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com
Electric Charges and
Fields

Electric charge

Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that describes the presence

of an excess or deficit of electrons in an object.
It is one of the basic building blocks of the electromagnetic force, one of the four
fundamental forces in nature.

There are two types of electric charge:

Positive Charge: When an object has an excess of protons (positively charged

particles) compared to the number of electrons

Negative Charge: When an object has an excess of electrons (negatively charged

particles) compared to the number of protons

Conservation of Charge
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.

Example
 Coulomb’s Law

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Coulomb’s law is a quantitative statement about the force between two point
charges

He observed that An electric force between two charged particles has the following
properties:

It is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges, |q1| and |q2|,
of the two particles.

It is attractive if the charges are of opposite sign and repulsive if the charges
have the same sign.
From these observations

The magnitude of the electric force F between charges q1 and q2 separated by a

distance r is given by

*Yaha pe k ek constant
called the Coulomb constant
jiski value
k = 8.9875 × 109 N-m2 C
-2

The constant k is often written in terms of another constant, ε0, called the
permittivity of free space. It is related to k by

*is derivation me k ki
value substitute kr di
gayi hai or
epsilon not ki value
yaad rakhna

εo isko epsilon not

kehte hai

εo=Absolute permittivity of air or free space

Remember :forces between multiple charges is given by

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yaha pe n no.
of charges hai

Principle of superposition

According to the principle of super position, total force acting on a given charge
due to number of charges is the vector sum of the individual forces acting on
that charge due to all the charges.

Consider number of charges Q1 , Q2 , Q3 ...are applying force on a charge Q

Net force on Q will be

Fnet= F1 + F2 +... Fn-1 +Fn

The magnitude of the resultant of two electric force is given by

the force direction is given by

ye formula rat lo
numericals me kaam
ata hai
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Electric field

A charge produces something called an electric field in the space around it and
this electric field exerts a force on any charge (except the source charge itself)
placed in it.

The electric field has its own existence and is present even if there is no additional
charge to experience the force.

Intensity of Electric Field

The intensity of the electric field due to a charge configuration at a point is

defined as the force acting on a unit positive charge at this point.

Hence if a charge q experiences an electric force F at a point then the intensity

of the electric field at this point is given as

E=F/q

It has S.I. units of newtons per coulomb (N/C).

Electric Field due to a Point Charge

To determine the direction of an electric field, consider a point charge q as a source

charge. This charge creates an electric field at all points in the space surrounding it.

A test charge q0 is placed at point P, a distance r from the source charge.

According to Coulomb’s law, the force exerted by q on the test charge is

F = 1 q q0
4πε0 .r 2

the position of the test charge, is defined by

E=F/q0
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*yaha pe p point
charge hai

we find that at P, the electric field created by q is

*ISME KUCH PARAMETERS KI

VALUE UPAR MENTION KI GAYI
HAI

Electric Field Lines

An electric field line is, in general, a curve drawn in such a way that the
tangent to it at each point is in the direction of the net field at that point.

Properties of Electric Field Lines

Electric field lines originate from a positive charge & terminate on a negative
charge.
The number of field lines originating/terminating on a charge is proportional to
the magnitude of the charge.

The number of Field Lines passing through perpendicular unit area will be
proportional to the magnitude of Electric Field there.
Tangent to a Field line at any point gives the direction of Electric Field at that

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point. This will be the instantaneous path charge will take if kept there.

Two or more field lines can never intersect each other

ye sari properties
Uniform field lines are straight, parallel & uniformly placed. badhiya se taiyaar
kar lena
Field lines cannot forma loop

Electric Dipole

An electric dipole is a fundamental concept in electromagnetism and is

created by the presence of two equal and opposite electric charges (or point
charges) separated by a small distance.

The dipole moment vector (p) of an electric dipole is defined as the product of
the magnitude of either charge (q) and the separation distance (d) between
the charges:

p=q*d

The SI unit of dipole moment is C-m (coulomb-metre)

Electric Field Strangth due to Electric Dipole

At Axial Position

The net electric field at P

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E1 + E→2
E=→

where E1 and E2 are fields due to +q and –q respectively

From eq. (1) and (2)

 Torque of Electric Dipole in uniform Electric Field

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Consider a dipole with charges +q and –q with a distance d away from
each other. The dipole is placed in a uniform electric field E such that the
axis of the dipole forms an angle θ with the electric field.

