Q&E -1 Charges, Coulomb’s Law, and Electric Fields Some experimental facts: Experimental fact 1: Electric charge comes in two types, which we call (+) and (−). An atom consists of a heavy (+) charged nucleus surrounded by light (−) electrons. nucleus = (+) charged protons and (0) charged neutrons mproton ≈ mneutron >> melectron (mproton ≈ 1800 melectron) qproton = qelectron ("q" is symbol for charge) Calling protons (+) and electrons (−) is a convention. We could just have easily called electrons (+) and protons (−), but Ben Franklin chose the other, and we’re stuck with it. The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom is called "Z". Z determines the element: Z =1 is hydrogen, Z = 3 is lithium. Fact 2: Unlike charges attract, and like charges repel according to Coulomb’s Law, which says that the magnitude F of the force between two charges q1 and q2 separated by a distance r is given by qqFkr=122 where k = constant = 9.0 × 109 N m2/C2 . In SI units, the unit of charge is the coulomb (C). magnitude of charge of electron = e = +1.602 × 10−19 C charge of electron = −e , charge of proton = +e (by convention, the symbol e > 0, always) A coulomb is a huge amount of charge: Number N of e’s in 1 C = ? q1q2r + + F F Like-sign charges repel. q2q1r+ −FFUnlike-sign charges attract. Phys1120 Lecture Notes, Dubson ©University of Colorado at BoulderQ&E -2 18191C 1CNe 1C N 6.3 10e1.610C−⋅ = ⇒ == =×× Fact 3: Electric charge is conserved. The net charge of an isolated system cannot change. It is impossible to create or destroy net charge. Except in nuclear or “high-energy” reactions, you can never create or destroy electrons, protons, and other charged particles – all we can do is move them around. In high energy reactions, we can create charged particles from energy (energy = mc2), but the particles are always created or destroyed in pairs (+1 and −1) so that the net charge is conserved. Aside: As far as we know, only 4 things in the universe are conserved: (1) Energy (2) Linear momentum (p = mv) (3) Angular momentum (spin = L = Iω) (4) Charge [Not quite true: in high energy physics, there may be other quantities, like “baryon number” that are conserved.] Fact 4: The charge e is the fundamental unit of charge. You never find a free particle in nature with charge = fraction of e. You only find charge = e or integer multiple of e. Statements (1) thru (4) are experimental facts. Why are they true? Why are there 2 kinds of charge, not 3? Why e = 1.6 × 10−19 C, not 4.2 × 10−19 C? Why is charge conserved? We don’t know! And to some extent, physicists don’t care. It is the primary goal of physics to describe how nature behaves; a secondary goal is to explain why it behaves that way. (Many theorists are looking to explain why, but no luck yet…) Notice that Coulomb’s law is similar to Newton’s Universal Law of Gravitation: 12 1 2grav coul22Gmm kq qFFrr,== Similar, except that there are two kinds of charge ( + and − ), but only one kind (sign) of mass. Gravity is always attractive, but electrical force can be attractive or repulsive. Recall that force is a vector – a mathematical object that has a size (magnitude) and a direction. Forces add like vectors, not numbers. Example: Net force on an electron due to two nearby protons, each a distance r away, 90o apart as shown. Phys1120 Lecture Notes, Dubson ©University of Colorado at Boulder Net force = net 1 2FFF=+ In this particular case, 2122keFFFr===. -e q1 = +e q2 = +e F1 F2 90o r rQ&E -3 netF 2 F not 2F)(= ⇒ 2net2keF2r= Recall: Here we have used the Superposition Principle: the net force on a charge due to other nearby charges is the vector sum of the individual forces: net 1 2 3FFFF...=+++, where 1F net force due to charge 1, etc.= The Electric field (a new concept) Surrounding every charge (or group of charges) is a thing, called an electric field (it is a vector thing) E Definition: The electric field at a point Ein empty space is a vector quantity which can be measured by the following procedure: place a small test charge q at that point, measure the force on q due to all other charges. The electric field at that point is given by F on qFEq≡ E-field at a point is the force per charge on a test charge placed at that point. Note! The E-field exists even if there is no test charge present to measure it. Similarly, a gravitational field surrounds the earth, even if there is no “test mass” nearby to measure the pull of earth’s gravity: on mFmggravitational field gmm≡==, magnitude 22GMm GMF1gmmr r== = (M = earth mass, m = test mass, r = distance from m to Earth’s center) The electric field is not just an mathematical invention; it is real. We cannot (usually) see it or smell it, but we can feel it. In some situations, you can see an electric field: visible light is a rapidly oscillating electric field (more on that later in the semester.) What is the E-field around a point charge Q? (Q = “source charge” = “source” of E-field, q = “test charge” or “probe charge”) F 1 √2F 1 Fnet = √2 F Phys1120 Lecture Notes, Dubson ©University of Colorado at BoulderQ&E -4 source charge Q test charge +q r Fon q on q22kQq kQF1Erqqr r== =rˆˆ ( pronounced"r-hat" is the unit vector pointing away from the origin, where Q is. r-hat has no dimensions). ˆr 2QˆEk rr=KMagnitude of the E−field due to a point charge Q: If the source charge Q is positive, then the E-field points away from Q, in the direction of r-hat. If the source charge Q is negative then the E−field points toward Q in the direction opposite r-hat. This follows directly from the definition GG. For instance, if both Q and q are positive then the force F points away from Q and so does E. If Q is negative and q is positive, then both F and E point toward Q. EF/q= What if the test charge q is changed from positive to negative? Then the direction of the force F and the sign of q both flip, which leaves the direction of E unchanged. The size and direction of the E-field is independent of the test charge. The test charge is just an imaginary artifice which we use to measure something which is already there. The E-field around a positive charge points always from the charge, and decreases in magnitude with distance r
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