Coulomb’s Law

• The strength (magnitude) of the attractive or

repulsive force that exists between 2 stationary
charged particles is given by Coulomb’s Law
– |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the charges
– ke = constant = 8.99  109 Nm2 / C2 q1 q2
– Applies only to point charges and F  ke
r2
spherical distributions of charges
• The direction of the force is always along
a line joining the 2 charges
– Forces are attractive or repulsive depending
on the sign (+ or –) of the charges involved Coulomb's Law
– In agreement with Newton’s 3rd Law: Force
on one charge is equal in magnitude but
opposite in direction to force on other charge
 The Electric Field
• The influence of gravity on a mass m by another
mass M can be thought of as m immersed in a
gravitational field due to M
– We can “map” the field by keeping g g
M m m
track of the direction and magnitude
of g at all points
– It is a vector field since it depends on magnitude
 & direction
F
– The gravitational field can be written as: g  g
m
• Similarly, the influence of the electrostatic force on a
“test” charge +q0 by another charge Q can be
described by an electric field
– Field “mapped” by direction and magnitude
of E
– Also a vector field 
 Fe
– Electric field can be written as: E 
q
0
 The Electric Field
• The direction of E at a point is the
direction of electrostatic force that
would be exerted on charge +q0 at
that point
• Knowing E at some point, we can calculate Fe on
 
any charge q0 at that same point from Fe  q0 E
• Since we know the magnitude of Fe from Coulomb’s
Fe q q0 q
Law, the magnitude of E is given by E   k e 2  k e
q0 q0 r r2
– Magnitude of E due to charge q at
position of q0
– Direction of E depends on sign (+ or –) of source
charge q (consistent with above definition)
Mapping Electric Fields
 Electric Field

The Electric Force is like the Gravitational

Force
Action at a Distance

The electric force can be thought of as

being mediated by an electric field.

Physics 231 Lecture 1-4 Fall 2008

 What is a Field?
A Field is something that can be defined anywhere
in space

A field represents some physical quantity

(e.g., temperature, wind speed, force)
It can be a scalar field (e.g., Temperature field)
It can be a vector field (e.g., Electric field)
It can be a “tensor” field (e.g., Space-time curvature)

Physics 231 Lecture 1-5 Fall 2008

 Electric Field
We say that when a charged object is put at
a point in space,
The charged object sets up an Electric
Field throughout the space surrounding
the charged object

It is this field that then exerts a force on

another charged object

Physics 231 Lecture 1-6 Fall 2008

 Electric Field
Like the electric force,
the electric field is also a vector
If there is an electric force acting on an
object having a charge qo, then the
electric field at that point is given by

 F
E (with the sign of q0 included)
q0

Physics 231 Lecture 1-7 Fall 2008

 Electric Field
The force on a positively
charged object is in the same
direction as the electric field at
that point,

While the force on a negative

test charge is in the opposite
direction as the electric field
at the point
Physics 231 Lecture 1-8 Fall 2008
 Electric Field
A positive charge sets up
an electric field pointing
away from the charge

A negative charge sets up an

electric field pointing
towards the charge

Physics 231 Lecture 1-9 Fall 2008

 Electric Field
 
Earlier we saw that the   q 
F j  q j   k 2 rˆij 
i
force on a charged object  
is given by
r
 i  j ij 
 
The term in parentheses remains the same if we
change the charge on the object at the point in
question
The quantity in the parentheses can be thought of as the
electric field at the point where the test object is placed
The electric field of a point charge can then be
shown to be given by
q
E  k 2 rˆ
r
Physics 231 Lecture 1-10 Fall 2008
 Electric Field

As with the electric force, if there are

several charged objects, the net electric
field at a given point is given by the
vector sum of the individual electric
fields  
E   Ei
i

Physics 231 Lecture 1-11 Fall 2008

 Electric Field Lines
• Electric-field patterns can be visualized with electric
field lines
– The way they point indicate direction of E (E is tangent to
electric field lines at each point in space)
– Their spacing gives a general idea of the magnitude of E
• General rules for drawing
electric field lines:
– They begin at positive charges
and end on negative charges
– The # of lines drawn leaving
(ending on) a positive (negative)
charge is proportional to the
magnitude of the charge
– No two field lines can cross each
other Electric Field Lines
 Electric Field Lines
• Two point charges of equal magnitude
but opposite sign form an electric dipole
– # lines that begin at positive charge =
# that terminate at negative charge
– Very near each charge, lines are nearly
radial
– Strong field between the charges
• Electric field lines near 2 equal positive
point charges
– Why is field weak between the charges?
Analogy

The electric field is the space

around an electrical charge

just like

a gravitational field is the space

around a mass.
Electric Field
 Space around a charge.
What is the difference?
 Van de Graaff Generator
 Builds up static electric
charges.

 This Van de Graaff Generator

was responsible for creating
a field large enough to ‘fry’
our multi-media device!
Electric Field Vector, E
 Electric Field is designed as follows
 E = F/ qo
 qo , positive test charge
 E is a vector quantity
 Direction indicated by small + test charge
 Unit: N/C
 E is analogous to the gravitational
field, g, where g=F/m
Example 1
 A charge of 3µC is used to test the electric
field of a central charge of 6C that causes a
force of 800N. What is the magnitude of the
electric field?

 Hint… Which charge ‘tests’ the field

 Answer: 2.7 x108 N/C

Electric Field- Diagrams

Electric Field Hockey

Complete pages
Electric Field Lines
Electric Field Lines of two Positive
Charges
Electric Field Lines of two Positive
Charges
Electric Field Lines
 Lines that indicate the strength and
direction of the electric field.
 The more dense the lines, the stronger the
field.
 Electric field vectors are tangent to the
curve.
 Conductors and Electric Fields
(under electrostatic conditions)
 “The electric field is zero inside a charged
conductor”.

