Chapter 4: Electric Field theory

Electrostatics
Electrostatics is the the study of stationary electric charges. There are two types of electric charges, ie
positive and negative charges.

Isolated point positive charge with electric field lines direction radially away from the charge.

Isolated point negative charge with electric field lined direction radially towards the charge.

Electric charge

Electrically charged objects have several important characteristics:

 Like charges repel one another; that is, positive repels positive and negative
repels negative.
  Unlike charges attract each another; that is, positive attracts negative.

Electrostatic field

Fig 1
An electrostatic field is a region in which an electric charge experiences a force. The direction of
the field is defined as that of the force acting on a positive charge placed in the field..
Figure 1 shows 2 parallel metal plates, A and B, charged to different potentials, the direction
Electrostatic field of the force is from the positive plate to the negative plate

If an electron that has a negative charge is placed between the plates, a force will act on the electron
tending to push it
away from the negative plate B towards the positive plate, A. Similarly, a positive charge would be
acted on by a force tending to move it toward the negative plate.

Whenever a p.d. is established between two points, an electric field will always exist.

Electric field strength/ potential gradient

(c)

Fig 2

Figure 2 shows 2 parallel conductor plates seperated by air. They are connected to opposite terminals
of a battery of voltage V volts.
There is therefore an electric field in the space between the plates. If the plates are close together, the
electric lines of force will be straight and parallel and equally spaced (Fig 2 b), except near the edge
where fringing will occur (Fig 2a).
Capacitor
A capacitor is an electrical component that stores electric charge.

Capacitor action

Fig 3
In its simplest form a capacitor consists of two plates which are separated by an insulating material
known as a dielectric.
For the dielectrics, the “di” for opposing, and the “electric” from electric field, hence dielectrics
oppose electric fields.

Examples of dieletrics are air, mica and ceramic.

Fig 3 shows two parallel conductor plates of a material such as aluminium (the most commonly used
metal in the construction of capacitors) that have been connected through a switch and a resistor to a
battery. If the parallel plates are initially uncharged and the switch is left open, no net positive or
negative charge exists on either plate. The instant the switch is closed, however, electrons are drawn
from the upper plate through the resistor to the positive terminal of the battery. There will be a surge
of current at first, limited in magnitude by the resistance present.

The level of flow will then decline. This action creates a net positive charge on the top plate.
Electrons are being repelled by the negative terminal through the lower conductor to the bottom plate
at the same rate they are being drawn to the positive terminal. This transfer of electrons continues
until the potential difference across the parallel plates is exactly equal to the battery voltage.
The final result is a net positive charge on the top plate and a negative charge on the bottom plate.

NB:
it is important to note that the entire flow of charge is through the battery and resistor—not through
the region between the
plates. In every sense of the definition, there is an open circuit between the plates of the capacitor.
This element, constructed simply of two conducting surfaces separated by the air gap, is called a
capacitor.

Capacitance (C)
Capacitance is a measure of a capacitor’s ability to store charge on its plates—in other words, its
storage capacity.

In addition,the higher the capacitance of a capacitor, the greater the amount of charge stored on
the plates for the same applied voltage.

The relationship between the applied voltage (V), the charge on the plates (Q), and the capacitance
(C) level is defined by the following equation:

The unit of capacitance is the farad (F)

Questions
1. Determine the p.d. across a 4 µF capacitor when charged with 5 mC.
2. Find the charge on a 50 pF capacitor when the voltage applied to it is 2 kV.
3. A direct current of 4 A flows into a previously uncharged 20 µF capacitor for 3 ms.
Determine the pd between the plates.
4. A 5 µF capacitor is charged so that the pd between its plates is 800 V. Calculate how long the
capacitor can provide an average discharge current of 2 mA.
5. What is the capacitance of a capacitor that stores 4 C of charge at 2 V?

