Senior High School

NOT

General Physics 2
Quarter 3 Module 1
Electric Charge and Electric Field
 Table of Contents

What This Module is About ....................................................................................................................... i

What I Need to Know .................................................................................................................................. i
How to Learn from this Module............................................................................................................... ii
Icons of this Module ................................................................................................................................... ii

What I Know ................................................................................................................................................iii

THIRD QUARTER
Lesson 1: Electric Charge
What Is It: Law of Charges ......................................................................................... 1
What Is It: Conductors and Insulators ..................................................................... 2
What Is It: Types of Charging .................................................................................... 3
What I Have Learned ................................................................................................... 4
What I can do .................................................................................................................. 5

Lesson 2:
What Is It: ....................................................................................... 6
What I Have Learned: ............................................................................................... 8

Lesson 3: Electric Forces and Electric Field

What Is It: Electric Forces and Electric Field ...................................................... 10
What I Have Learned: ............................................................................................... 14

Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 15
Assessment: (Post-Test) ...................................................................................................................... 16
Key to Answers......................................................................................................................................... 17
References................................................................................................................................................. 18
 What I Know
.

Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the best answer among the given choices.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about electric charge?

A) It can be lost. B) It is created from a chemical reaction.
C) It can be destroyed. D) It can be transferred from atom to atom.

2. Which of the following is the least effective conductor?

A) nickel B) iron C) oil D) mercury

3. Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Electric field lines never intersect.
B) The electric field lines produced by a positive charge are directed radially outward.
C) The electric field lines produced by a negative charge are directed radially inward.
D) A static charge never produces an electric field.

4. What is the direction of the electric field at the test point on the -x-axis, 50 cm from the
charge q = -5.00 nC which is located at the origin?
A) eastward B) westward C) northward D) southward

5. An electron traveling horizontally from North to South enters a region where a uniform
electric field is directed downward. What is the direction of the electric force exerted on the
electron once it has entered the field?
A) downward B) upward C) to the east D) to the west

6. The electric field has a magnitude of 3.0 N/C at a distance of 60 cm from a point charge.
What is the charge?
A) 1.4 nC B) 120 pC C) 36 mC D) 12 mC

7. What is the electric field strength at a point 50 cm from a charge q = + 5.00 nC?
A) 180 N/C B) 360 N/C C) 540 N/C D) 720 N/C

8. A 1.65 nC charge with a mass of 1.5 x 10-15 kg experiences an acceleration of 6.33 x 107
m/s2 in an electric field. What is the magnitude of the electric field?
A) 14.95 N/C B) 29.35 N/C C) 57.55 N/C D) 2.67 x 10-19 N/C

9. Three point charges are located on the x-axis. The first charge, q1 = +10 µC, is at x = -1.0
m. The second charge, q2 = +20 µC, is at the origin. The third charge, q3 = - 30 µC, is
located at x = +2.0 m. What is the net force on q2?
A) 6.3 N to the negative x-direction B) 3.15 N to the positive x- direction
C) 1.50 N to the negative x- direction D) 4.80 N to the positive x- direction

10. What is the magnitude of the net electric field at (+1.0 m, 0) due to the three charges in
number 9?
A) 198, 256 N/C B) 297, 348 N/C C) 395, 425 N/C D) 472, 500 N/C

iii
 Lesson

1 Electric Charge

What is it

The term electricity came from the Greek work elektron, or amber. It is given the name
electricity by Sir Wilhelm Gilbert because amber had been the first substance known by the
ancients to exhibit electrification by rubbing. A plastic comb rubbed with a piece of fur can
attract little bits of paper. This ability to attract resembles that of a magnet. However, the
attraction of magnets is limited to objects made of iron, while amber attracts all substances.
This attractive force is known as electrostatic force.

1.1 LAW OF CHARGES

Atoms have electric charges inside them. In the center of each atom is the nucleus.
This is made up of protons (carriers of positive charges) and neutrons (uncharged particles).
In the outer part of the atom are found the orbiting electrons (carriers of negative charges).
The most precise value of the mass of proton is 1.67262171(29) x 10-27 kg, while that of the
electron is 9.1093826(16) x 10-31 kg. The most precise value of the mass of neutron is
1.67492728(29) x 10-27 kg. The most precise value of the magnitude of the charge of an
electron or a proton, which is denoted by e, is 1.60217653(14) x 10-19 Coulomb, C. The
numbers in parentheses are the uncertainties in the last two digits. Note that the masses of
the proton and neutron are nearly equal and are roughly 2000 times the mass of the electron.
Over 99.9% of the mass of any atom is concentrated in its nucleus. Normally, atoms have zero
net charge. They are electrically neutral because they have an equal number of protons and
electrons. But electrons do not always stay in the atoms, instead they can be removed by
rubbing.

