GENPHY2 (General Physics 2)

2nd Semester | 2024-2025 | Ella Valdevieso Quimsing | STEM 12 Chadwick

- Identified two types of electric
Electric Charge charge:

 All matter is made of atoms, which contain Vitreous electricity (positive charge,
electrons, protons, and neutrons. produced by rubbing glass).
Objects normally contain equal numbers of
electrons and protons: such objects are called Resinous electricity (negative charge,
neutral. produced by rubbing resin-like materials).
When an object has an imbalance in the
number of electrons and protons, it is
electrically charged. He introduced the idea that these charges could
Neutrons are not involved in electric neutralize each other.
interactions.
4. 1740s: Benjamin Franklin
- Proposed the single-fluid theory of
electricity.
- He named the two types of charge
positive and negative, suggesting that
electricity involves a flow of fluid from
one object to another.
5. 1785: Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
- Quantified electric charge using the
torsion balance, establishing Coulomb’s
law:

The force between two charges is directly

proportional to the product of their
magnitudes and inversely proportional to
Electrostatic Interactions the square of the distance between them.

This provided a foundation for the quantitative

study of electric charge.

6. 1820s-1830s: André-Marie Ampère and

Michael Faraday

Ampère explored the relationship between

electric currents and magnetic fields.

Faraday demonstrated that electric charges

could induce currents, laying the groundwork
for electromagnetism.
Discovery of Electric Charge
7. 1874: George Johnstone Stoney
1. Thales of Miletus: 600 BCE
Introduced the term electron to describe the
- Ancient Greeks observed that rubbing
fundamental unit of electric charge.
amber (elektron in Greek) with fur
attracted lightweight objects like 8. 1897: J.J. Thomson
feathers and straw. Discovered the electron, identifying it as a
- The Greek name for amber is carrier of negative charge.
“elektron” which is the origin of all Showed that electricity is linked to the
such words: electricity, electric force, motion of electrons in conductors.
electric charge and electron. 9. Early 1900s: Robert Millikan
2. 1600: William Gilbert
- Coined the term electricus to describe Conducted the oil-drop experiment to measure
the property of attracting small the elementary charge of an electron,
objects after being rubbed. confirming that electric charge is quantized.
- Conducted experiments distinguishing
magnetic and electric forces. Electric Charge
3. 1700s: Charles du Fay

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
 GENPHY2 (General Physics 2)
2nd Semester | 2024-2025 | Ella Valdevieso Quimsing | STEM 12 Chadwick
 Like energy and momentum, electric There are three common ways for a neutral
charge is a conserved quantity: object to become charged.

Charge cannot be created or a) Friction

destroyed,  When two different materials are rubbed
together, electrons are transferred from
but it can be transferred between one object to the other due to
objects. differences in their ability to hold onto
 Charged objects exert electric forces electrons (based on their positions in the
on each other: triboelectric series).
 Result: One object becomes negatively
Opposite charges attract; charged (gains electrons), and the other
becomes positively charged (loses
Like charges repel.
electrons).
Units for Electric Charge
Electron Affinity
The symbol for electric charge is usually a “q”.
 The amount of energy released (or
The elementary charge unit (e) is equal to the absorbed) when a neutral atom in the
charge of a single proton or electron: gaseous state gains an electron to form a
negatively charged ion (anion). It reflects an
qproton = +1e
atom's tendency to attract and accept
qelectron = –1e Triboelectric Series
The elementary charge unit is not the standard electrons.
SI unit.  A list of materials ranked according to their
tendency to gain or lose electrons during
The SI system uses the Coulomb (C) as the
contact or friction with other materials. It
standard unit of charge.
explains how objects become electrically
 What is a Coulomb? charged through frictional charging.

Coulomb (C) - the standard unit of Examples of the Triboelectric Series:

electric charge in the International High Tendency to Lose Electrons
System of Units (SI). (Positive):
It represents the total amount of electric 1) Fur
charge carried by a specific number of 2) Glass
3) Wool

Intermediate:

1) Cotton
2) Paper
electrons. High Tendency to Gain Electrons
(Negative)

1) Rubber
2) Plastic
3) Teflon

b) Conduction
 A charged object comes into direct
contact with a neutral object.

Electrons are transferred from the charged

object to the neutral object or vice versa,
depending on the charge.

Result: The neutral object acquires the

same type of charge as the charged object.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
 GENPHY2 (General Physics 2)
2nd Semester | 2024-2025 | Ella Valdevieso Quimsing | STEM 12 Chadwick
c) Induction What happens to the force when we decrease
 A charged object is brought close to their distance?
(but does not touch) a neutral
conductor.
 The presence of the charged object
causes electrons in the neutral
conductor to rearrange:

a. If the charged object is negative,

electrons in the neutral object are
Coulomb’s Law
repelled, leaving one side
positively charged.  The magnitude of the electric force between
two point charges is directly proportional to
b. If the charged object is positive,
the product of the charges and inversely
electrons are attracted to it,
proportional to the square of the distance
making one side negatively
between them.
charged.

