BASIC ELECTRICAL

ENGINEERING
UNIT II
MODULE 1: Electrostatics and Capacitance

MODULE 2: Electromagnetism and Inductance

Additional Text: Electrical and Electronic

Principles and Technology by JOHN BIRD,
Second Edition
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 Outline
Module 1: Electrostatics and Module 2: Electromagnetism and
Capacitance Inductance
• Electrostatics laws, • Laws of magnetic force,
• Permittivity, • Magnetic fields,
• Electric field, • Permeability and magnetomotive force,
• Field intensity, • Field intensity,
• Flux density, • Flux density,
• Potential and work done. • Potential and work done.
• Electric field of a parallel plate capacitor, • Electromagnetic induction,
• Multi-plate capacitor, capacitors in series • Self and Mutual inductances.
and parallel, • Inductances in series and parallel,
• Energy stored in a capacitor. • Energy stored in an inductor;
EEE204 • Electrochemical power sources. 2
 Introduction
WHY STUDY ELECTROSTATICS?
Electrostatics is the basis of industrial processes CONCEPT DIAGRAM
such as electrostatic spray painting, and
xerography, photography etc.
We study electrostatic phenomena in this course
not simply to understand the applications of Electromagnetism
static charge, but because the ideas are
applicable in other branches of electricity, and
the electrical aspects of other sciences.
Demonstration
Try by rubbing a Pen through your hair and
move it close to a piece of paper.
What do you think is responsible?
Of what used is this phenomenon?
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 Electrostatics
Electrostatics is Electric charges at rest (static electricity)
It is the branch of Physics, which deals with the behavior of
stationary electric charges.
Charges exist in two different kinds called positive and negative,
these charges when in combination add algebraically i.e. the charge
is a scalar quantity always quantized in integral multiples of
electronic charge.
Charge is a fundamental property of the ultimate particles making up
matter, the total charge of a closed system cannot change i.e. net
charge is conserved in an isolated system
Involves electric charges, the forces between them, and their
behavior in materials EEE204 4
 Electric Forces and Charge
Arise from the particles in atoms
Alone: Billions and billions of times as strong as the force of gravity
In Pairs: Cancel each other out and have no noticeable effect
In an atom, a positively charged nucleus is surrounded by electrons
The protons (+) in the nucleus attract the electrons (-), while the electrons repel
each other
This attraction and repulsion behavior gives an object its charge

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 Electrostatic Laws

Fundamental Rule:
Like charges repel; opposite charges attract
Conservation of Charge:
Electrons are never created nor destroyed, but are simply
transferred from one material to another
No case of the creation or destruction of net electric charge
has ever been found
Electrons are always transferred in whole – they cannot be
divided into fractions of electrons

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 Electrostatic Laws
Coulomb’s Inverse Square Law
Coulomb’s inverse square law gives the force between the two
charges. According to this law, the force (F) between two
electrostatic point charges (q1 and q2) is proportional to the
product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of
the distance (r) separating the charges.

medium
r F ∝ q1 q2
q1 q2
1
F∝ 2
r
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 Electrostatic Laws
q1q
F = K 2

r 2
where K (Coulomb constant) is proportionality constant
which depends on the nature of the medium.
This force acts along the line joining the charges. For a
dielectric medium of relative permittivity εr, the value of K is
given by,
1 1
K = = = 9 × 10 9

4 πε 0 ε r 4 πε

where ε = permittivity of the medium.

Units of charge = Coulomb (C)
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 Sample Problem

Two electrons are a meter apart.

What is the force between them?
What direction is it in?

Two electrons are two meters apart.

What is the force between them?
What direction is it in?

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 Electric Field

Electric charges affect the space around them.

The space around the charge within which its effect is felt
or experienced is called Electric field.
Electric field Intensity (or) Strength of the Electric field,
due to a point charge qa at a given point is defined as the
force per unit charge exerted on a test charge qb placed at
that point in the field. Fba qa
Ea = = -1 -1
volt m (or) N C
qb 4πε0 r 2

Electric Fields have a magnitude and direction hence are

vector quantities
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 Electric lines of force
An Electric field may be described in terms of lines
of force in much the same way as a magnetic field.
+q -q

Properties of electric lines of force

1.Every Lines of force originates from a positive
charge and terminates on negative charge.
2.Lines of force never intersect.
3.The tangent to Lines of force at any point gives the
direction of the electric field E at that point.
4.The number of Lines of force per unit area at right
angles to the lines is proportional to the magnitude
of E.
5.Each unit positive charge gives rise to lines of force
in free space.
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 Electric Flux Density

The Electric flux is defined as the number of lines of force that pass
through a surface placed in the electric field.