When a plastic comb is rubbed with fur and held near a pith ball, the pith ball is attracted
to the comb. The pith ball swings away from the comb after touching the comb. If a glass rod
rubbed with silk is brought near the pith ball, it will react just as it did with the comb. It was
contended that something, a charge, had been added to the comb or the rod to attract the pith
ball. This charge is called an electric charge.

The experiments described above and many others like them have shown that there
are exactly two kinds of electric charges: the kind on the plastic comb rubbed with fur and the
kind on the glass rod rubbed with silk. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) suggested calling these
two kinds of charge negative and positive, respectively, and these names are still used. The
plastic rod and the silk have negative charge; the glass rod and the fur have positive charge.

Two positive charges or two negative charges repel each other. A positive charge and
a negative charge attract each other.

1
 The above statement is the same as saying,

Figure 1.1 Experiments in electrostatics. (a) Negatively charged objects repel each other. (b)
Positively charged objects repel each other. (c) Positively charged objects and negatively charged
objects attract each other.

1.1.1 Electric Charge is Conserved

Contained in the previous discussion are two very important principles. First is the
principle of conservation of charge:

If we rub together a plastic rod and a piece of fur, both initially uncharged, the rod
acquires a negative charge (since it takes electrons from the fur) and the fur acquires a positive
charge of the same magnitude (since it has lost as many electrons as the rod has gained).
Hence the total electric charge on the two bodies together does not change. In any charging
process, charge is not created nor destroyed; it is merely transferred from one body to
another.

The second principle is:

Every observable amount of electric charge is always an integer multiple of this basic
unit. We say that charge is quantized. A familiar example of quantization is money. When you
pay cash for an item in a store, you have to do it in one-cent increments. Cash cannot be
divided into amounts smaller than one cent, and electric charge cannot be divided into
amounts smaller than the charge of one electron or proton.

1.2 CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS

Electric charges are more easily moved in some materials. This characteristic led to
the classification of materials into two groups conductors and insulators. Materials whose

2
electric charges are free to move within are called conductors. In some materials, electric
charges are not free to move within. Such materials are called insulators.

Most metals are good conductors, while most nonmetals are insulators. Within a solid
metal such as copper, one or more outer electrons in each atom become detached and can
move freely throughout the material. The motion of these negatively charged electrons carries
charge through the metal. The other electrons remain bound to the positively charged nuclei,
which themselves are bound in nearly fixed positions within the material. In an insulator there
are no, or very few, free electrons, and electric charge cannot move freely through the
material. Some materials called semiconductors are intermediate in their properties between
good conductors and good insulators. Certain materials known as superconductors become
perfect conductors at very low temperatures.

1.3 TYPES OF CHARGING

1.3.1 Charging by Conduction

Conductors can be charged by conduction. Conduction is the transfer of electrons from

a charged object to another object by direct contact. In the conduction process, a body with
one type of charge produces the same type of charge on a conductor.

Figure 1.2 Copper is a good conductor of electricity; nylon is a good insulator. (a) The copper wire
conducts charge between the metal ball and the charged plastic rod to charge the ball negatively.
Afterward, the metal ball is (b) repelled by a negatively charged plastic rod and (c) attracted to a
positively charged glass rod.

1.3.2 Charging by Induction

There is a different technique in which the plastic rod can give another body a charge
of opposite sign without losing any of its own charge. This process is called charging by
induction. Induction is the movement of electrons to one part of an object by the electric field
of another object. In the induction process, the opposite type of charge is produced.

Figure 1.3 shows an example of charging by induction. An uncharged metal ball is

supported on an insulating stand. When you bring a negatively charged rod near it, without
actually touching it, the free electrons in the metal ball are repelled by the excess electrons on
the rod, and they shift toward the right, away from the rod. They cannot escape from the ball
because the supporting stand and the surrounding air are insulators. So, we get excess
negative charge at the right surface of the ball and a deficiency of negative charge (that is, a
net positive charge) at the left surface. These excess charges are called induced charges.

