist the flow of charges through them; thus, conductivity of insulator is low
ex: rubber, plastic, mica, paper, glass, air
Semiconductors – intermediate between conductors and insulators; not as conductive as metals, but
are more conductive than insulators.
Triboelectric Series
ex: silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide
Doping – addition of atoms of different elements in very small amount (i.e. one
part per million or even less) to a pure semiconductor to improve their
conductivity.
Superconductors – offer practically no resistance to the flow of charges below some
critical temperatures; a current in a superconductor can keep flowing without
decay.
Heike Kamerlingh Onnes – discovered superconductivity by cooling mercury to
a temperature of about 4K

Processes of Charging
1. Charging by Friction
- results when two different materials are rubbed together; the material that will either
become positively charged or negatively charged depends on its electron affinity.
Electron Affinity – measure of the attraction of an atom to an electron, or the
tendency of an atom to become negatively charged.
Triboelectric series – ranking of some common materials based on their electron
affinity; it is arranged in order of increasing electron affinity from top to bottom; in
general, the one that is higher on the list will become positively charged.
 GenPhys 2
Ex 1: A rubber comb runs through human hair. What charge is acquired by the hair and by the comb?
Ex 2: When a glass rod is rubbed with a silk cloth, the rod acquires a charge of magnitude 3.45 nC. (a) Did the
glass rod gain or lose electrons? (b) How many electrons were transferred during the process? (c)
What is the change in the mass of the glass rod? (d) What is the change in the mass of the silk cloth?
Ex 3: A piece of nylon cloth is used to clean the lenses of a pair of eyeglasses. In doing so, which becomes
positively charged? Negatively charged? Assume that the lenses are made of glass.
Ex 4: In the process of rubbing the lenses of the eyeglasses, 6.28 x 10 10 electrons were transferred. (a) What is
the charge of the lenses and the nylon cloth? (b) what is the change in their masses?

2. Charging by Conduction
- requires physical contact between a charging body and a neutral body. The
sign of the charge acquired by the neutral body is the same with that of the
charged body.

3. Charging by Induction
- charging without physical contact with the charged body; the body to be charged
is brought very near the charging body; the neutral body is then grounded either by
touching it or by using a wire.

Polarization – the negative charges on the neutral

body are attracted to the charging body if the latter is
positive; they are repelled from the charging body if it
is negatively charged.

Conservation of Charges
The Principle of Conservation of Charge
“The total charge of an isolated system remains constant. It means that charges can neither be created nor
destroyed. In any charging process, charges are merely transferred from one body to another.”

In one of his experiments, Coulomb showed that when a sphere with an initial charge q0 is brought in
contact with an identically uncharged sphere, they equally chare the total charge. If the spheres are not
identical, they share the total charge according to their radii, with the quantity of charge directly proportional to
their radii.

Ex 1: Metal sphere A has a net charge of +6.0 C. It is brought in contact with a neutral metal sphere B and
then separated. Find the final charges on spheres A and B if (a) the spheres have equal radius and (b)
if the radius of sphere B is twice the radius of sphere A.
Ex 2: Spheres A, B, and C have charges +8.0 C, +12.0 C, and -5.0 C, respectively. The three spheres are
allowed to touch each other simultaneously and then separated. (a) What is the total charge on the
three spheres before and after touching each other? (b) What is the final charge on each sphere
assuming they are identical? (c) What is the final charge on each sphere assuming that rA = rB = 2rC?
Ex 3: Sphere A has an initial charge q0. How many successive contacts with an uncharged identical sphere
must be made to reduce the charge of sphere A to 1/32 of its initial charge?
 GenPhys 2
Quantization of Charge
1963 – Murray Gell-Mann and George Zweig – proposed the existence of quarks
Quarks – types of elementary particles and fundamental constituents of matter; they combine to form
composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components
of atomic nuclei.
– have the unusual property of carrying fractional charges of an electron.
– the name quark was taken from a line in James Joyce’s poem “Three Quarks for Muster Mark” in his
book Finnegans Wake.

