Toledo City Science High School

303315toledocitysciencehs@deped.gov.ph

Electric Forces
and
Electric Fields
Deborah F. Manabat
SHS Teacher III
Objectives

• Recognize the basic properties of

electric charge

• Identify electric force using Coulomb’s Law

• Calculate electric field strength

• Draw and interpret electric field lines

• Apply the superposition principle to find the

resultant force on a charge and to find the
position at which the net charge is zero.
How / Why does electric charge happen?
Electrostatics - Properties

• Two kinds of charge: positive

negative

• Electric charge is conserved

• Like charges repel, unlike charges attract

• Charges travel between unlike materials

Electrostatics

When certain types of object are rubbed

together electrons are transferred from one
surface to another, causing the objects to
become charged. The object which gains
electrons becomes negatively charged and
the object that looses electrons gains a
positive charge.
Electrostatics – More Properties
• The fundamental unit of electric charge is
denoted by the small letter “e”
• An electron has a charge of –e
• A proton has a charge of +e

• Quantized: Electric charges are always a

multiple of e. (+/- 1e, +/- 2e, +/-3e etc.)

• Value of e = 1.602 x 10-19 Coulombs

and 1.0 C = 6.2x1018electrons
Electrostatics
• Charge was discovered by Robert
Millikan (oil drop experiment)
 Electroscope
• A device that can be used to detect and
demonstrate the presence of a static charge
We already know that like charges repel and
opposite charges attract.

Coulomb conducted experiments into the forces

of attraction and repulsion between charged
objects in the 1780’s.

The resulting law is called Coulombs Law and

describes the behaviour of charged particles in a
similar way to Newton’s laws explaining the
force of gravity between objects.
Coulomb’s law states:
 Coulomb’s Law: Electric Force

F electric = k (q q )
C 1 2

r
2

9 2
kC = Coulomb constant = 9 x 10 Nm
C2
q1 = charge of charge 1 (C)
q2 = charge of charge 2 (C)
r = distance between charge 1 & charge 2 (m)
• Felectric is a vector quantity

• Magnitude
• Direction
 Electric Field
• Electric Field is the field that permeates the
space around a charged object and in which
another charged object experiences an electric
force

• Electric Field is a ratio of Force to Charge

E = Felectric / q0

• The direction of E is defined as the direction of

the electric force that would be exerted on a
small positive test charge (q0)
Electric Field Strength

kc qqo
Felectric  2
r

Felectric qqo
E  kc 2
qo r qo

q
E  kc 2
r
 Electric Field
A vector quantity with…..

MAGNITUDE determined by: E = kCq N/C

r2

DIRECTION determined by: The direction of the force

that charge (q) would exert
on a small positive test
charge placed in it’s vicinity
 Electric Field Lines
• Electric Field Lines are lines that
represent both the magnitude and the
direction of the electric field.

• The number of lines shown is proportional

to the electric field strength. As lines get
closer together, the field strength
increases.
Electric Field Lines – Rules for Drawing
• Lines begin on + charges (or at infinity)
and terminate on – charges (or at infinity)

• The number of lines drawn leaving a + or

terminating on a – is proportional to the
magnitude of the charge

• No two field lines can cross one another.

Electric Field Lines - Monopoles

The electric field from an

isolated positive charge

The electric field from an

isolated negative charge
Electric Field Lines - Dipoles
E-Field Lines: Point source vs Uniform source
Van de Graaff
Generator
The Van de Graaff Generator
Sample Problem #1
A positive charge of 10-8 coulombs (C)
experiences a force of 0.25 N when located
at a certain point in an electric field. Find the
intensity (magnitude) of the electric field at
that point.
Solution:
Sample Problem #2

A positive charge, q = +20 nC, is on

the y-axis at y = +4.00 cm. (a)
Determine the magnitude and
direction of the electric field at the
origin. (b) What will be the magnitude
and direction of the electric field at the
origin if the charge is -20 nC?
Solution:
a. magnitude
Solution:
a. direction
Sample Problem #2