3
 Not all of the free electrons move to the right surface of the ball. As soon as any
induced charge develops, it exerts forces toward the left on the other free electrons. These
electrons are repelled by the negative induced on the right and attracted toward the positive
induced charge on the left. The system reaches an equilibrium state in which the force toward
the right on an electron, due to the charged rod, is just balanced by the force toward the left
due to the induced charge. If we remove the charged rod, the free electrons shift back to the
left, and the original neutral condition is restored.

Figure 1.3 Charging by induction

Electrostatic charging can be dangerous, but it can be beneficial in a variety of practical

applications. Paper and clothes often stick together because of static cling, and an
electrostatic discharge can start a fire or cause an explosion in the presence of a flammable
gas. On the other hand, some practical applications of electrostatic charging include the
electrostatic dust precipitators, attracting droplets of sprayed paint to a car body and attracting
toner particles to charged regions of the imaging drum in a copying machine.

What I Have Learned

Instruction: Answer the following questions. Write your answer in a clean sheet of intermediate
or yellow paper.

1. What will be your charge if you scrape electrons from your feet while scuffing across
the rug?

2. How do particles with the same charge react?

3. What are the two ways of charging? Briefly explain each way.

4. Why does a rubbed inflated balloon when brought near your arm, but not touching it,
causes the hairs on your arm to raise?

4
 What I can do

Deflecting water
Instructions:

1. Rub a comb vigorously with a piece of cloth (using it to comb your hair repeatedly would
also do).

2. Bring it close to, but not touching, a vertical unbroken thin stream of water (a laminar
flow).

3. Observe what happens. Write your observation/s and the answer to the following
questions in your activity notebook.

Questions:

1. What causes the stream of water to deflect (bend)?

2. Why would humid conditions help in the loss of charge?

5
 Lesson

2
What is it

Matter is made up of atoms containing

electrically charged particles. Many properties
of matter result from the electrical forces of
attraction and repulsion among the particles.
Among these properties are the formation of
molecules, cohesion, and adhesion.

In 1784, Charles Agustin de Coulomb

(1736-1806), a French physicist, discovered
the nature of these electrical forces exerted by
bodies upon one another. He used a torsion
balance similar to the one used 13 years later
by Cavendish to study the much weaker
gravitational interaction. For point charges,
charged bodies that are very small in
comparison with the distance r between them,
Coulomb found that the electric force is
proportional to 1/r2. That is, when the distance
is doubled, the force decreases to ¼ of its
initial value; when the distance is halved, the force increases to four times its initial value.

The electric force

between two point charges also
depends on the quantity of
charge on each body, which we
will denote by q or Q. In his
experiment, Coulomb found that
the forces that two point charges
q1 and q2 exert on each other are
proportional to each charge and
therefore are proportional to the
product q1q2 of the two charges.
Thus, Coulomb established what
we now call the
which states that:

charges is directly
proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of

6
 In mathematical terms, the magnitude F of the force that each of two point charges q1
and q2 a distance r apart exerts on the other can be expressed as

Eqn. 1.2.1

where k is a proportionality constant whose numerical value depends on the system of units
used. The approximate value of k is 9.0 x 109 2/C2. The constant
0 has a value of 8.854
x 10 C
-12 2 2. The absolute value bars are used in Eqn. 2.1 because the charges q1 and q2
can either be positive or negative, while the force magnitude F is always positive.
The direction of the forces the two charges exert on each other are always along the
line joining them. When the charges have the same sign, either both positive or both negative,
the forces are repulsive; when the charges have opposite signs, the forces are attractive. The

direction, even when the charges are not equal in magnitude.

Sample Problems:

1. Two charges are on the x-axis. Charge q1 = +25 nC is at x = 4.00 cm while charge
q2 = -75nC is at x = 7.00 cm. Find the magnitude and direction of
a) the electric force that q1 exerts on q2; and
b) the electric force the q2 exerts on q1.

Illustration: +q1 -q2

0 4 cm 7 cm

Solution:

Free-body diagram:

q2 q1

Since the two charges have opposite signs, the force is attractive. Charge q1 will tend to pull
q2 towards its location and, simultaneously, charge q2 will tend to pull q1 towards its location.

a) = = (9.0 , westward

b) force so,
= 0.019 N, eastward

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2. Three charges and their specific locations are given as
follows:
q1 = - 20 nC; (0, 2.00 cm)
q2 = + 30 nC; (-1.00 cm, 4.00 cm)
q3 = + 10 nC; (-3.00 cm, 0 cm)
Determine the magnitude and direction of the net force on
q3 using component method.