Electric flux density

Electric flux density D is the amount of flux passing through a defined area A that is perpendicular to
the direction of the flux:

Electric flux density is also called charge density (σ)

Permittivity
permittivity is applied as a measure of how easily a material permits/allows the establishment of an
electric field in a material

At any point in an electric field, the electric field strength E maintains the electric flux and produces a
particular value of electric flux density D at that point. For a field established in vacuum (or for
practical purposes in air), the ratio D/E is a constant 𝜖0 ,

Where 𝜖0 , is called the permittivity of free space or the free space constant. The value of 𝜖0 , is
8.85𝑥10−12 F/m.

When an insulating medium, such as mica, paper, plastic or ceramic, is introduced into the region of
an electric field the ratio of D/E is modified:

Questions
1. Two parallel rectangular plates measuring 20 cm by 40 cm carry an electric charge of 0.2µC.
Calculate the electric flux density. If the plates are spaced 5 mm apart and the voltage
between them is 0.25 kV determine the electric field strength. (2.5µC/𝑚2 and 50kV/m)
2. The flux density between two plates separated by mica of relative permittivity 5 is 2µC/m2.
Find the voltage gradient
between the plates. (45.2kV/m)
3. Two parallel plates having a pd of 200 V between them are spaced 0.8 mm apart. What is the
electric field strength? Find also the flux density when the dielectric between the plates is (a)
air, and (b) polythene of relative permittivity 2.3

The parallel plate capacitor

 Fig 4

Fig 4(a) shows a parallel-plate capacitor whose capacitance C is proportional to the area A of a plate,
inversely proportional to the plate spacing d (i.e., the dielectric thickness) and depends on the nature
of the dielectric.

Another method used to increase the capacitance is to interleave several plates as shown in Fig 4(b).
Ten plates are shown, forming nine capacitors with a capacitance nine times that of one pair of plates.
If such an arrangement has n plates then capacitance .

Fig 4 (b)

Where n is the number of parallel plates.

Questions
Capacitors connected in parallel and series

1. Capacitors connected in parallel

Fig 5
Fig 5 shows three capacitors, 𝐶1 , 𝐶2 and 𝐶3 , connected in parallel with a supply voltage V applied
across the arrangement
 2. Capacitors connected in series

Fig 6

Figure 6 shows three capacitors, 𝐶1 , 𝐶2 and 𝐶3 , connected in series across a supply voltage V. Let the
p.d. across the individual capacitors
be 𝑉1 , 𝑉2 and 𝑉3 respectively.
Questions

1. Calculate the equivalent capacitance of two capacitors of 6 µF and 4 µF connected (a) in

parallel and (b) in series
2. What capacitance must be connected in series with a 30 µF capacitor for the equivalent
capacitance to be 12 µF?
3. Capacitances of 1 µF, 3 µF, 5 µF and 6 µF are connected in parallel to a direct voltage supply
of 100 V. Determine (a) the equivalent circuit capacitance, (b) the total charge and (c) the
charge on each capacitor.
4. Capacitances of 3 µF, 6 µF and 12 µF are connected in series across a 350 V supply.
Calculate (a) the equivalent circuit capacitance, (b) the charge on each capacitor and (c) the
pd across each capacitor.

Dielectric strength
The maximum amount of field strength that a dielectric can withstand is called the dielectric strength
of the material.

Question
A capacitor is to be constructed so that its capacitance is 0.2 µF and to take a p.d. of 1.25 kV across its
terminals.
The dielectric is to be mica which, after allowing a safety factor of 2, has a dielectric strength of 50
MV/m. Find (a) the thickness of
the mica needed, and (b) the area of a plate assuming a two-plate construction. (Assume 𝜖𝑟 for mica to
be 6)

Energy stored

An ideal capacitor does not dissipate any of the energy supplied to it. It stores the energy in the form
of an electric field between the conducting surfaces.

The energy, W, stored by a capacitor is given by

And since C= Q/V, substituting this equation into the above equation, the energy stored by a
capacitor can also be expressed as:

𝟏
W= QV Joules
𝟐

Questions
1. (a) Determine the energy stored in a 3 µF capacitor when charged to 400 V. (b) Find also the average power
developed if this energy is dissipated in a time of 10 µs
2. A 12 µF capacitor is required to store 4 J of energy. Find the pd to which the capacitor must be charged.