Quark/
Symbol Charge (e)
Antiquark
up u u +2/3 -2/3
down d d -1/3 +1/3
charm c c +2/3 -2/3
strange s s -1/3 +1/3
top t t +2/3 -2/3
bottom b b -1/3 +1/3

Coulomb’s Law
“The magnitude of the electric force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of the
magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the product of the distance between them.”

where: FE is the magnitude of the electric force in newtons (N); q1 and q2 are charges in
coulombs (C); r is the distance between in meters (m); and k is the Coulomb’s
constant, which has an approximate value of 9 x 109 N m2/C2

Coulomb’s law bears a strong resemblance to Newton’s law of universal gravitation:

where: G is the gravitational constant approximately equal to 6.674 x 10 -11 Nm2/kg2

Similarities and Differences of Electric Force and Gravitational Force:

Similarities Differences
1. Both forces follow the inverse square law for 1. Gravitational force is only an attractive force, while
distance. electric force may be attractive or repulsive.
2. Both forces follow are also proportional to the 2. Gravitational force, in general force, is much
product of the quantity that causes the force; mass weaker than the electric force.
for gravitational force and charge for electric force.
3. Both forces are conservative and noncontact.
 GenPhys 2
Ex 1: Two protons are separated by a distance of 3.8 x 10-10 m in air. (a) Find the magnitude of the electric
force one proton exerts on the other. Is this force attractive or repulsive? (b) Find the magnitude of the
gravitational force one proton exerts on the other. Is this force attractive or repulsive?
Given: m = 1.673 x 10-27 kg q = 1.602 x 10-19
Ex 2: Two small conducting and identical spheres A and B have charges -25 nC and +15 nC, respectively.
They are separated by a distance of 0.02 m. (a) What is the magnitude of the electric force between the
two spheres? Is this force attractive or repulsive? (b) The spheres are then allowed to touch each other
and then separated. What is the magnitude of the force between the two spheres? Is this a repulsive
force or an attractive force?
Ex 3: Two particles A and B are released from rest, having equal charges of -5 x 10-6 C and initially separated
from each other by 0.025 m. The masses of particles A and B are 5.25 x 10 -6 kg and 3.75 x 10-6 kg. find
the magnitude of the initial accelerations of particles A and B.

Ex 4: Two identical metallic spheres are suspended as bobs of a simple pendulum as shown in
the figure. The spheres come in equilibrium when given a charge of +7.5 x 10 -9 C each,
with each string making an angle 5 O with the vertical. The string is 0.5 m long. Find the
electric force between the spheres.

Ex 5: Determine the ratio of the electric force to the gravitational force between an electron and
a proton when separated by a distance r.
Ex 6: Spheres A and B have the same initial positive charge qo. The magnitude of the repulsive
electric force between the two spheres is 14.4 N when separated by a distance of 0.03 m. (a) Find the
initial charge qo. (b) The spheres are then allowed to touch each other and then separated. Find the
electric force between them if the radius of sphere A is three times that of sphere B.
Ex 7: A proton and electron are initially at rest at a distance of 9 x 10 -10 m. What will be their initial acceleration
due to the electric force that they exert on each other?
Ex 8: A small sphere of charge +6 x 10 -6 C is suspended from a string of negligible mass. A charge of -9.0 x
10-6 C is placed directly to the right of the sphere and 0.22 m away from it. The string is deflected 5 O
from the vertical. Find the tension in the string.

Superposition Principle
“Each charge will exert a force on another charge as if no other charges are present. The total force that a
particular charge experiences due to a collection of charges is the vector sum of all the individual forces.”
 GenPhys 2
Ex 1: Three point charges are located along the x-axis. Point charge q1 = +3.5 x 10-6 C at x = 0, point charge q2
= +8.5 x 10-6 C is at x = 2.0 m, and point charge q3 = -5.0 x 10-6 C is at x = 3.0 m. Find the resultant
electric force acting on q1.