Solution:

Free-body diagram:

x-component y-component
F1on3x = +F1on3 cos F1on3y = +F1on3 sin
= +k {|q1q3|/(r13)2} = +k {|q1q3|/(r13)2}
= +1.16 x 10-3 N = +7.70 x 10-4 N
F2on3x = -F2on3 sin F2on3y = -F2on3 sin
= -k {|q2q3|/(r23)2} sin = -k {|q2q3|/(r23)2} cos
= -5.96 x 10-4 N = -1.19 x 10-3 N
Fnetx = F1on3x + F2on3x Fnety = F1on3y + F2on3y
= +5.64 x 10-4 N = -4.20 x 10-4 N

The magnitude of the net force is:

The direction of the net force is:

8
 What I Have Learned

Instruction: Solve the following problems completely and neatly. Write your solution in a clean
sheet of intermediate or yellow paper.

1. Three point charges are arranged on a line. Charge q 3 = +5.00 nC and is at the origin.
Charge q2 = -3.00 nC and is at x = +4.00 cm. Charge q1 is at x = +2.00 cm. What is q1
(magnitude and sign) if the net force on q3 is zero?

2. Two point charges are placed as follows: charge q1 = -1.50 nC is at y = +6.00 m and charge
q2 = +3.20 nC is at the origin. What is the total force (magnitude and direction) exerted by
these two charges on a negative point charge q3 = -5.00 nC located at (2.00 m, -4.00 m)?

9
 Lesson

3 Electric Forces and Electric Field

What is it

When two electrically charged particles in empty space interact, how does each one
know the other is there? What goes on in the space between them to communicate the effect
of each one to the other? We can begin to answer these questions, and at the same time
electric field.

Electric Field

Whenever you have a source charge q1 placed anywhere in space, it will be

surrounded by a region such that if you will put any other charge q2 at any field point P in this
region, charge q2 will be acted upon by an electric force, Fe. We call this region around q1 the
electric field of q1. The strength of this field is operationally defined as the ratio of the electric
force Fe to the charge q2 placed at that point in the field. The magnitude of the electric field is

Eqn. 1.3.1

The electric force is a vector quantity and so is the electric field. The direction of the electric
field is along the line connecting the field point P and the source charge q1. The field lines
produced by positive charges are directed radially outward while that of negative charges are
directed radially inward.

10
Note that Fe is actually the electric force between the interacting charges q 1 and q2.
Incorporating Eqn. 1.2.1 to Eqn. 1.3.1 we will have

In general, the magnitude of the electric field is

Eqn. 1.3.2

where q is the source charge (source of the electric field) and r is the distance between the
source charge and any field point P surrounding it.

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Sample Problems:

1. A positive charge of 10-8 coulombs (C) experiences a force of 0.25 N when located at a
certain point in an electric field. Find the intensity (magnitude) of the electric field at that
point.

Solution:

Using Eqn. 1.3.1 we have,

2. A positive charge, q = +20 nC, is on the y-axis at y = +4.00 cm. (a) Determine the magnitude
and direction of the electric field at the origin. (b) What will be the magnitude and direction
of the electric field at the origin if the charge is -20 nC?

Solution:

(a)

The charge is positive so the electric field lines are directed radially outward. At the origin, the
field line extends downward so the direction of the electric field is southward.

The magnitude of the electric field is given by Eqn. 1.3.2.

(b) If the charge is -20 nC, the field lines are directed radially inward towards the charge. So,
the electric field line at the origin will be directed upward (northward). The magnitude of
the electric field has the same value as when the charge is positive.

12
3. Three charges and their specific locations are given as follows:
q1 = - 20 nC; (0, 2.00 cm)
q2 = + 30 nC; (-1.00 cm, 4.00 cm)
q3 = + 10 nC; (-3.00 cm, 0 cm)
Determine the magnitude and direction of the net electric field at the field point P (2.00 cm,
0) using component method.

Illustration:

x-component y-component
E1x = - E1 E1y = + E1
= - 162,345.94 N/C = + 162,345.94 N/C
E2x = + E2 cos E2y = - E2
= + 64,800.15 N/C = - 86,399.88 N/C
E3x = + E3 E3y = 0
= + 36,000.00 N/C
Enetx = - 61,545.79 N/C Enety = + 75,946.06 N/C

The magnitude of the electric field is:

The direction of the electric field is:

13
 What I Have Learned

1. A particle has charge -3.00nC.

a) Find the magnitude and direction of the electric field due to this particle at a point 0.250m
directly above it.

b) At what distance from this particle does its electric field have a magnitude of 12.0 N/C?