The Electric flux (dφ) through elementary area ds is defined as the

product of the area and the component of electric field strength normal
to the area.

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 Gauss theorem (or) Gauss law
This Law relates the flux through any closed surface and the
net charge enclosed within the surface.
The Electric flux (φ) through a closed surface is equal to the
1/ε0 times the net charge q enclosed by the surface.
1 q
φ =   q (or) φ =   = ∫ E ds cosθ
ε0  ε0 

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 Electric Flux Density (or)
Electric Displacement Vector (D)

It is defined as the number of Electric Lines of force passing normally

through a unit area of cross section in the field. It is given by,
φ
D =
A

Unit : Coulomb / m2

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 Permittivity

Permittivity is defined as the ratio of electric displacement vector (D) in a

dielectric medium to the applied electric field strength (E).
D
ε =
E

Mathematically it is given by,

ε = ε 0εr
ε 0 = permittivity of free space or vacuum
ε r = permittivity or dielectric constant of the medium

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Sample Problem

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 Electrostatic Potential (V)
The electrostatic potential energy of a system of point charges is the work
needed to bring the charges from an infinite separation to their final
positions
The Electric potential is defined as the amount of work done in moving unit
positive charge from infinity to the given point of the field of the given
charge against the electrical force.
Unit: volt (or) joule / coulomb
r r q
Potential V = − E . dx = − ∫
∫
∞
∞ 4 πε 2
0
dx
x
q 1 1 q
V =  r − ∞  = 4πε r
4πε 0   0

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 Electrostatic Potential (V)
When we bring a point charge q from far away to a region where there are
other charges, we must do work (qV), which is stored as electrostatic
potential energy. For a system of charges this is the total work needed to
assemble the charges.
When positive charge is placed on an isolated conductor, the potential, V, of
the conductor increases.
The ratio of the charge to the potential is called the capacitance of the
conductor.

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 Capacitance
The capacitance is a measure of how much
charge must be put on the plates to produce a
certain potential difference between them. The
greater the capacitance the more charge is
required.
In the circuit the battery maintains a potential
difference between its terminals, with positive
terminal at higher potential.
When switch is closed, electrons move through
electric field along wire, towards the +ve plate,
and away from the –ve plate the positive
terminal of the battery.
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Calculating the potential difference

In general we can choose a path that follows an

electric field line, from the negative to the
positive plate. For this path E and ds will have
opposite directions, so we can rewrite V as
The potential difference between the plates of a
capacitor is related to the field E by

f
V = −∫ E ⋅ d s
i

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 Parallel-plate capacitor
For a parallel-plate capacitor, as shown,
experiments show that 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.
q = CV
q q q q ε0 A
C= = = = =
V Ed σD d q
d d
ε0 ε0 A
ε0 A
C= Capacitance C is the proportionality constant. It is dependent only
d on the geometry of the plates, and not on their charge or potential
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 parallel-plate capacitor
Another method used to increase the capacitance
is to interleave several plates as shown four
plates are shown, forming three capacitors with a
capacitance nine times that of one pair of plates.
If such an arrangement has n plates then
capacitance C α (n-1).
Thus capacitance

ε 0ε r A( n − 1)
C = farads
d

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Capacitors connected in series and parallel
• Capacitors, like resistors, can be placed in series
and in parallel.
• Increasing levels of capacitance can be obtained
by placing capacitors in parallel,
• While decreasing levels can be obtained by
placing capacitors in series.
• For capacitors in series, the charge is the same on
each capacitor

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Capacitors connected in series and parallel
• For capacitors in parallel, as shown below, the
voltage is the same across each capacitor, and the
total charge is the sum of that on each capacitor:

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 Energy Stored in a Capacitor
• 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 stored by a capacitor is given as:

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What does a capacitor look like?

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Applications

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Capacitor

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