The force on the charges is

F = qE

The two forces form a couple and it tries to turn the dipole. The torque due
to the couple is given by

τ = either force × perpendicular distance between the forces

τ = qE × (2a sin θ)

τ = (2aq) E sin θ

τ = pE sin θ
isko badhiya se rat lo..
τ=p×E isse ques aate hai

Ques : An electric dipole of magnitude 0.5 C m is placed parallel to an electric

field of intensity 30 N⁄C. Calculate the torque acting on the dipole.
 Electric Flux

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Electric flux is defined as proportional to number of field lines crossing or cutting
any area of cross section in space.

It is a fundamental quantity related to the electric field and the area of a

surface and plays a crucial role in understanding the behavior of electric fields
and the interaction of electric fields with charged objects.

Electric Flux ko φ se
represent kiya jata hai

We can write this as N ∝

EA, which means that the number of field lines is
proportional to the product of E and A.

n the above case, φ = EA cosθ. The SI unit of electric flux is N-m2/C or V-

m(volt-metre).

Gauss’s Law

According to Gauss's law, total electric flux through a closed surface enclosing
a charge is 1/εo times the magnitude of the charge enclosed

∫
ϕ= E.dS= q/εo

ye bahut hi jyada
important topic hai pure
chapter ka
Consider a point charge q surrounded by a spherical surface of radius r centered on

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the charge. The magnitude of the electric field everywhere on the surface of the
sphere is

E=1/4πε0 (q/r2 )......(1

The electric field is perpendicular to the spherical surface at all points on the
surface. The electric flux through the surface is

∫
ϕE= EAcosθ .....(2)

Putting the value of E from eq. (1)

∫
ϕE= 1/4πε0 .q/r2 .Acosθ

∫
ϕE=(q/4πε0 ) Acosθ/r
2

isko tho ache

ϕE=(q/4πε )∫dω
0 se rat lo

ϕE=(q/4πε0).4π

ϕE=q/ε0

This result says that the electric flux through a sphere that surrounds a charge q
is equal to the charge divided by the constant ε0

APPLICATIONS OF GAUSS'S LAW

Charged Conductors: Gauss's law is particularly useful for analyzing the

electric field distribution around charged conductors.

Uniformly Charged Infinite Sheets: Gauss's law simplifies the calculation of the
electric field in situations where we have uniformly charged infinite sheets.

Uniformly Charged Spheres: Using a Gaussian surface inside the sphere, we can
show that the electric field inside the sphere is proportional to the radial
distance from the center and zero at the center.
Charged Cylinders and Coaxial Cables: Gauss's law is valuable for analyzing the

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electric field around charged cylinders and coaxial cables. By using an appropriate
Gaussian surface, the symmetry of the system simplifies the calculation of the
electric field.

Electric field strength due to an infinitely long

straight uniformly charged wire

Consider an infinitely long straight, uniformly charged wire. Let the linear charge
density of this wire be λ. P is the point that is located at a perpendicular distance
from the wire. The distance between point P and the wire is r.

The surface area of the curved part is given as:

S = 2πrl

The total charge enclosed by the Gaussian surface is given as:

q = λl

The electric flux through the end surfaces of the cylindrical Gaussian surface is
given as:

Φ1 = 0
The electric flux through the curved surface of the cylindrical Gaussian surface is

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given as:

Φ2 = E cosθ.s

Φ2 = E x 1 x 2πrl

The total electric flux is given as:

Φ = Φ1 + Φ2

Φ = 0 + E cosθ.s
Φ2 = 2πrlE (eq. 1)

From Gauss law, we know that

From eq 1. And eq 2

Therefore, the above equation is the electric field due to an infinitely long
straight uniformly charged wire.

Electric Field due to Uniformly Charged Infinite Plane Sheet

The electric field generated by the infinite charge sheet will be perpendicular to the

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sheet’s plane. Consider a cylindrical Gaussian surface whose axis is perpendicular to
the sheet’s plane. Gauss’s Law may be used to calculate the electric field .

According to Gauss’s Law:

φ = Q / ε 0 …..(1)

Charge q will be σA as a result of continuous charge distribution.

φ = EA – (-EA) = 2EA

Therefore, from equation (1):

2EA = Q / ε

On rearranging for E as,

E = Q / 2ε

Electric Field due to uniformly charged thin

spherical shell

Consider the radius “R” and the thin spherical shell of the density of the surface
charge. The shell exhibits spherical symmetry, as may be seen by observing it.
Electric Field Outside the Spherical Shell:

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We use a Gaussian spherical surface with radius r and centre O for symmetry.
Because all points are equally spaced “r” from the sphere’s centre, the Gaussian
surface will pass through P and experience a constant electric field all around.