2. Point charge q1 = -5.00 nC at the origin and point charge q2 = +3.00 nC is on the x-axis at x
= 3.00 cm. Point P is on the y-axis at y = 4.00 cm.
a) Calculate the electric fields and at point P due to the charges q1 and q2. Express
your results in terms of unit vectors.

b) Use the results of part (a) to obtain the resultant field at P, expressed in unit vector form.

3. A +2.00 nC point charge is at the origin, and a second -5.00 nC point charge is on the x-
axis at x = 0.800 m.
a) Find the electric field (magnitude and direction) at each of the following points on the x-
axis: i) x = 0.200 m; ii) x = 1.20 m; iii) x = -0.200 m.

b) Find the net electric force that the two charges would exert on the electron placed at
each point in part (a).

14
Summary

The fundamental entity in electrostatics is electric charge.

Charge cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transferred from one body to another
by friction or rubbing.

There are two ways of charging an object. It can be through direct contact, which is called
conduction. Another way of charging does not need direct contact and we call it charging by
means of induction.

There are two kinds of charges positive and negative.

Like charges repel while unlike charges attract.

Materials that permit electric charge to move within them are called conductors while those
that do not are called insulators. Most metals are good conductors while most nonmetals are
good insulators.

ns the interaction of charges. The electrostatic force between charges q1

and q2 is directly proportional to the magnitude of the product of the charges and inversely
proportional to the square of the separation distance between them. The direction of the force
is always along the line connecting the charges. If the charges are both positive or both
negative the force is repulsive; if the charges have opposite signs, the force is attractive. The

The strength of the field at a particular point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the
charge producing the field and inversely proportional to square of the distance between the
field point and the location of the charge. The closer is the field point from the source charge,
the stronger is the field strength.

15
 Assessment: (Post-Test)

Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the best answer from among the given choices.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about electric charge?

A) It can be lost. B) It is created from a chemical reaction.
C) It can be destroyed. D) It can be transferred from atom to atom.

2. Which of the following is the most effective conductor?

A) iron B) water C) oil D) wood

3. Which of the following is FALSE?

A) Electric field lines never intersect.
B) The electric field lines produced by a positive charge are directed radially outward.
C) The electric field lines produced by a negative charge are directed radially inward.
D) A static charge never produces an electric field.

4. What is the direction of the electric field at the test point on the -x-axis, 50 cm from the
charge q = +5.00 nC which is located at the origin?
A) eastward B) westward C) northward D) southward

5. An electron traveling horizontally from North to South enters a region where a uniform
electric field is directed downward. What is the direction of the electric force exerted on the
electron once it has entered the field?
A) downward B) upward C) to the east D) to the west

6. The electric field has a magnitude of 3.0 N/C at a distance of 30 cm from a point charge.
What is the charge?
A) 1.4 nC B) 30 pC C) 36 mC D) 12 mC

7. What is the electric field strength at a point 50 cm from a charge q = + 5.00 nC?
A) 180 N/C B) 360 N/C C) 540 N/C D) 720 N/C

8. A 1.65 nC charge with a mass of 1.5 x 10-15 kg experiences an acceleration of 6.33 x 107
m/s2 in an electric field. What is the magnitude of the electric field?
A) 14.95 N/C B) 29.35 N/C C) 57.55 N/C D) 2.67 x 10-19 N/C

9. Three point charges are located on the x-axis. The first charge, q1 = +10 µC, is at x = -1.0
m. The second charge, q2 = +20 µC, is at the origin. The third charge, q3 = - 30 µC, is
located at x = +2.0 m. What is the net force on q2?
A) 6.3 N to the negative x-direction B) 1.50 N to the negative x- direction
C) 3.15 N to the positive x- direction D) 4.80 N to the positive x- direction

10. What is the magnitude of the net electric field at (+1.0 m, 0) due to the three charges in
number 9?
A) 198, 256 N/C B) 297, 348 N/C C) 472,500 N/C D) 655, 490 N/C

16
 Key to Answers

Pre-Test

1A 6B
2C 7A
3D 8C
4A 9B
5B 10 D

Post-Test

1A 6B
2A 7A
3D 8C
4B 9C
5B 10 C

17
References:

Canva. Accessed December 24, 2020. https://www.canva.com/education

Practical and Explorational Physics by Alicia L. Padua and Ricardo M. Crisostomo, pp. 245-256
University Physics with Modern Physics Technology Update by Hugh
D. Young and Roger A. Freedman, 13th edition, pp. 709-734
The Basics of Physics by Arsenia V. Ferrer and Julieta dela Peña, pp. 288-298

