Electrostatics - Properties

• Two kinds of charge: positive

negative
• Electric charge is conserved

• Like charges repel, unlike charges attract

• Charges travel between unlike materials

 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 - Transfer
• CONDUCTORS – electric charge
moves freely
• INSULATORS – electric charge does
not move freely
• Semiconductors
• Superconductors
Electrostatics – Methods of Charging
• By contact
• Two objects touching each other
• Conductors or insulators
• By induction
• No contact required
• Grounding source needed
• Conductors only
• By polarization
• Realignment of charge on surface
• Contact or no contact
• Insulators only
Example of static electricity in nature?
 Coulomb’s Law: Electric Force

F electric = k (q q )
C 1 2

r
2

9 2
kC = Coulomb constant = 8.99x10 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
 Comparison of forces

Gravitational (Fg) Electric (Felectric)

Fg = G m1m2 Felectric = kC q1q2

r2 r2

G = gravitational constant = 6.67x10-11 Nm2/kg2

kC = Coulomb constant = 8.99x109 Nm2/C2
 Resultant Force
The sum of all individual vector forces
What is the resultant (net) force C will feel?

A is pushing C away FAC = 0.067 N

B is pulling C toward it FBC = 0.022 N
Fnet-C = FAC – FBC = 0.067 – 0.022 = 0.045 N
 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
 Electric circuits
• Closed loop of electrical components around
which current can flow, driven by a potential
difference

• Current (in Amperes A) is the rate of flow of charge

• Potential difference (in volts V) is the work done on
charge
 Electric circuits
 •
May be represented by a circuit
diagram. Here is a simple case:

• R is the resistance (in Ohms ) to current flow

 Ohm’s Law
•Ohm’s law states that for many materials, the ratio
of the current density to the electric field is a
constant σ that is independent of the electric field
producing the current.
– Most metals obey Ohm’s law
– Mathematically, J = σ E
– Materials that obey Ohm’s law are said to be ohmic
– Not all materials follow Ohm’s law
• Materials that do not obey Ohm’s law are said to be nonohmic.
•Ohm’s law is not a fundamental law of nature.
•Ohm’s law is an empirical relationship valid only for
certain materials.
 Georg Simon Ohm
•1789 -1854
•German physicist
•Formulated idea of
resistance
•Discovered the
proportionalities now known
as forms of Ohm’s Law
 Resistance
•In a conductor, the voltage applied across the ends of the
conductor is proportional to the current through the
conductor.
V
•TheRconstant of proportionality is called the resistance of

I
the conductor.

•SI units of resistance are ohms (Ω).

– 1Ω=1V/A
•Resistance in a circuit arises due to collisions between the
electrons carrying the current with the fixed atoms inside the
conductor.
 Resistors
•Most electric circuits use circuit
elements called resistors to control the
current in the various parts of the
circuit.
•Stand-alone resistors are widely used.
– Resistors can be built into
integrated circuit chips.
• Values of resistors are normally
indicated by colored bands.
– The first two bands give the first
two digits in the resistance
value.
– The third band represents the
power of ten for the multiplier
band.
– The last band is the tolerance.
 Resistors in circuits
• Resistors are the basic components of a
circuit that determine current flow : Ohm’s law
I = V/R
Resistor Color Codes
 Resistor Color Code Example

•Red (=2) and blue (=6) give the first two digits: 26
•Green (=5) gives the power of ten in the multiplier: 105
•The value of the resistor then is 26 x 105 Ω (or 2.6 MΩ)
•The tolerance is 10% (silver = 10%) or 2.6 x 105 Ω
 Resistivity
•The inverse of the conductivity is the
resistivity:
–ρ=1/σ
•Resistivity has SI units of ohm-meters (Ω .
m)
•Resistance is also related to resistivity:


Rρ
A
Resistivity Values
 Electric circuits
• When components are connected in series,
the same electric current flows through them
𝐼 

𝐼 
• Charge conservation : current cannot
disappear!
 Electric circuits
• When components are connected in parallel,
the same potential difference drops across
them

𝑉  𝑉  𝑉 

• Points connected by a wire are at the same

voltage!
 Electric circuits
• When there is a junction in the circuit, the
inward and outward currents to the junction
are the same
𝐼2
 