Then, according to Gauss’s law:

φ = q / ε0

Since a charge is enclosed inside the spherical Gaussian surface q, which is equal
to σ × 4 πR2. Therefore,

φ = σ × 4 πR2 / ε0 …..(1)

The total electric flux through the Gaussian surface will be:

φ = E × 4 πr2

So from equation (1):

σ × 4 πR2 / ε0 = E × 4 πr2

Since, the surface charge density, σ is q / 4 πR2

is formula ko rat lena
imp hai

E = kq / r2

Electric Field Inside the Spherical Shell:

To find the electric field inside the spherical shell, consider a point P inside
the shell. We pick the spherical Gaussian surface travelling through P,
centred at O, and radius r by symmetry. Now, according to Gauss’ law,

φ = q / ε0
 Since the total electric flux inside the Gaussian surface will be:

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φ = E × 4 πr2 =0

Hence,
E=0

Important Questions

Ques:A uniform electric field of magnitude E = 100 N/C exists in the space in the X-
direction. Using the Gauss theorem, calculate the flux of this field through a plane,
square area of edge 10 cm placed in the Y-Z plane. Take the normal along the positive
X-axis to be positive.

solution:
The flux Φ = ∫ E.cosθ ds
As the normal to the area points along the electric field, θ = 0

Also, E is uniform so,

Φ = E.ΔS
=(100 N/C) (0.10m)2 = 1 N-m2

Ques:A uniformly charged cylinder of length 10 cm has a charge of one microcoulomb.

If it is in a medium of dielectric constant 5, find the intensity at a point outside the
cylinder. The distance of the point from the axis of the cylinder equals its length.

solution:
Given that,
-12 2 2
ε0 = 8.85 × 10 C / Nm

l = 10cm = 0.1m
-6
Q = 1μC = 10 C
 k=5

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r = l = 0.1m

Linear charge density is,

q=Q/l
-6
= 10 / 0.1
-5
= 10 C/m

Electric field intensity is,

E = (1 / 4πε0) × q / kr
9 -5 -1
= 9 × 10 × (2 × 10 / 5 × 10 )
5
= 3.6 × 10 V/m

Ques:Fig. shows a crystal unit of caesium chloride, CsCl. The caesium atoms, represented
by open circles, are situated at the corners of a cube of 0.40nm, whereas a Chlorine
atom is situated at the centre of the cube. The caesium atoms are deficient in one
electron while the Cl atom carries an excess electron. What is the net electric field
(force) on the Cl atom due to eight Cs atoms?:

Solution:

According to the question as crystal of CsCl- , caesium atoms are containing a

positive charge and Clatom has a negative charge and magnitude of both of
charges are equal to e.
Now, for (i),
The Cl - ion is in the middle of the crystal lattice and its separation from the
Cs+ ion is equal to half of the diagonal of cube of side 0.40nm
 √ 2
d=1/3 (3l )

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d=1/2√(3x0.4x10 0.4x10 m)
-9 -9

d =.2√3x10 m
-9

The distance of Cl – and Cs+ ion is d =.2√3x10 m -9

The net electric field due to each Cs+ ion forms a resultant of zero. Force component
of each Cs+ ion gets cancelled due to the force component of Cs+ ion placed at the
opposite corner, as each force component is equal in magnitude but opposite in
direction. Hence the net electric field at the middle of the diagonal is zero.

Ques:An electric dipole is placed at an angle of 30° with an electric field of intensity
3 × 104 N ⁄ C. It experiences a torque of 5 Nm. Calculate the charge on the dipole if
the dipole length is 5 cm.

solution:
Given:
Electric field, E = 3 × 104 N ⁄ C

Angle between dipole and electric field, θ = 30°

Dipole length, d = 5 cm = 0.05 m

Torque, τ = 5 N m
The torque on a dipole in electric field is given by:

τ = q d E sin θ

q = τ ⁄ d E sin θ
4
= 5 ⁄ (0.05 × 3 × 10 × sin30°) C
= 6.7 mC

Hence, the torque on a dipole in an electric field is 6.7 mC

Ques:. Figure below shows tracks taken by three charged particles in a uniform

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electrostatic field. Give the signs of the three charges and also mention which particle
has the highest charge to mass ratio?

solution:

From the known properties of charges, we know that the unlike charges attract and like
charges repel each other

So, the particles 1 and 2 that move towards the positively charged plate while repelling
away from the negatively charged plate would be negatively charged and the particle 3
that moves towards the negatively charged plate while repelling away from the positively
charged plate would be positively charged

Now, we know that the charge to mass ratio (which is generally known as emf) is directly
proportional to the displacement or the amount of deflection for a given velocity.

Since the deflection of particle 3 is found to be maximum among the three, it would have
the highest charge to mass ratio

* after studying from this

notes

NOTE : Worksheet (Important questions of all typology with answers)

is provided as a seperate PDF on website padhleakshay.com