18
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19
•Coulomb's Law is a fundamental
principle of electrostatics that
describes the force between two
electrically charged particles.
The law is named after Charles-
Augustin de Coulomb, a French
physicist who first published his
findings in 1785.
In 1784, Charles Agustin de Coulomb (1736-1806), a
French physicist, discovered the nature of these
electrical forces exerted by bodies upon one another.
•The law states that the force of
attraction or repulsion between two
point charges is directly
proportional to the product of their
charges and inversely proportional
to the square of the distance
between them.
• Coulomb's constant has a value of
approximately 9 × 10^9 Nm^2/C^2 in
vacuum. The force between two charges is
attractive if the charges are of opposite sign,
and repulsive if the charges are of the same
sign.
• The law applies to any two charged particles,
regardless of their size or mass. It is valid for
both point charges and charged objects with
finite dimensions. However, it is important to
note that the law assumes that the charges
are stationary and that they are not affected
by any external forces.
• Coulomb's Law is an important concept in
physics and is used to explain many
phenomena in the natural world, including
the behavior of electrically charged particles
in electric circuits and the formation of
lightning bolts during thunderstorms. It is
also used in various fields of science and
engineering, such as in the design of
electrical devices, the study of the properties
of materials, and the analysis of biological
processes.
COULOMB’S LAW
• In conclusion, Coulomb's Law is a fundamental
principle of electrostatics that describes the force
between two electrically charged particles. It is
expressed mathematically as F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2,
where F is the electrostatic force, q1 and q2 are the
magnitudes of the charges, r is the distance
between them, and k is Coulomb's constant. The
law is widely used in physics, engineering, and
other fields of science to explain and predict the
behavior of charged particles.
Example 1:
Two point charges, q1 = 4 nC and q2 = 6 nC, are
separated by a distance of 10 cm in air. Calculate
the electrostatic force between the charges.
• Solution:
• Step 1: Write down the formula for Coulomb's
Law: F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2
• Step 2: Plug in the given values: F = (9 × 10^9
Nm^2/C^2) * (4 × 10^-9 C) * (6 × 10^-9 C) / (0.1
m)^2
• Step 3: Simplify the equation: F = 0.0000216 N
or 2.16 x 10^-5 N
Therefore, the electrostatic force between the
two charges is 0.0000216 N.
Example 2:
Two point charges, q1 = -2 μC and q2 = 5 μC, are
separated by a distance of 20 cm in a vacuum.
Calculate the electrostatic force between the
charges.
Solution:
• Step 1: Write down the formula for Coulomb's Law:
F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2
• Step 2: Plug in the given values: F = (9 × 10^9
Nm^2/C^2) * (-2 × 10^-6 C) * (5 × 10^-6 C) / (0.20
m)^2
• Step 3: Simplify the equation: F = -2.25 N
• Therefore, the electrostatic force between the two
charges is -2.25 N.
Two charges are on the x-axis. Charge q1 = +25 nC is
at x = 4.00 cm while charge q2 = -75 nC is at x = 7.00
cm. Find the magnitude and direction of:
a. The electric force that q1 exerts on q2; and
b. The electric force that q2 exerts on q1
Problem involving 3 charges. (in one dimension)

A 5.0 µC charge is placed at the origin and a -3.0 µC

charge is placed 3.0 m to the right. A third (-8.0 µC)
charge is place on the x-axis 2.0 m to the left of the
first charge. What is the force on the second charge
due to the presence of the two charges.
Problem involving 3 charges. (in two dimension)

A 5.0 µC charge is placed at the origin and a -3.0 µC

charge is placed 3.0 m to the right. A third (-8.0 µC)
charge is place on the y-axis 4.0 m above the first
charge. What is the force on the second charge due
to the presence of the two charges.
GENERAL PHYSICS 2
ELECTRIC CHARGE
 ELECTRIC CHARGE
The term electricity came from the Greek work
elektron, or amber. It is given the name electricity by
Sir Wilhelm Gilbert because amber had been the first
substance known by the ancients to exhibit
electrification by rubbing. A plastic comb rubbed with
a piece of fur can attract little bits of paper. This
ability to attract resembles that of a magnet.
However, the attraction of magnets is limited to
objects made of iron, while amber attracts all
substances. This attractive force is known as
electrostatic force.
ELECTRIC CHARGE
• Electric charge is a fundamental property of
matter, and it is responsible for the electrical
phenomena we observe around us.
Law of Charges