𝐼1
 
 𝐼 1 =𝐼 2+ 𝐼 3

 𝐼3
• Charge conservation : current cannot
disappear!
Consider the currents I1, I2
and I3 as indicated on the
circuit diagram. If I1 = 2.5 A
and I2 = 4 A, what is the I1
I2 I3
value of I3?
1. 6.5 A
2. 1.5 A
3. −1.5 A
4. 0A
5. The situation is not
possible
Consider the currents I1, I2
and I3 as indicated on the
circuit diagram. If I1 = 2.5 A
and I2 = 4 A, what is the I1
I2 I3
value of I3?
current in = current
out  𝐼 =𝐼 + 𝐼
1 2 3

𝐼 3 =𝐼 1 − 𝐼 2
 

 𝐼 3 =2 . 5− 4=− 1. 5 𝐴
(Negative sign means opposite direction to
arrow.)
 Resistors in series/parallel
• If two resistors are connected in series, what
is the total resistance?

𝑅1
  𝑅2
 

same current 𝐼  𝐼 
 Potential drop  Potential drop

 Total potential drop

 Resistors in series/parallel
• If two resistors are connected in series, what
is the total resistance?
 𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

𝐼 
 Potential drop
  𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑅1 + 𝑅2

• Total resistance increases in series!

 Resistors in series/parallel
• Total resistance increases in series!
 Resistors in series/parallel
• If two resistors are connected in parallel, what
is the total resistance?
𝑅1
 

𝑅2
 
 Resistors in series/parallel
• If two resistors are connected in parallel, what
is the total resistance?
𝑅1
 
𝐼
 
1

𝑅2
 
𝐼
  𝐼 
𝐼 2
𝑉 
 Total current
 Resistors in series/parallel
• If two resistors are connected in parallel, what
is the total resistance?
 𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙

𝐼 
 Current I
  1 1 1
= +
𝑅 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑅 1 𝑅2
• Total resistance decreases in parallel!
 Resistors in series/parallel
• Total resistance decreases in parallel!
 Resistors in series/parallel
• What’s the current flowing?

(1) Combine these

2 resistors in
parallel:
  1 1 1
= +
𝑅 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟 30 50
 𝑅 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟 =18 . 75 Ω

 𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 =20+18 .75+ 20=58 . 75 Ω

(2) Combine all
the resistors in  (3) Current
series:
If an additional resistor, R2, is
added in series to the circuit,
what happens to the power
dissipated by R1? R1

1. Increases
2. Decreases
3. Stays the same

2
 
2 𝑉
𝑉 =𝐼𝑅
  𝑃=𝑉𝐼 =𝐼 𝑅=
𝑅
If an additional resistor,
I
R3, is added in parallel
V
to the circuit, what
happens to the total
current, I?
1. Increases
2. Decreases
3. Stays the same
4. Depends on R values

Parallel resistors: reciprocal effective   1 1 1 1

= + + +…
resistance is sum of reciprocal 𝑅 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑅 1 𝑅2 𝑅 3
 Series vs. Parallel

CURRENT Same current through Current “splits up”

all series elements through parallel branches

VOLTAGE Voltages add to total Same voltage across all

circuit voltage parallel branches
RESISTANCE Adding resistance Adding resistance
increases total R reduces total R
String of Christmas lights – connected in series
Power outlets in house – connected in parallel
 Voltage divider
Consider a circuit with several
resistors in series with a battery.

  𝑉 𝑉
Current in circuit: 𝐼 ¿ =
𝑅𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑅1 + 𝑅2 + 𝑅 3 ❑

The potential difference across   𝑅1

one of the resistors (e.g. R1) 𝑉
  =𝐼 𝑅 ¿ 𝑉
1 1
𝑅 1+ 𝑅 2+ 𝑅 3

The fraction of the total voltage that appears across a resistor in

series is the ratio of the given resistance to the total resistance.
What must be the R1 𝑉  1
resistance R1 so that 12 V

V1 = 2.0 V? 6.0 W

1. 0.80 W
2.1.2 W
3.6.0 W
4.30 W