INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
PHYSICS 2
SESSION 9 – COULOMB’S LAW
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INTRODUCTION
A lot of devices that depend on the physics of electromagnetism, which is
the combination of electric and magnetic phenomena (computers,
television, radio, telecommunications, household lighting, etc.).
Some demonstration
certain type of stone (occurring magnet) is brought near bits of iron, the iron will jump to
the stone.
plastic rod rubbed with fur moves toward a glass rod rubbed with silk.
Coulomb's Law describes the relationship between electric charges and the
force acting between them based on their magnitudes and distance.
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ELECTRIC CHARGE
There are two types of electric charge: positive and negative
charge.
Equal numbers of negatively and positively charged particles
(net charge = 0), the charge is said to be balanced, and the
object is said to be electrically neutral.
Particles with the same sign of electrical charge repel each
other, and particles with opposite signs attract each other.
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REPEL OR ATTRACTS?
A, B, and D are charged plastic plates and C is an electrically neutral copper
plate. For the remaining two pairs, do the plates repel or attract each other?
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CONDUCTORS
Materials can be classified generally according to the ability of charge to
move through them.
Conductors are materials through which charge can move rather freely;
examples include metals (such as copper in common lamp wire), the human
body, and tap water.
Nonconductors—also called insulators—are materials through which
charge cannot move freely; examples include rubber, plastic, glass.
Only conduction electrons, with their negative charges, can move;
positive ions are fixed in place.
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COULOMB’S LAW
If two charged particles are brought near each other, they
each exert an electrostatic force on the other.
Particle 1 has charge 𝑞1 and particle 2 has charge 𝑞2.
𝑟Ƹ is a vector that points along a radial axis away from particle 2.
𝑟 is separation between particles
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
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K is Coulomb constant = 8.99 × 109 𝑁𝑚2 /𝐶 2
UNITS AND FORCE MAGNITUDE
The SI unit of charge is the coulomb.
The coulomb unit is derived from the SI unit ampere for electric current i (the
rate dq/dt at which charge moves past a point or through a region).
1 C = (1 A)(1 s).
The electrostatic constant k is written as 1/4𝜋𝜀0 , thus the magnitude of
electrostatic force is:
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𝜀0 is permittivity constant = 8.85 × 10−12 𝐶 2 /𝑁𝑚2
ACTIVITY 9-1
Two positively charged particles fixed in place on an x
axis. The charges are 𝑞1 = 1.6 × 10−19 C and 𝑞2 = 3.2 ×
10−19 𝐶 , and the particle separation is 𝑅 = 0.0200 𝑚.
1. What are the magnitude and direction of the
electrostatic force 𝐹Ԧ12 on particle 1 from particle 2?
2. If particle 3 now lies on the x axis between particles
1 and 2, with charge 𝑞3 = −3.2 × 10−19 C and is at a
distance from 3/4R from particle 1, What is the net
electrostatic force 𝐹Ԧ1,𝑛𝑒𝑡 on particle 1?
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CHARGE IS QUANTIFIED
In Benjamin Franklin’s day, electric charge was thought to be a continuous
Fluid: made up of atoms and molecules, and multiples of a certain elementary
charge
Any positive or negative charge q that can be detected can be written as
e is the elementary charge: 𝑒 = 1.6 × 10−19 𝐶
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ACTIVITY 9-2
The nucleus in an iron atom has a radius of
about 4 × 10−15 m and contains 26 protons.
What is the magnitude of the repulsive
electrostatic force between two of the protons
that are separated by 4 × 10−15 m ?
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CHARGE IN RADIOACTIVE DECAY
Uranium-238 nucleus (238U) transforms into a
thorium-234 nucleus (234Th) by emitting an alpha
particle.
The alpha particle has the same makeup as a
helium-4 nucleus, it has the symbol 4He.
The parent 238U
contains 92 protons (charge +92e),
the daughter nucleus 234Th contains 90 protons (a
charge of +90e), and the emitted alpha particle 4He
contains 2 protons (a charge of +2e).
The total number of protons and neutrons is also
conserved: 238 before the decay and 234 + 4 = 238
after the decay.
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CHARGE IS CONSERVED
The net electric charge of any isolated system is always conserved.
If two charged particles undergo an annihilation process, they have opposite
signs of charge.
If two charged particles appear because of a pair production process, they
have opposite signs of charge.
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APPLICATION
Electrostatic Precipitation in Air Quality Control
Electrostatic in Material Manufacturing
Use in Sensors and Actuators
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ACTIVITY 9-3
Two positively charged particles fixed in place on an x
axis. The charges are 𝑞1 = 3.2 × 10−19 C and
𝑞2 = 4.8 × 10−19 𝐶 , and the particle separation is 𝑅 =
0.0300 𝑚.
= 60° 1. What are the magnitude and direction of the
electrostatic force 𝐹Ԧ12 on particle 1 from particle 2?
2. If particle 3 now lies between particles 1 and 2, with
charge 𝑞3 = −3.2 × 10−19 C, is at a distance from
3/4R from particle 1, and lies on a line that makes
an angle of 60°. What is the net electrostatic force
𝐹Ԧ1,𝑛𝑒𝑡 on particle 1? 14
ACTIVITY 9-4
What is the magnitude of the electrostatic force
between a singly charged sodium ion (Na+, of
charge +e) and an adjacent singly charged
chlorine ion (Cl-, of charge -e) in a salt crystal if
their separation is 2.82 × 10−10 m?
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THANK YOU
Copyright acknowledgement:
Some images and materials included here have been sourced from third parties and are not owned by me.
They are intended for educational use only, with all rights retained by the respective creators.
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