 “Excess charge on an isolated conductor

resides on the surface”.

 “Excess charge accumulates on sharp points”.

 Electric field lines meet the conductor

perpendicular to the surface of the conductor.
Conductors in Electrostatic Equilibrium
• An isolated conductor in electrostatic equilibrium (no
net flow of charge) has the following properties:
– Electric field is zero everywhere inside “meat” of conductor
– Only points on its surface(s) can have a net charge (helpful
while in a car during a thunderstorm)
– Electric field at the surface is
perpendicular to the surface
– Excess charge is more concentrated
at regions of greater curvature, like sharp
points (principle behind use of lightning
rods and electrostatic precipitators)
• Michael Faraday’s famous “ice-pail”
experiment proved that net charge on
conductor in electrostatic equilibrium
resides on its surface
Electric Field for a Point Charge
Using E=F/qo and Coulomb’s Law prove:

E=k Q
______

r2

where Q is the central charge.

Example 2
 A test charge of +3µC is located 5m to the
east of a -4µC charge.
 A) Find the electric force felt by the test
charge.
 B) Find the electric field at that location.

 Answer: 4.32x10-3 N, 1.44 x 103 N/C along

the –x axis.
Example 3
 If a test charge is moved to a location three
times as far as its original location, how does
the electric field change?
 Inverse-Square Law says… 1/9
 Example 4
 Calculate the electric field felt by a positive test
charge located half way between a charge of
+1C and a charge of -3C, that are 2m apart.

 Answer: 3.6 x 1010 N/C (toward the -3C charge)

Let’s return to the field lines and
consider the flux through a surface.
 Consider a uniform electric field, and a
surface area through which the electric field
is passing.
 We define the angle of the given area,
relative to the direction of the electric field, by
a normal vector which is perpendicular to the
surface.
 Definitions
• Flux—The rate of flow through an area or volume. It can
also be viewed as the product of an area and the vector
field across the area

• Electric Flux—The rate of flow of an electric field through

an area or volume—represented by the number of E field
lines penetrating a surface
 Charge and Electric Flux
Previously, we answered the question – how do we find
E-field at any point in space if we know charge distribution?

Now we will answer the opposite question – if we know E-field

distribution in space, what can we say about charge distribution?
 Electric flux
Electric flux is associated with the flow of electric field through a surface

1
E~ For an enclosed charge, there is a connection
r2
between the amount of charge
S ~ r2 and electric field flux.
E gS  const
Electric Flux
 Electric flux is the
product of the
magnitude of the
electric field and the
surface area, A,
perpendicular to the
field
 ΦE = EA
Electric Flux, General Area
 The electric flux is
proportional to the
number of electric field
lines penetrating some
surface
 The field lines may
make some angle θ
with the perpendicular
to the surface
 Then ΦE = EA cos θ
Electric Flux, Interpreting the
Equation
 The flux is a maximum when the surface is
perpendicular to the field
 The flux is zero when the surface is parallel
to the field
 If the field varies over the surface, Φ = EA
cos θ is valid for only a small element of the
area
Electric Flux

Electric flux is the product of the

magnitude of the electric field and the
surface area, A, perpendicular to the
field.
ΦE = EA
Units: N · m2 / C

Section 24.1
Electric Flux, General Area

The electric flux is proportional to the

number of electric field lines penetrating
some surface.
The field lines may make some angle θ
with the perpendicular to the surface.
Then ΦE = EA cos θ

Section 24.1
Electric Flux, Interpreting the Equation

The flux is a maximum when the surface is perpendicular to the field.

 θ = 0°
The flux is zero when the surface is parallel to the field.
 θ = 90°
If the field varies over the surface, Φ = EA cos θ is valid for only a small element
of the area.

Section 24.1
Gauss' Law, Integral Form
The area integral of the
electric field over any closed
surface is equal to the net
charge enclosed in the
surface divided by the
permittivity of space. Gauss'
law is a form of one of
Maxwell's equations, the four
fundamental equations for
electricity and magnetism.
 Applications of Gauss’s Law

• Find electric field of an infinite long uniformly charged wire of

negligible radius.

• Find electric field of a large thin flat plane or sheet of charge

• Find electric field around two parallel flat planes

• Find E inside and outside of a long solid cylinder of charge

density  and radius r.

• Find E for a thin cylindrical shell of surface charge density 

• Find E inside and outside a solid charged sphere of charge

density 
Summer July 2004 42
 Electric field in and around conductors

• Inside a conductor in electrostatic

equilibrium the electric field is zero
( averaged over many atomic volumes).
The electrons in a conductor move
around so that they cancel out any
electric field inside the conductor
resulting from free charges
anywhere including outside the
conductor. This results in a net force of
F = eE = 0 inside the conductor.

Summer July 2004 43
 Electric field in and around
conductors
• Any net electric charge resides
on the surface of the conductor
within a few angstroms (10-10 m).
Draw a gaussian surface just
inside
the conductor. We know E = 0
everywhere on this surface. Hence
,
the net flux is zero. Hence, the
net charge inside is zero.
Show Faraday ice pail demo.

Summer July 2004 44
 Electric field in and around
conductors
• The electric field just outside a conductor has
magnitude  / 0 and is directed perpendicular to the
surface.

– Draw a small pill box that extends

into the conductor. Since there is
no field inside, all the flux comes
out through the top.

– EA=q/0= A/ 0,

– so E=  / 0

Summer July 2004 45
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Summer July 2004 48