PHYS331 Electromagnetism I

Introduction to Electrodynamics by D. J. Griffiths, 4th Edition.

Prentics-Hall, (2012).
Chapter 2 Electrostatics
Part I

 Electric Charge
 Coulomb's Law
 The Electric Field.
 Continuous Charge Distributions
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 Electric Charge

The Transfer of Charge

SILK

Glass Rod

Some materials attract electrons

more than others.
 Electric Charge

The Transfer of Charge

SILK
+ -

Glass Rod

As the glass rod is rubbed against silk,

electrons are pulled off the glass onto the silk.
 Electric Charge

The Transfer of Charge

SILK
+ -
+ -
Glass Rod

Usually matter is charge neutral, because the number of

electrons and protons are equal. But here the silk has an
excess of electrons and the rod a deficit.
Electric Charge
The Transfer of Charge

+ SILK
+ - - -
+
+ - - Glass and silk are
+ insulators:
Glass Rod charges stuck on them
stay put.
Properties of Electric Charges
Conservation of Charge
1-Electric charge is always conserved in an isolated system
 For example, charge is not created in the process of rubbing two objects

together
 The electrification is due to a transfer of charge from one object to another

Quantization of Charge
2-The electric charge, q, is said to be quantized
 Electric charge exists as discrete packets, q = Ne
 N is an integer

 e is the fundamental unit of charge

 |e| = 1.6 x 10-19 C

 Electron: q = -e

 Proton: q = +e

Quick Quiz 23.1 If you rub an inflated balloon against your hair, the two materials
attract each other. Is the amount of charge present in the system of the balloon and
your hair after rubbing
(a) less than, (b) the same as, or (c) more than the amount of charge present before
rubbing?
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Electric Charge
+ +

Two positively charged rods repel each other.

– +

Two rods with opposite charges attract each other.

Quick Quiz 23.3 Three objects are brought close to each other, two at a time. When objects A and B are
brought together, they attract. When objects B and C are brought together, they repel. From this, we
conclude that
(a)objects A and C possess charges of the same sign.
(b)objects A and C possess charges of opposite sign.
(c) all three of the objects possess charges of the same sign.
(d) one of the objects is neutral.
 Coulomb’s Law
Coulomb’s law describes the interaction between bodies due to their charges

What is the force on a test charge Q due to  1 qQ

a single point charge q which is at rest a F r̂
distance r away? The answer is given by 4 0 r 2

Coulomb's law:

1/(40) = 9.0 x 109 Nm2/C2

 = permitivity of free space = 8.86 x 10-12 C2/Nm2
 Gravitational and Electric Forces
in the Hydrogen Atom

M m = 9.1 10-31 kg
r12 -e
+e M = 1.7 10-27 kg
m r12 = 5.3 10-11 m

Gravitational force Electric Force

 Mm   1  Qq
Fg  G 2 r Fe    2 r
r12  40  r12

Fg = 3.6 x10-47 N Fe = 8.20x 10-8N

Fe 8.20  10 8
  2 .27  10 39

Fg 3.6 10  47
 Superposition Principle
• From observations: one finds that whenever multiple charges are present, the net force on a given
charge is the vector sum of all forces exerted by other charges.
• Electric force obeys a superposition principle.

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(a) Electric force between q and Q

The force between two +ve charges is repulsive and directed

radially outward.

(b) When charge at 6 o clock removedTherefore

the net force is on test charge Q is zero.
net force

(b)
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 (c) Again the goal is to apply the principle of superposition and to
sum the forces acting on FQ. The model is

(d)

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 Example: Where Is the Resultant Force Zero?
Three point charges lie along the x - axis as shown in Figure. The positive charge q1 = 15 μC
is at x = 2 m, the positive charge q2 = 6 μC is at the origin, and the resultant force acting on
q3 is zero. What is the (x) coordinate of q3?

Solution:

and

The resultant force acting on q3 is zero, then:

F13 = F23

q1 x2 = q2 (2 – x)2
15 x2 = 6 (2 – x)2
3x2 + 8x – 8 = 0
x = 0.775 m (at this distance, the total Force = 0)

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 Charges in a Line
6. Where do I have to place the + charge in order for
the force to balance, in the figure at right?
a) Cannot tell, because + charge value is not q
given.
b) Exactly in the middle between the two negative
charges.
c) On the line between the two negative charges,
but closer to the 2q charge.
d) On the line between the two negative charges,
but closer to the q charge. q
e) There is no location that will give force balance.

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 Let’s Calculate the Exact Location
 Force is attractive toward both negative charges, hence could
balance.
 Need a coordinate system, so choose total distance as L, and
position of + charge from q charge as x.
 Force is sum of the two force vectors, and has to be zero, so q
2qQ qQ
F  F1  F2  k  k 0
( L  x) 2
x 2

 A lot of things cancel, including Q, so our answer does not L

depend on knowing the + charge value. We end up with
2 1 ( L  x) 2 Lx x
  2   2
( L  x) 2 x 2 x2 x
L q
 Solving for x, x   0.412 L , so slightly less than half-
way between. 1 2

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If we have several point charges q1, q2, ... , qn, at distances r1, r2, ... ,rn from
Q, the total force on Q is evidently

E is called the electric field of the source charges

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A very small ball has a mass of 5.00×1023 kg and a charge of 4.00 mC. What
magnitude electric field directed upward will balance the weight of the ball so
that the ball is suspended motionless above the ground?
(a)8.21×102 N/C (b) 1.22×104 N/C (c) 2.00×1022 N/C
(d) 5.11×106 N/C (e) 3.72×103 N/C

