Electric Charge and the Methods

of Charging
General Physics 2
Learning Outcome:
✓ Discuss what an electric charge is with reference
to subatomic particles.
✓ State that there are positive and negative
charges, and that charges are measured in
coulombs.
✓ Explain how a body becomes electrically charged
based on the presence of charged particles.
✓ Explain how electrically neutral bodies are
attracted to electrically charged ones.
✓ Compute the electric charges of subatomic
particles.
✓ Explain how bodies become electrically charged
by rubbing.
✓ Determine the acquired charge of bodies that
are rubbed using the triboelectric series.
 The Atom
An atom is a fundamental unit of matter
comprises the following subatomic
particles:
Protons are positively
charged (+e)
Electrons have negative
charges (-e)
Neutrons have no charge
or are electrically
neutral.
 Electrical Charge
• In an atom, the subatomic particles
provide the net charge.
• An atom that has an imbalance in the
number of protons and electrons is
called an ION.
• When there are more electrons than
protons, the charge is negative and it
is called ANIONS .
• When there are fewer electrons than
protons, the charge is positive and it
is called CATIONS.
 -
Nucleus
-

-
n + n -
+ + n
n +
n
- + n
+ Neutral Atom
Number of electrons = Number of proton
- -
Negative Atom or ANIONS
Number of electrons > Number of protons
-
-2e
Positive Atom or CATIONS
Number of electrons < Number of protons
+2e
 Charge
– A charge is the fundamental quantity
of all electrical phenomena and the
smallest unit of electricity at rest.
– The phenomenon that deals with the
interaction between electric charges
that are at rest is called electrostatics.
 Charge
• The electric charge is given the
symbol q
• The unit of electrical charge is the
Coulomb (C)
• In chemistry, charges are measured in
terms of e

1 Coulomb = 6.242 x 1018 e

1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C
 Ionic Charge
An ion with a charge of +3 has a
Coulomb charge of:

1𝐶
+3𝑒 = 𝟒. 𝟖𝟎𝟔 𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪
6.242𝑥1018 𝑒

1.602𝑥10−19 𝐶
+3𝑒 = 𝟒. 𝟖𝟎𝟔 𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪
1𝑒

1 Coulomb = 6.242 x 1018 e

1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C
 Ionic Charge
An ion with a charge of -2 has a
Coulomb charge of:

1𝐶
−2𝑒 = −𝟑. 𝟐𝟎𝟒 𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪
6.242𝑥1018 𝑒

1 Coulomb = 6.242 x 1018 e

1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C
 Ionic Charge
An ion with a charge of +5 has a
Coulomb charge of:

1𝐶
+5𝑒 = 𝟖. 𝟎𝟏𝟎𝒙𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪
6.242𝑥1018 𝑒

1 Coulomb = 6.242 x 1018 e

1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C
 Electroscope
▪ An electroscope is a scientific
instrument used to detect the
presence and magnitude of
electric charge on a body.
▪ It typically consists of a metal
rod or needle with one or two
thin metal leaves attached at
the bottom.
▪ The rod is often encased in a
glass or plastic container to
protect it from air currents and
other environmental influences.
 Law of Charges
• In nature, when two charged
materials brought near each other
attract one another, we say that
these materials are oppositely
charged.
• Likewise, when two charged
materials brought near each other
repel one another, then these
materials are of the same charge.
Law of Electrostatics
Like Charges - Repel

F F
+ +

Unlike Charges - Attract

F F +
-
• Jean is investigating the charge on
several objects and make the
following findings:
– Object C attracts B
– Object D repels C
– Object E attracts D and repels F
– Object F attracts A
Jean knows that object A is negatively
charged and object B is electrically neutral.
What can Jean definitely conclude about
the charge on objects C, D, E and F?
– Object C attracts B
– Object D repels C
– Object E attracts D and repels F
– Object F attracts A

Jean knows that object A is negatively charged and object B is

electrically neutral.

