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PH504 Part 2. Electrostatics Coulomb’s law and electric field (E-field) 1. Introduction Electromagnetism is concerned with the study of the properties of charge, one of the fundamental properties of nature. There are two types of charge; positive and negative. Potatoes don’t explode; in bulk matter, their effects are almost completely neutralized. Charge can neither be created nor destroyed. However positive and negative charges act to cancel each other. E.g. 238 92 4 U234 90Th 2 He :92 protons on each side. Charge is quantized: +e, -e (free quarks with 2/3 and 1/3 these values don’t exist in nature).The unit of charge is the Coulomb (C) the usual mathematical symbol is Q : e = 1.602 ´ 10-19 C The movement of charge constitutes an electric current. If a charge dQ passes a given point in a time dt then a current I=dQ/dt is said to occur. Method of inducing charge: 2. Definitions (i) The point charge. Assumes all the charge is concentrated at a point having zero volume. If charge is spread over a finite volume then it approximates to a point charge if its physical extent is small compared to the distance(s) to other charges. (ii) Volume charge density: Charge is spread over a finite volume. Density at a given point is r (units C m-3). r is not necessary constant. The total charge Q contained within a volume is given by is performed over the volume . where the integral (iii) Surface charge density: . Charge is spread thinly over a surface or a sheet. The density at a given point is (units C m-2). The total charge Q on a whole surface S is given by: the surface S. where the integral is performed over (iv) Line charge density: . Charge is distributed along a line. The density at a given point is (units C m-1). The total charge Q in a total length L is given by where the integral is performed along the line L. Electrostatics. Concerned with the properties of charges which are stationary. Although we will need to move charges when deriving equations for potential energy etc, the charges can always be taken to move infinitesimally slowly. For Electrostatics: is the charge density J = 0 is the current density 3. Forces between stationary charges (in vacuo) – Coulomb’s law - Charles Auguste Coulomb - 1785 Experiments show that an electric force exists between two charges. The size of this force is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the two charges. It is inversely proportional to the square of their separation. The force acts along the line joining the charges. It is repulsive for charges of identical (like) sign and attractive for opposite sign charges. • Like charges repel • Unlike charges attract: like charges unlike charges For two point charges Q1 and Q2 separated by a distance r in a vacuum, the electric force is described by Coulomb’s law: F = Q1Q2/(40r2) (scalar form) in magnitude, along the r direction. F = Q1Q2 where /(40r2) is a unit vector along r, or (vector form) F = Q1Q2 r/(40r3) (vector form) is a constant which gives the strength of the electric force. is known as the permittivity of free space. = 8.8542x10-12 C2 m-2 N-1 or F m-1. E = 1.6 x 10-19 C Principle of superposition For a system consisting of three or more charges, the electric force acting on any one charge is given by the vector summation of the individual forces due to all the other charges. 4.The electric field (E-field) Frequently we wish to investigate the force (and subsequent motion) on an arbitrary charge due to a set of other known fixed charges. Although Coulomb’s law can be used it is generally more convenient to think of the fixed charges as producing a field, the electric or E-field, which then exerts a force on any charge placed in the field. What is a ‘field’? An electric field is defined in a region of space where another charge would be influenced by a charge or distribution of charges. If a test charge Qt, placed at some position in space, experiences an electric force F then the E-field at that point is given by where the limit Qt0 is required so that Qt does not perturb the charges which produce F and E. The units of E are N C-1 or more usual V m-1. E-field due to a point charge For a single point charge Q the field points radially outwards for a positive charge and radially inwards for a negative charge. For a collection of two or more point charges the principle of superposition can be applied to find the total E-field at a given point. For continuous charge distributions the distribution is split up into an infinite number of infinitesimally small, equivalent point charges with the E-field then being given by a suitable integration. The electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the charge enclosed. Flux: The amount of field, material or other physical entity passing through a surface. Surface area can be represented as vector defined normal to the surface The flux of E through the surface of a sphere can be written as Gauss’s law in integral form: Ed A S Q o since 1 q E r rˆ 4o r 2 For a sphere this is obvious: This holds for any shaped surface! In terms of the divergence, using the divergence theorem: div 0E = (Gauss’s Law) Techniques for finding the E-field will be developed later in this course. Secondly, since the field is purely divergent (each point charge generates a radial field dependent only on r): curl E = 0 . Solving Problems with Gauss’ Law Choose a coordinate system that most nearly matches the symmetry of the charge distribution. For example, we chose spherical coordinates to determine the flux due to a point charge because of spherical symmetry. Example: Co-axial cable. Consider a cylindrical surface of radius R. Take a charge per unit length Choose the following Gaussian surface: Then Gauss's Law yields E 2r = o E = 2ro) for r > R. E=0 for r < R ………………..much easier than integrating. Electric Field Lines These allow the form of the E-field to be visualised in a limited sense: dx/Ex = dy/Ey = dz/Ez The lines have the following properties. The tangent to the lines at any point gives the direction of the E-field at that point. Lines start on positive charges and finish on negative ones (but these are not particle/charge trajectories). The density of lines gives an indication of the field strength at a given point. Equal charges: Conclusions Charge and relationship to current Definitions of point, volume, surface and line charges Coulomb’s law for two point charges Superposition and forces between >2 point charges Definition of E-field E-fields resulting from one or more point charges E-fields due to continuous charge distributions E-field line diagrams THE END