An electron with a speed of 3.00 ×106 m/s moves into a uniform electric field of
magnitude 1.00 × 103 N/C. The field lines are parallel to the electron’s velocity
and pointing in the same direction as the velocity. How far does the electron
travel before it is brought to rest?
(a) 2.56 cm (b) 5.12 cm (c) 11.2 cm (d) 3.34 m (e) 4.24 m

A point charge of 24.00 nC is located at (0, 1.00) m. What is the x component of

the electric field due to the point charge at (4.00, 22.00) m?
(a)1.15 N/C (b) 20.864 N/C (c) 0.44 N/C

(d) 21.15 N/C (e) 0.864 N/C

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Example:In Fig., the four particles form a square of edge length a =
5.00 cm and have charges q1=10.0 nC, q2=-20.0 nC, q3 =+20.0 nC, and q4=-
10.0 nC. In unit vector notation, what net electric field do the particles
produce at the square’s center?

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 The system of closely spaced charges is equivalent to a total charge that is continuously
distributed along some line, over some surface, or throughout some volume
Procedure:
 Divide the charge distribution into small elements, each of which contains Δq
 Calculate the electric field due to one of these elements at point P
 q
E  keˆ r
r2
 Evaluate the total field by summing the contributions of all the charge elements
 qi dq
E  ke lim
qi 0

i ri 2
ˆ
ri  k e 2 r
r
ˆ

Charge Densities:
Volume charge density: when a charge is distributed evenly throughout a volume

 ρ ≡ Q / V with units C/m3

Surface charge density: when a charge is distributed evenly over a surface area

 σ ≡ Q / A with units C/m2

Linear charge density: when a charge is distributed along a line

 λ ≡ Q / ℓ with units C/m

If the charge is non-uniformly distributed over a volume, surface, or line, the amount of charge, dq,
is given by
 For the volume: dq = ρ dV, For the surface: dq = σ dA For the length element: dq = λ dℓ
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 If the charge is spread out along a line (Fig. 2.5b),
with charge-per-unit-length λ, then dq = λdl'
(where dl' is an element of length along the line);

 If the charge is smeared out over a surface (Fig.

2.5c), with charge-per-unit-area σ, then dq = σda'
(where da‘ is an element of area on the surface);

 If the charge fills a volume (Fig. 2.5d), with

charge-per-unit-volume ρ, then dq = ρdr' (where
dr' is an element of volume)

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Solution

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 Home Work
Problem 2.3 Find the electric field a distance z above one end of a
straight line segment of length L , which carries a uniform line
charge λ. Check that your formula is consistent with what you would
expect for the case z » L.

Problem 2.4 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a
square loop (side a) carrying uniform line charge A. [Hint: Use the
result of Ex. 2.1.]

Problem 2.5 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a circular loop of radius
r, which carries a uniform line charge A.

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Problem 2.3 Find the electric field a distance z above one end of a
straight line segment of length L , which carries a uniform line
charge λ. Check that your formula is consistent with what you
would expect for the case z » L.
Solution

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Problem 2.4 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a square
loop (side a) carrying uniform line charge λ. [Hint: Use the result of Ex.
2.1]
Solution

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Problem 2.5 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a circular loop of radius r,
which carries a uniform line charge λ.

Solution

A circular ring of charge with radius b has total charge q uniformly distributed
around it. What is the magnitude of the electric field at the center of the
ring?
(a) 0 (b) keq/b2 (c) keq2/b2 (d) keq2/b
(e) none of those answers

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 Home Work
Problem 2.6 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a flat
circular disk of radius R (Fig. 2.10), which carries a uniform surface charge
σ. What does your formula give in the limit R →∞? Also check the case z »
R.
Problem 2.7 Find the electric field a distance z from the
center of a spherical surface of radius R (Fig. 2.11), which
carries a uniform charge density a. Treat the case z < R
(inside) as well as z > R (outside). Express your answers in
terms of the total charge q on the sphere. [Hint: Use the law
of cosines to write r. in terms of R and ɵ. Be sure to take the
positive square root:

Problem 2.8 Use your result in Prob. 2.7 to find the field inside and outside a sphere of radius
R, which carries a unifonn volume charge density p. Express your answers in terms of the
total charge of the sphere, ρ. Draw a graph of E as a function of the distance from the center.

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Problem 2.6 Find the electric field a distance Z above the center of a flat
circular disk of radius R (Fig. 2.10), which carries a uniform surface charge
σ. What does your formula give in the limit R →∞? Also check the case z » R.
Solution

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Problem 2.7 Find the electric field a distance z from the center of a spherical
surface of radius R (Fig. 2.11), which carries a uniform charge density σ.
Treat the case z < R (inside) as well as z > R (outside). Express your answers
in terms of the total charge q on the sphere. [Hint: Use the law of cosines to
write r. in terms of R and ɵ. Be sure to take the positive square root:
Solution

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   0 
Spherical Polar Coordinates
  0  2
 r is the distance from the origin (the magnitude of
the position vector),
 ɵ (the angle down from the z axis) is called the
polar angle
 ɸ (the angle around from the x axis) is the
azimuthal angle.

x = r sin ɵ cos ɸ, y = r sin ɵ sin ɸ, z = r cos ɵ.

any vector A can be expressed in terms of them in the usual way:

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Problem 2.8 Use your result in Prob. 2.7 to find the field inside and outside a sphere of radius
R, which carries a uniform volume charge density p. Express your answers in terms of the
total charge of the sphere, ρ. Draw a graph of E as a function of the distance from the center.
Solution

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