Ex 2: Three identical point charges with charge q = +3.0 x 10-6 C are placed at each vertex of an equilateral
triangle ABC as shown. If the side of the equilateral triangle is 0.01 m, find the resultant electric force
on the charge at vertex A.

Ex 3: Four point charges (two with q = 2.50 x 10-6 C and two with q = -2.50 x 10-6 C) are situated at the corners
of a square of side 1.00 m as shown. Find the resultant force that the charge at A will experience due to
the charges at the other corners of the square.

Ex 4: Using the same charge configuration in Ex 1, find the resultant electric force on q2.
Ex 5: Using the same charge configuration in Ex 2, find the resultant electric force on the charge at vertex B.
Ex 6: Suppose the charges in Ex 3 are situated as shown. Find the resultant electric force on the charge at A.
 GenPhys 2
Electric Field
Electric Field – the space surrounding a charged body; causes any charge particle placed in it to experience
an electric force.

Electric Lines and Force

1. Lines of force start from positively charged particles and end on negatively charged particles or
continue toward infinity.
2. Lines of force neither intersect nor break as they pass from one charge to another.
3. The greater the number of lines of force, the stronger the electric field. The neutral point is the point
where no lines of force pass. The electric field is zero at the neutral point. Thus, neutral points are
points where the resultant field is subtractive and the electric fields are equal but oppositely directed. A
neutral point between two like charges is a point between the two charges and nearer the smaller
charge. For two unlike charges, lines of force can pass from positive to negative charge. The neutral
point cannot be between them; it is an external point along the line joining them and nearer the small
charge.

Electric Field Due to a Point Charge

Electric Field Intensity – the strength of the electric field at a point due to the source charge.
Electric Field – force that a test charge will experience when placed at that point.

where: E is the electric field, FE is the electric force, and q0 is the test charge
SI Unit: newton per coulomb (N/C)

Ex 1: Calculate the magnitude and direction of the electric field 0.45 m from a +7.85 x 10 -9 C point charge.

Ex 2: An electric dipole consists of two equal but unlike charges

separated by a distance. Two point charges, q1 = +4.5 x 10-6 C
and q2 = -4.5 x 10-6 C, are separated by 6.4 x 10-2 m, forming an
electric dipole as shown in the figure. Find the electric field
halfway between the dipole.

Ex 3: Two point charges are arranged on the x-y coordinate system as follows:
q1 = 3.0 x 10-9 C at (0, 3 m) and q2 = -9.0 x 10-9 C at (4.5 m, 0). Find the
electric field at the origin (0, 0).
 GenPhys 2

Ex 4: Two point charges q1 and q2 are separated by a distance of 1 m. Find the neutral point if q1 = 3 nC and q2
= 4 nC.

Ex 5: What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field at 0.25 m from a -5.6 x 10-6 C point charge?
Ex 6: Four point charges are equally separated by 1.00 m in air as shown. If q1 = +3.0 nC, q2 = -4.0 nC, q3 =
+2.0 nC, and q4 = -5.0 nC, what is the electric field at a point halfway between q1 and q3?

Ex 7: Four equal charges of 2.0 x 10-6 C are situated at the corners of a square of side 1.00 m. Find the electric
field at the center of the square.
Ex 8: Two point charges q1 and q2 are separated by a distance of 1.00 m. Find the neutral point if q1 = -3nC
and q2 = +4 nC.

If the electric field at a point is known, then the force on any other charge placed at that point is determined by
multiplying the charge by the electric field.

If the charge happens to be negative, the direction of the force on the negative charge is opposite the direction
of the field.

Ex 1: An electron enters a uniform electric field that is directed downward and has a magnitude of 5 N/C. (a)
Find the magnitude and direction of the force experienced by the electron. (b) Find also its acceleration.
Ex 2: A tiny ball weighs 0.0055 kg and carries a charge of +3.25 x 10 -6 C. What electric field (magnitude and
direction) is needed for the ball to remain suspended in air?
Ex 3: An electron is initially moving horizontally at v0 = 3.0 x 106 m/s when it enters a uniform electric field of
5.6 N/C directed vertically down. What are the horizontal and vertical components of its velocity 2.0 µs
after entering the electric field?