• Atoms have electric charges inside them. In

the center of each atom is the nucleus.
• This is made up of protons (carriers of
positive charges) and neutrons (uncharged
particles).
• In the outer part of the atom are found the
orbiting electrons (carriers of negative
charges).
(An atom is the basic unit of matter that makes up everything around us, including living and non-living things.)
Law of Charges

• The most precise value of the mass of proton

is 1.67262171(29) x 10-27 kg, while that of
the electron is 9.1093826 x 10-31 kg. The
most precise value of the mass of neutron is
1.67492728 x 10-27 kg. The most precise
value of the magnitude of the charge of an
electron or a proton, which is denoted by e,
is 1.60217653 x 10-19 Coulomb, C.
Law of Charges

• Note that the masses of the proton and

neutron are nearly equal and are roughly
2000 times the mass of the electron.
• Over 99.9% of the mass of any atom is
concentrated in its nucleus. Normally, atoms
have zero net charge. They are electrically
neutral because they have an equal number
of protons and electrons. But electrons do
not always stay in the atoms, instead they
can be removed by rubbing.
Law of Charges

When a plastic comb is rubbed with fur and held near

a pith ball, the pith ball is attracted to the comb. The
pith ball swings away from the comb after touching
the comb. If a glass rod rubbed with silk is brought
near the pith ball, it will react just as it did with the
comb. It was contended that something, a charge,
had been added to the comb or the rod to attract the
pith ball. This charge is called an electric charge.
Law of Charges

The experiments described above and many others

like them have shown that there are exactly two
kinds of electric charges: the kind on the plastic comb
rubbed with fur and the kind on the glass rod rubbed
with silk. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) suggested
calling these two kinds of charge negative and
positive, respectively, and these names are still used.
The plastic rod and the silk have negative charge; the
glass rod and the fur have positive charge.
Law of Charges
• The law of charges states that like charges repel
each other, while opposite charges attract each
other.
• This means that two positively charged objects will
push each other away, and two negatively charged
objects will also push each other away. But a
positively charged object will be attracted to a
negatively charged object, and vice versa.
• “like charges repel while unlike charges attract”
Law of Charges
Conservation of Charges
If we rub together a plastic rod and a piece of fur,
both initially uncharged, the rod acquires a negative
charge (since it takes electrons from the fur) and the
fur acquires a positive charge of the same magnitude
(since it has lost as many electrons as the rod has
gained). Hence the total electric charge on the two
bodies together does not change. In any charging
process, charge is not created nor destroyed; it is
merely transferred from one body to another.

“The algebraic sum of all electric charges in any closed system

is constant.”
Conservation of Charges
Every observable amount of electric charge is always
an integer multiple of this basic unit. We say that
charge is quantized. A familiar example of
quantization is money. When you pay cash for an
item in a store, you have to do it in one-cent
increments. Cash cannot be divided into amounts
smaller than one cent, and electric charge cannot be
divided into amounts smaller than the charge of one
electron or proton.
“The magnitude of charge of the electron or proton is a
natural unit of charge.”
CONDUCTOR or INSULATOR
1.Copper wire • Conductor
2.Glass • Insulator
3.Aluminum foil • Conductor
4.Rubber • Insulator
5.Silver spoon • Conductor
6.Plastic • Insulator
7.Iron nail • Conductor
8.Styrofoam • Insulator
9.Gold ring • Conductor
10.Paper clip • Conductor
Conductors and Insulators
• Not all materials conduct electricity equally
well. Some materials, like metals, allow
electrons to move through them freely and are
called conductors.
• Other materials, like rubber or plastic, don't
allow electrons to move as easily and are called
insulators.
• Conductors are often used in electrical circuits
to carry current, while insulators are used to
protect people from coming into contact with
electrical charges.
Types of Charging
• There are two types of charging: static and
dynamic.
• Static charging occurs when two objects come into
contact and exchange electrons. One object
becomes positively charged, while the other
becomes negatively charged.
• Dynamic charging occurs when electrons are
transferred between objects without direct contact.
This can happen through processes like induction
or friction. An example of dynamic charging is when
you rub a balloon against your hair and it sticks to a
wall.
POST TEST
1. Which of the following is a fundamental property
of matter responsible for electrical phenomena?
a) Thermal energy
b) Magnetic force
c) Electric charge
d) Gravitational pull
POST TEST
2. The law of charges states that:
a) Opposite charges attract, and like charges repel
b) Opposite charges repel, and like charges attract
c) All charges attract each other
d) All charges repel each other
POST TEST
3. Which type of material allows electrons to move
through them freely?
a) Insulators
b) Metals
c) Semiconductors
d) Plastics
POST TEST
4. Which type of material does not allow electrons to
move through them easily?
a) Insulators
b) Metals
c) Semiconductors
d) Plastics
POST TEST
5. Which of the following is an example of static
charging?
a) Lightning
b) Electric shock
c) Charging a battery
d) Rubbing a balloon on your hair
POST TEST
6. Which of the following is an example of dynamic
charging?
a) Touching a live wire
b) Charging a battery
c) Induction
d) None of the above
POST TEST
7. Which of the following is true of a positively
charged object and a negatively charged object?
a) They will attract each other
b) They will repel each other
c) They will remain neutral
d) It depends on their distance from each other
POST TEST
8. When two objects with different charges come
into contact, what happens?
a) They both become positively charged
b) They both become negatively charged
c) One becomes positively charged, and the other
becomes negatively charged
d) Nothing happens
POST TEST
9. What is a pith ball used for in physics
experiments?
a) To measure temperature
b) To measure mass
c) To demonstrate the behavior of electric charges
d) To generate electricity
POST TEST
10. What does an insulator do in an electrical circuit?
a) Allows current to flow freely
b) Prevents current from flowing
c) Amplifies the current
d) None of the above
*Learn More
TYPES OF CHARGING
*Charging by Conduction
*Charging by Induction
Instruction:
Answer the following questions. Write your answer in a clean
sheet of intermediate or yellow paper.

