MAMS ACADEMY FOR CAREER EXCELLENCE

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

ES1
Date: March 10, 2012

PHYSICS NOTES: Electric Charge and Electric Force in medium

Electric Charge: Consider a matter (anything that occupy space and have some volume) which can be very small in size or very large in size. What is inside a matter, very large number of molecules comparable to 1023 Inside the molecules there are atoms. For example, One molecule of Hydrogen Gas, H2 has two atoms of Hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen(O2) has two atoms of oxygen atom. One molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) has three atoms (one carbon and two oxygen). But how electric charge is related to atoms and molecules and hence matter. If there is matter then only there can be electric charge. As you know an atom consists of nucleus inside which neutrons and protons reside. Outside the nucleus in atom are the electrons. Neutrons, Protons and Electrons are very small particles cannot be seen by eyes. But they exist , occupy volume and has mass, small of course. Mn=1.675 x 10-27 kg, Mp=1.673 x 10-27 kg, Me=9.1 x 10-31 kg So how can we feel these particles if they exist as we can not see them. To understand this consider if you place any ball of some mass above earth surface and release it falls downward, Why, because it is placed in earths gravitational field. If any mass object is placed in gravitational field it will experience force called gravitational force. This shows any object will experience this force only if it has some mass. So, all electrons protons and neutrons particles will also experience this force. These particles not just a matter particle (mass) they also shows some unique property by which we can understand charge. As any mass placed in gravitational field experience force. Protons and Electrons placed in Electric Field experience force known as electrostatic force. Neutron placed in electric field will not experience force. What is electric field, we see later. Also electron and protons experience force in magnetic field only when they are moving with certain conditions. What is magnetic filed, we see later. Because of this property of electrons and protons we say these are charged particles and Neutrons are uncharged particles. So basic smallest charge are proton or electron. In this chapter we focus only on charged particles. Neutrons will be discussed more in Nuclei chapter. Mass and Charge 1. As Mass object has inertial property Electric Charge has electric property. 2. As Mass is scalar Quantity, can be added by simple addition rule and has SI unit kg. Also a fundamental quantity. Charge is also scalar Quantity, can be added by simple addition rule and has SI unit Coulomb. It is not a fundamental quantity denoted by Q or q. Dimensional formula is [AT], A for current and T for Time 3. A mass is always positive but charge can be negative or positive, electron has negative and proton has positive charge. 4. Mass object experience only gravity force but charged object experience both electric and gravity force. A mass experience gravity force when placed in gravitational field of other mass object(s). A charged particle experience electric force when placed in electric field of other charged particle(s). Charge on electron , qe=-1.6 x 10-19 C and charge on proton, qp=+1.6 x 10-19 C. If e=1.6 x 10-19 C then qe=-e and qp=+e

It is clear that protons and electrons are basic charge. But When we say an object or body is charged. For example you might have heard that clouds are charged so we see lightning. You see sparks during winter from cloths in dark because they are charged. Neutral Atom: When we say atom is neutral that means Np=Ne or total negative charge due to electrons is equal to total positive charge due to protons. Positively Charged Atom: If Np>Ne or there are more positive charges then negative charges. We say atom has deficiency of electrons and is positively charged. Negatively Charged Atom: If Np<Ne or there are more negative charges then positive charges. We say atom has excess of electrons and is negatively charged So any object can be made positively charged by making Np>Ne by taking out electrons from it and negatively charged by making Np<Ne by giving electrons to it. Note: Any charged object placed in electric field will experience electric force. There are some ways by which we can charge any objects called method of charging discussed in class. Properties of Electric Charge: 1. Like charges repel(push) each other and unlike charges attract(pull) each other i.e. electron will repel another electron, proton will repel another proton. Similarly Likely charged objects repel(push) each other. Also electron and proton attract(pull) each other and likely charged objects attract(pull) each other. Here repel and attract means push or pull force respectively. (discussed later) 2. Charge is quantized : Total charge on body is given by Q = ne where n =0 or positive integer number, e=1.6 x 10-19 C. Charge on object is integral multiple of electron charge or proton charge. Charge can not be fractional for eg. we cannot have charge or +e/2 3. Charge can not be created nor be destroyed as electron and proton is also matter which can not be created or destroyed. But charge can be transferred by one to another body. 4. Charge at rest produce electric field only, charge in uniform motion produce both magnetic and electric field, charge in accelerated motion produce electric and magnetic field and also radiate energy. Note: A charged object always attract neutral object. Electric Force is a vector Quantity. In problems consider directions according to vector laws. Point charge: Charge concentrated or located at one point. Occupy zero volume. This is only theoretical. Electric Force: Also known as electrostatic force or Coulomb force. Force between two point charges. Consider two point charges A and B at a distance r between them located in a medium, which can be vacuum or any ,material medium. If both A and B are like point charges then both repel each other. Force on A exerted by B , FAB is along leftward. By Newtons 3rd Law Force on B exerted by A, FBA is rightwards. Also the magnitude of both forces FBA and FAB are same as they are equal and opposite.

FBA = FAB =

1 4 o

q A qB r2

where o =permittivity of free space or vacuum. It is a constant and has value

C2 A2T 2 1 [ AT ][ AT ] . Its dimension can be determined as MLT 2 = or [ o ] = or N .m 2 ML3T 2 [ o ] L2 1 q q [ o ] = [ M 1 L3T 4 A2 ] But the resultant force on the charges when placed in medium is given by A2 B , 4 o r r where r is the dielectric constant of the medium. Remember to put magnitude of charges here.

o = 8.854 1012

Dielectric Constant: r =Dielectric Constant of the medium. r 1 for vacuum or air its value is 1, for other material medium r > 1 For eg, for water it is 80, for conductors or metals it is infinite. It is both unit less and dimensionless. Also the Nm2 9 109 q A qB 1 is 9 x 109 so FBA = FAB = 2 . It can de defined as the ratio of force between two value of r C2 r 4 o charges separated by some finite distance when placed in vacuum to that when placed in dielectric medium. As you can see if charges are same distance between them is also same then force is maximum when r =1 i.e. they are placed in vacuum. If they are placed in any material medium force between them is less and is 1 times that in vacuum.

r Note: The material medium is also known as dielectric medium. The force between point charges decreases when placed in dielectric medium because of polarization effect.
1 r2 Polarization: consider two charges placed in a dielectric medium as shown Due to presence of charge +q on left the electrons on the medium experience force and they come towards the +q charge for ve charge appears on the left side of the medium. Due to deficiency of electron on the right side of medium, equal positive charge appears on the right side. Now on the point charge +q the charge appeared on the medium as well as charge q is exerting force. The resultant of these force 1 q q 1 q q is given by A 2 B which is less then A2 B . 4 o r r 4 o r

This force follows vector laws, and inverse square law as F

Principle of Superposition of Electric Force If there are more then two point charges in space, then force on one charge is vector some of all forces exerted on it by other point charges. Fnet = F1 + F2 + ... + FN where F1 , F2 , FN are the force due to 1st 2nd and Nth charge respectively. Note: Consider two electrons are kept in vacuum separated by a distance 1m. The force of gravitation on GM e M e 6.67 1011 (9.1 1031 )2 = =552.3 x 10-73 N one electron due to other is given by FG = 2 2 1 r 19 2 (1.6 10 ) F The Force of electrostatic is given by FE = 9 109 =23.04 x 10-29 N. The ratio E 1043 implies that 2 1 FG the electric force is much stronger then the gravitational force.