A positive charge, q = +20 nC, is on

the y-axis at y = +4.00 cm. (a)
Determine the magnitude and
direction of the electric field at the
origin. (b) What will be the magnitude
and direction of the electric field at the
origin if the charge is -20 nC?
Solution:
b. If the charge is -20 nC, the field lines are
directed radially inward towards the charge.
So, the electric field line at the origin will be
directed upward (northward). The
magnitude of the electric field has the same
value as when the charge is positive.
Sample Problem #3
Three charges and their specific locations
are given as follows:
q1 = - 20 nC; (0, 2.00 cm)
q2 = + 30 nC; (-1.00 cm, 4.00 cm)
q3 = + 10 nC; (-3.00 cm, 0 cm)
Determine the magnitude and direction of
the net electric field at the field point P
(2.00 cm, 0) using component method.
Illustration:
Solve for E:
Solve for E:
Solve for E:
Principle of superposition:
- states that every charge in space creates an
electric field at point independent of the
presence of other charges in that medium.
The resultant electric field is a VECTOR
SUM of the electric field due to individual
charges.

The principle of superposition allows for the

combination of two or more electric fields.
Illustration:
 Principle of superposition:

x – component y - component

E1 = -2.3 x 105 N/C E1x = - E1 cos 𝜃1 E1y = + E1 sin 𝜃1

𝜃1 = 45° E1x = -2.3 x 105 N/C cos 45° E1y = +2.3 x 105 N/C sin 45°
E1x = -162,634.56 N/C E1y = +162,634.56 N/C
E2 = 1.08 x 105 N/C E2x = + E2 cos 𝜃2 E2y = - E2 sin 𝜃2
𝜃2 = 53.13° E2x = +1.08 x 105 N/C cos 53.13° E2y = -1.08 x 105 N/C sin 53.13°
E2x = +64,800.15 N/C E2y = -86,399.88 N/C
E3 = 3.6 x 104 N/C E3x = + E3 cos 𝜃3 E3y = 0
𝜃3 = 0° E3x = +3.6 x 104 N/C cos 0°
E3x = +36,000 N/C
Enet Enetx = -61,834.41 N/C Enety = +76,234.68 N/C
Principle of superposition:
 Principle of superposition:

x – component y - component

E1 = -2.3 x 105 N/C E1x = - E1 cos 𝜃1 E1y = + E1 sin 𝜃1

𝜃1 = 45° E1x = -2.3 x 105 N/C cos 45° E1y = +2.3 x 105 N/C sin 45°
E1x = -162,634.56 N/C E1y = +162,634.56 N/C
E2 = 1.08 x 105 N/C E2x = + E2 cos 𝜃2 E2y = - E2 sin 𝜃2
𝜃2 = 53.13° E2x = +1.08 x 105 N/C cos 53.13° E2y = -1.08 x 105 N/C sin 53.13°
E2x = +64,800.15 N/C E2y = -86,399.88 N/C
E3 = 3.6 x 104 N/C E3x = + E3 cos 𝜃3 E3y = 0
𝜃3 = 0° E3x = +3.6 x 104 N/C cos 0°
E3x = +36,000 N/C
Enet Enetx = -61,834.41 N/C Enety = +76,234.68 N/C
Principle of superposition:

magnitude

direction
Assignment:
1. A particle has charge -3.00nC. Find the magnitude and
direction of the electric field due to this particle at a point
0.250m directly above it.

2. A +2.00 nC point charge is at the origin, and a second -

5.00 nC point charge is on the x-axis at x = 0.800 m.
a. Find the electric field (magnitude and direction) at
each of the following points on the x-axis: i) x = 0.200 m; ii)
x = 1.20 m; iii) x = -0.200 m.
b. Find the net electric force that the two charges
would exert on the electron placed at each point in part (a).
Summary:
• The fundamental entity in electrostatics is electric charge.

• Charge cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be

transferred from one body to another by friction or
rubbing.

• There are two kinds of charges – positive and negative.

• Like charges repel while unlike charges attract.

Summary:

• Coulomb’s law governs the interaction of charges. The

electrostatic force between charges q1 and q2 is directly
proportional to the magnitude of the product of the
charges and inversely proportional to the square of the
separation distance between them. The direction of the
force is always along the line connecting the charges. If
the charges are both positive or both negative the force is
repulsive; if the charges have opposite signs, the force is
attractive. The force of interaction obeys Newton’s third
law of motion.
Summary:

• The strength of the field at a particular point is directly

proportional to the magnitude of the charge producing
the field and inversely proportional to square of the
distance between the field point and the location of the
charge. The closer is the field point from the source
charge, the stronger is the field strength.