• 1. What will be your charge if you scrape electrons

from your feet while scuffing across the rug?
• 2. How do particles with the same charge react?
• 3. What are the two ways of charging? Briefly
explain each way.
• 4. Why does a rubbed inflated balloon when
brought near your arm, but not touching it, causes
the hairs on your arm to raise?
When two electrically charged particles
in empty space interact, how does each
one know the other is there? What goes
on in the space between them to
communicate the effect of each one to
the other?
Whenever you have a source charge q1 placed
ELECTRIC
anywhere FIELD
in space, it will be surrounded by a region
such that if you will put any other charge q2 at any
field point P in this region, charge q2 will be acted
upon by an electric force, Fe. We call this region
around q1 the electric field of q1. The strength of this
field is operationally defined as the ratio of the
electric force Fe to the charge q2 placed at that point
in the field.
• An electric field is a physical field that surrounds
any charged object and exerts a force on any other
charged object within its range. The electric field is
defined as the force per unit charge, and its SI unit
is volts per meter (V/m).
• The direction of the electric field is determined by
the sign of the charged object. A positive charge
produces an electric field that points away from it,
while a negative charge produces an electric field
that points towards it. The strength of the electric
field decreases as the distance from the charged
object increases.
• The magnitude of the electric field can be
calculated using Coulomb's law, which states
that the force between two charged objects
is proportional to the product of their
charges and inversely proportional to the
square of the distance between them.
• Mathematically, the
electric field is
represented by the
symbol E, and it can
be calculated using
the following
formula:
• Where E is the
electric field, F is the
force acting on the
charged object, and q
is the charge of the
object.
• The electric field is an important concept in
many areas of physics, including
electromagnetism, electrostatics, and
electric circuits. Understanding the basics of
electric fields is essential for understanding
how electric charges interact with each other
and how electric circuits function.
• In summary, the electric field is a physical
field that surrounds any charged object and
exerts a force on any other charged object
within its range. Its strength and direction
are determined by the charge and position of
the charged object.
Sample Problem 1
• A positive charge of 10-8 Coulombs (C) experiences
a force of 0.25 N when located at a certain point in
an electric field. Find the intensity (magnitude) of
the electric field at that point.

Solution:
Sample Problem 2
• A positive charge, q = +20 nC, is on the
y-axis at y = +4.00 cm. (a) Determine
the magnitude and direction of the
electric field at the origin. (b) What
will be the magnitude and direction of
the electric field at the origin if the
charge is -20 nC?
 Sample Problem 3
• Three charges and their specific
locations are given as follows:
q1 = -20 nC, (0cm, 2.00cm)
q2 = +30 nC, (-1.00cm, 4.00cm)
q3 = +10 nC, (-3.00cm, 0cm)

Determine the magnitude and the

direction of the net electric field at
the field point P(2.00cm, 0) using
component method.