Understanding Electric Charges and Fields: Fundamentals and Applications

2. The Electric Force Electric Charge Electric Fields Electron Beams

3. Electric Charge • Recall that fundamental particles carry something called electric charge • protons have exactly one unit of positive charge • electrons have exactly one unit of negative charge • Electromagnetic force is one of the basic interactions in nature • like charges experience repulsive force • opposite charges attracted to each other (like gravity) • Electrical current is flow of charge (electrons)

4. Charge Balance • Neutral atoms are made of equal quantities of positive and negative charges • Neutral carbon has 6 protons, 6 electrons, (& neutrons) • Electrons can be stripped off of atoms • Electrons occupy the vulnerable outskirts of atoms • Usually charge flows in such a way as to maintain neutrality • Excess positive charge attracts excess negative charge • Your body has 51028 positive charges and 51028 negative charges, balanced within millions or billions

5. Charge Separation • Can separate charges by rubbing: • feet on carpet • atmosphere across ground • silk on glass • balloon on hair! • Insulators keep charges where they are (no flow) • Conductors distribute charge equally on surface • charge is free to “move about the cabin” • why do the charges collect on the surface?

6. Result: Attraction! – – – + – – – – – – + – – – – + – – + – + – + – – – Induced Charge • Charge can also be coaxed to redistribute itself within an object Charged rod approaches sphere + charge attracted to – charge in rod – charge repelled by rod

7. Static Electricity • Rubbing action redistributes charge (unbalanced) • If enough charge builds up, we get discharge • Air spark is actually due to “breakdown” of air • neutral air molecules separate into ions (electrons are stripped away) • current can then flow through the “plasma-field” air • In essence, air becomes a “wire” for a short bit • this happens at 3 million volts per meter • 1 cm spark then at 30,000 volts • typical finger-spark may involve a few billion electrons • hold onto key to reduce pain of spark

8. Lightning • Lightning is an unbelievably huge discharge • Clouds get charged through air friction • 1 kilometer strike means 3 billion volts! • Main path forms temporary “wire” along which charge equalizes • often bounces a few times before equal • Thunder is bang produced by the extreme pressure variations induced by the formation and collapse of the plasma conduit • www.stormchasing.nl/lightning.html

9. Lightning Rods • Perform two functions • provide safe conduit for lightning away from house • diffuse situation via “coronal discharge” Charges are attracted to tip of rod, and “electric field” is highly concentrated there. Charges “leak” away, diffusing charge in what is sometimes called “St. Elmo’s Fire”, or “coronal discharge”

10. ST. ELMO’S FIRE

11. Static Electricity Lab • Tear a piece of paper into small pieces, starting about 15 cm away bring an unrubbed ebonite (gray) rod close until almost touching. Record results. Repeat for iron filings and small stream of water flowing from the beaker (over the pan). • Repeat the process with an ebonite (gray) rod rubbed with the fur material. • Repeat the rubbed procedures with the cotton material and the nylon material. • Then repeat all procedures (rubbed and unrubbed) using the clear plastic rod, metal rod and the comb. • Summarize and explain all results!

12. “Electrostatic” Force • Two charges, Q1 and Q2, separated by distance r exert a force on each other:F = (k·Q1·Q2) / r2 • k is a constant (9109), Q is in Coulombs, r in meters • One unit of charge (proton) has Q = 1.610-19 Coulombs • Looks a lot like Newton’s gravitation in form • Electron and proton attract each other 1040 times stronger electrically than gravitationally! • Good thing charge is usually balanced!

13. + + r – + – – Coulomb Law Illustrated • Like charges repel • Unlike charges attract If charges are of same magnitude (and same separation), all the forces will be the same magnitude, with different directions.

14. Coulomb Force Law, Qualitatively • Double one of the charges • force doubles • Change sign of one of the charges • force changes direction • Change sign of both charges • force stays the same • Double the distance between charges • force four times weaker • Double both charges • force four times stronger

15. Electric Force a lot like Gravity • Same 1/r2 dependence; charge takes place of mass. • Does this mean electricity is product of geometry, just like gravity (general relativity)? • no because gravity is always pulling down, but electrostatic force can act in any direction

16. Electric Field • Can think of electric force as establishing “field” telling particles which way to move and how fast Electric “field lines” tell a positive charge which way to move. For example, a positive charge itself has field lines pointing away from it, because this is how a positively-charged “test-particle” would respond if placed in the vicinity (repulsive force). + Run Away! +

17. Electric Field • Calculating Electric Field (unit of Newton/coulomb) • Think of it as the ability to pull negative charge towards it. • If you know the force and the charge you are attracting, solve for it using • E = F / q

18. Example Electric Fields Around Charges

19. Electric Fields in Circuits • Point away from positive terminal, towards negative • Channeled by conductor (wire) • Electrons flow opposite field lines (neg. charge) E electrons & direction of motion E Electric field direction E E

20. screen + + + + + + + cathode emitter E-field electron beam - - - - - - - metal plates Electron Beams; Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) • Televisions, Oscilloscopes, Monitors, etc. use an electron beam steered by electric fields to light up the (phosphorescent) screen at specified points

21. Magnet, Static and Electric Field Quiz Name: Physics- Kania 1. If you wrap a current around a vertical metal bar and the current is going around the bar to the right as you view it, what direction is the north pole of the magnetic field created? 2.Why can iron be made to behave as a magnet but wood cannot? 3.Explain how a compass works. 4.Describe charging by induction. 5.Describe how static electricity is created in clouds. 6.In the static lab, why was the metal bar not able to be induced into picking up paper, but the ebonite bar was? 7.What happens to the Electrostatic force between two charges if the distance between them is doubled? 8.What happens to the Electrostatic force between two charges if one of the charges is doubled and the distance between them is doubled? 9.Describe the main difference between electric field lines and magnetic field lines. 10.Describe St. Elmo’s Fire.

22. Assignments • Selected readings from Hewitt Chaps. 23, 24, 25, 26 (specific pages listed on assignments page) • HW 6 due 5/23: 22.E.1, 22.E.5, 22.E.11, 22.E.16, 22.E.20, 22.E.30, 22.E.33, 22.P.1, 23.E.3, 26.E.7, 26.E.9, 26.E.11