Chapter 21
Coulomb’s Law
❑ Electric Charge
Electric charge is an intrinsic property of the fundamental particles that make up
objects such as rods, silk, and fur. Therefore, the charge is a property that comes
automatically with those particles wherever they exist.
Electric charge is the property of subatomic particles that causes them to
experience a force when placed in an electric and magnetic field.
❑ Conductors and Insulators
➢ Conductors
Conductors are materials through which charge (free electrons in
conduction band) can move freely. For example, metals (such as
copper in common lamp wire), the human body, and tap water.
➢ Nonconductors/insulators
Nonconductors—also called insulators—are materials through which charge cannot
move freely (does not have any free electrons or conduction electrons). For
example, rubber (such as the insulation on common lamp wire), plastic, glass, and
chemically pure water. Note:
Semiconductors are materials that are
intermediate between conductors and
insulators; examples include silicon and
germanium in computer chips.
Superconductors are materials that are
perfect conductors, allowing charge to move
without any hindrance. In these chapters, we
discuss only conductors and insulators.
❑Coulomb’s Law
Let us consider the magnitude of two
charges are 𝒒𝟏 and 𝒒𝟐 as shown in
Figure 1, where the distance between Figure 1: The electrostatic force on particle 1 can
them is, r. be described in terms of a unit vector along an axis
through the two particles, radially away from particle
Coulomb’s law states that the magnitude of 2.
the electric force (attractive or repulsive)
between two point charges is proportional
to the multiplication of the magnitude of
two charges and inversely proportional to
the square of the distance between those
charges.
Electrostatic constant,
Permittivity constant,
Vector format of force :
Multiple Forces. The electrostatic force obeys the principle of superposition.
Suppose we have n charged particles near a chosen particle called particle 1; then
the net force on particle 1 is given by the vector sum
❖Shell Theories for electrostatic force
Shell theory 1. A charged particle outside a shell with charge uniformly distributed on its surface is
attracted or repelled as if the shell’s charge were concentrated as a particle at its center.
Shell theory 2. A charged particle inside a shell with charge uniformly distributed on its surface has no
net force acting on it due to the shell.
Finding the net force due to two other particles
Sample Problem 21.01
Equilibrium of two forces on a particle
Sample Problem 21.02
Charge sharing by two identical conducting spheres
Sample Problem 21.03
❑ Charge Is Quantized
Any positive or negative charge that can be detected can be written as
𝒒 = 𝒏𝒆, 𝒏 = ±𝟏, ±𝟐, ±𝟑, … … … … …
In which 𝒆, the elementary charge, has the approximate value
𝒆 = 𝟏. 𝟔𝟎𝟐 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟗 𝑪.
Note:
You should, however, keep in mind what is intended: Particles are the substance and charge
happens to be one of their properties, just as mass is.
When a physical quantity such as charge can have only discrete values rather
than any value, we say that the quantity is quantized. It is possible, for example, to
find a particle that has no charge at all or a charge of +𝟏𝟎𝒆 or −𝟔𝒆, but not a
particle with a charge of, say, 𝟑. 𝟓𝟕𝒆.
Mutual electric repulsion in a nucleus
Sample Problem 21.04
The nucleus in an iron atom has a radius of about 𝟒. 𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝒎 and contains 26
protons.
(a) What is the magnitude of the repulsive electrostatic force between two of the
protons that are separated by 𝟒. 𝟎 × 𝟏𝟎−𝟏𝟓 𝒎 ?
(b) What is the magnitude of the gravitational force between those same two protons?
❑ Charge Is Conserved
A charge is a property associated with the matter due to which it produces and
experiences electrical and magnetic effects. The basic idea behind the conservation
of charge is that the total charge of the system is conserved. We can define it as:
Conservation of charge is the principle that the total electric charge in an isolated
system never changes. The net quantity of electric charge, the amount of positive
charge minus the amount of negative charge in the universe, is always conserved.
The law of conservation of charge says that the net charge of an isolated system will
always remain constant. Let’s try to understand it in more depth. There is a
possibility of two ideal states for a system for multiple objects.
➢ The first one is that all the object has a net neutral charge. So in the whole
system, there is the same number of protons and electrons. So for each proton,
there is an electron to balance it.
➢ Another ideal state would be the net charge of the system being distributed
uniformly in the objects. So rather than concentrating negative charge in a few
bodies, the charge on the body is evenly distributed throughout by the transfer of
the electron, and this can be achieved by the transfer of electrons from higher to
lower polarity. Only electrons can be involved in the transfer charges, not protons.
❖ Examples of the conservation of charge
Conservation of charge means one can’t produce a net charge. Some of its examples
are provided below.
➢ Charges due to induction
➢ During radioactive decay, a proton decays into a positron and neutron, but no net
charge production.
From the left side image, we can
say that if our system is not in the
influence of any other charges, the
net internal distribution among
charge will go on in such a way
that the entire net charge of the
system will remain the same. In
other words, we can say that:
Charge can neither be created
nor be destroyed and there is
total conservation of charge.
Thank You