✓Object B is n
✓Object A is –
✓Object F is +
✓Object E is +
✓Object D is –
✓Object C is –
Classification of Materials
✓ Charges are transported in matter
depending on the type of material.
✓ Materials can be a conductor or an
insulator.
Conductors
✓ Conductors are materials that permit
electron to flow freely from particle to
particle.
✓ An object made of a conducting material
will permit charge to be transferred to
the object at a given location , and that
charge is quickly distributed across the
entire surface of the object.
Insulators
✓ Insulators are materials that impede the
free flow of electrons from atom to atom.
✓ If charge is transferred to an insulator at
a given location, the excess charge will
remain at the initial location of charging.
 Methods of Charging
1. Charging by rubbing or friction

2. Charging by conduction

3. Charging by induction
 Charging by friction
• Two materials are rubbed together.
• As they rub against each other,
electrons are removed from the
material with weak electron affinity,
or the tendency of an atom to lose
electrons.
• This method is useful for charging
insulators.
Triboelectric Series
• Triboelectric series is a list of common
materials that where experimented on
and found to behave in a predictable
way.
• Electron affinity refers to the relative
amount of love that a material has for
electrons.
• If atoms of a material have a high
electron affinity, then that material will
have a relatively high love for electrons.
Triboelectric Series
• When these materials are rubbed
together, those that appear first on the
list tend to gain electrons, making them
negative.

• Those latter in the list tend to lose

electrons, making them positive.
 TRIBOELECTRIC SERIES
1. Dry hand 6. Wool 11. Rubber

2. Leather 7. Fur 12. Polyester

3. Glass 8. Silk 13. Styrofoam

4. Human hair 9. Wood 14. polyurethane

5. Nylon 10. amber 15. PVC

Determine the acquired charges of the bodies in
each of the following pairs if they are rubbed
together.

1. Wood and styrofoam

- +
2. Nylon and silk
- +
3. Glass and leather
+ -
4. Rubber and rubber
n n
5. PVC and Dry hand
+ -
 Charging by Conduction
+ -
- + - + + -
– A negatively charged rod is
- + - + + + brought near a neutral sphere
- -
- + + - that is placed on an insulated
stand.
– As the rod moves near the
sphere, charges rearrange.
– When the rod is in contact with
+ -
- - the sphere, some of the rod’s
+ - - negative charges transfer to the
-
+ + -
- - sphere.
+ -
– When the rod is remove,
sphere becomes in excess of a
negative charge.
 + -

Electric Dipoles
+ -
+ + - -
+ -

• Polarization is the process wherein an

electrically neutral body becomes polar
by the rearrangement of its molecules.
• As a molecules realign or move, particles
with similar charges group together and
move toward the opposite ends of the
body.
• Hence, the body becomes positive at one
end and negative on the other, making it
a dipole.
 Charging by Induction
+ - -
++ -
A B + A B -
+
++ -
- - +
+ - -
+ -
+ A - B -
+ + +
A B - -

Without the rod

Two metal
touching the ball,
spheres on top of the positive
an insulating rod. charges
When the rod is
The two balls are accumulate on the removes ball A
in contact and are A negatively side of the ball A became
neutrally charged. charged rod is near the rod, while positively
brought near ball negative charges charged and ball
A but is not accumulate on the B becomes
touching the ball. opposite side of negatively
ball B. charged.
 Summary:
❑ Electric Charge = electron + proton + neutron
❑ Electron is negative charge
❑ Proton is positive charge
❑ Neutron is neutral

1 Coulomb = 6.242 x 1018 e

1 electron = 1.602 x 10-19 C

Like Charges - Repel F F

+ +

F F +
Unlike Charges - Attract -
Neutral attracts to both positive and negative charge.
Summary:
Charges are transported in matter depending on
the type of material.

Methods of Charging
1. Charging by rubbing or friction (insulator)
2. Charging by conduction (conductor)
3. Charging by induction (conductor)

❖ Conduction requires
direct contact with the
conductor.
❖ Induction does not
require direct contact with
the conductor.