Result: The neutral object develops an

opposite charge on the side closest to the
charged object and a similar charge on the far
side. The object can be permanently charged if Practice problem:
grounded during the process.
Problem 1.

Two point charges, q1 = +5 C and q2 = -3 C, are

separated by a distance r = 30 000 m. Find the
magnitude of the electric force that q1 exerts to
q2. Predict whether it will be attractive or
repulsive.

Problem 2.

Two charged spheres are hanging from two

planes by an insulating string. One of the
spheres has a charge of 6 C, and the other has
a charge of -12 C. When the two planes are at a
Coulomb’s Law distance of 50 000 m, calculate the force that
each sphere exerts on the other. Assume that
the only force that acts on the spheres is the
electrostatic force.
What are the factors that affect the forces
between two charges? Problem 3.
Suppose two charges exert force to one Two equally charged spheres exert 12 N to each
another. other. If they are separated by a distance of 12
m, calculate the charge on either sphere.

Problem 4.

Two spheres, one is charged twice as much as

How do we quantify
the other, are separated with a distance of 6 m.
the force?
At this distance, they exert 20 N to each other.
Calculate the charge of each sphere.

 Electric Field
7i8
What happens to the force when we increase How lightning is produced
their distance?
 Lightning happens when opposite
charges build up: within a cloud,
between clouds, or between a cloud and
the ground. Clouds often become
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
 GENPHY2 (General Physics 2)
2nd Semester | 2024-2025 | Ella Valdevieso Quimsing | STEM 12 Chadwick
negatively charged, which pulls positive
charges to the surface of the ground.
This strong attraction between the
charges causes a sudden discharge of
energy—lightning—even though the
cloud and ground never touch.

How do charges affect each other when  A charged particle produces an electric field around
they are not in contact?
it. Thus, another charged particle reacts to it by
Field forces are forces that act between
experiencing an electric force. A charge produces
objects even if they are not in contact.
an electric field in its surroundings, but this electric
1. Electrostatic (Coulombic) force
field cannot exert a net force on the charge that
2. Gravitational force created it.
Electric field How are electric force and electric field related to each
is defined as the amount of electric force on a other?
charged body exerted by external charged  In general, we can formally define the electric field
bodies.
at a point P as the electric force (Fe) acting on a
positive test charge (q0) placed at that point per unit
charge.

 Electric field is a way on how charges

communicate to one another.

 Consider two charged particles A and B, Since electric force is a vector quantity, we can already
where A is much bigger than B. deduce that electric field is also a vector quantity. It has an
SI unit of newton per coulomb (N/C).
 Electric Field and Electric Force
Recall Coulomb’s law:

 Because A and B are both charged, they

then affect one another. Their interaction
is described as repulsion. - If we let q1 as the external charge q and q2 as our
test charge q0, we have
 What happens when you remove
charged particle B?

- Then, we can further rewrite the equation for

electric field as

 Point P still experiences the force exerted by A,

mainly because A always exerts its electric field. - The inverse-square law is still applicable to the
 electric field equation.
 The presence of electric field around A can be Practice Problem:
proven by adding a test charge q0 at position P. Problem 1.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
 GENPHY2 (General Physics 2)
2nd Semester | 2024-2025 | Ella Valdevieso Quimsing | STEM 12 Chadwick
What is the magnitude of the field at 2 m from a 2.0 nC
charge?
Problem 2.
Compute the electric field 5 m away from a particle with a
charge of 2 nC.
Problem 3.
How far from a 2 mC charge is a point where the electric
field has a value of 4 N/C?
 Drawing Electric Field Lines

Single Isolated Charges

Three Basic Rules in Drawing Electric Field Lines
Draw rays depending on the charge that is being illustrated.
1. Field lines emanate from the positive charge and
For a positive charge, the field lines should be directed
terminate to the negative charges.
away from the charge.
2. Field lines do not intersect at one point. Field lines
only meet if the force between the charges is
Single Isolated Charges
attractive.
Draw rays depending on the charge that is being illustrated.
3. The density of the lines (number of lines per space)
For a negative charge, on the other hand, the field lines will
represents the strength of the field.
be directed towards it.

A. Dipoles
Case 1: Attractive (positive charge and negative charge)

B. Dipoles
Case 2: Repulsive (positive charges)

C. Dipoles
Case 3: Repulsive (negative charges)

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.