Ex 4: A proton is released from rest in a uniform horizontal electric field. It travels 3.25 m for 5 µs. Find the
acceleration of the proton and the magnitude of the electric field.
Ex 5: What electric field (magnitude and direction) is needed for an electron to remain suspended in air?
Ex 6: A proton is initially moving horizontally at v0 = 3 x 106 m/s when it enters a uniform electric field of 5.6 N/C
directed vertically down. What are the horizontal and vertical components of its velocity 2.0 µs after
entering the electric field?
 GenPhys 2
Electric Field Inside a Conductor
Michael Faraday- demonstrated that the electric field is zero inside a closed
conducting surface and that an excess charge placed on a solid conductor
resides entirely on its surface.
Faraday Cage – room covered with a metal foil inside; with a conducting frame
that protected Faraday from static charge

Electric Flux
Flux – Lt. “fluxus” – “flow”
Electric Flux (Φ) – measure of the number of field lines passing through a surface.

where: θ is the angle between the electric field (E) and area vector (A)
note: Electric flux is scalar and has a unit of N∙m2/C

Ex 1: A flat surface of area 1.25 m 2 is rotated through a uniform horizontal electric field
of 5 N/C. What is the electric flux if the surface is (a) parallel and (b)
perpendicular to the electric field?
Ex 2: Find the flux through the top, left, and right sides of a cube of side 0.5 m when
placed in a horizontal uniform electric field of 8.0 N/C directed to the right.

Gauss’s Law
Carl Friedrich Gauss – formulated a law which relates electric field, electric flux, and electric charge

“The total electric flux through a surface is the total electric charge qtotal inside the surface
divided by permittivity of free space (ϵ0).”
Permittivity of Free Space (ϵ0) = 8.8542 x 10-12 C2/N∙m2
Gaussian Surface – surface; lines going out of the surface is considered positive, while
lines going into the surface is negative

Ex 1: Calculate the total electric flux Φ for each of the enclosed surfaces a, b, c,
and d as shown. Note that q1 = +3 C, q2 = +1 C, q3 = -5 C, and q4 = -9 C.

Ex 2: Calculate the electric flux Φ for each of the closed surfaces a, b, c, and d.
 GenPhys 2
Charge Distribution and Gauss’s Law
Gauss’s Law can be used to compute the electric field due to a system of point charges as well as for a
continuous charge distribution. In practice, charge distribution must be uniform and symmetrical.

Linear Charge Density:

Surface Charge Density:

Linear Charge Density:

Ex 1: If a solid insulating sphere of radius 50.0 cm carries a total charge of 150 nC

uniformly distributed throughout its volume, what is its (a) volume charge
density? What is the magnitude of the electric field at (b) 10.0 cm and (c)
65.0 cm from the center of the sphere?

Ex 2: Suppose the sphere in Ex 1 is conducting. Find the (a) charge density of the
sphere and the magnitude of the electric field at the following distances: (b)
10 cm and (c) 65 cm.

Ex 3: An infinitely long nonconducting cylinder of radius a contains a uniform volume

charge density ρ. Calculate the electric field at a point outside the cylinder.

Ex 4: For the same cylinder in Ex 3, find the electric field at a point inside the cylinder.

Ex 5: A solid insulating sphere of radius 0.07 m carries a total charge of 25 µC.

Concentric with this sphere is a conducting spherical shell of inner radius
0.12 m and outer radius of 0.18 m, and carrying a total charge of -54 µC.
Find (a) the charge distribution for the insulating sphere and the conducting
spherical shell, and the magnitude of the electric field at the following
distances from the center of the two spheres and shell: (b) 0.05 m, (c) 0.10
m, (d) 0.15 m, and (e) 0.25 m.