Electric Charge and Coulomb's Law

Electric Charge

• Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that can be positive or negative.
• Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract each other.
• The unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C).

Coulomb's Law

• Coulomb's Law states that the electric force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
• The force is attractive if the charges are opposite and repulsive if the charges are like.
• The law is expressed mathematically as: F = k * (Q1 * Q2) / r^2, where F is the force, k is Coulomb's constant, Q1 and Q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between them.

Electric Field

• The electric field is a vector field that surrounds charged particles and exerts a force on other charged particles.
• The electric field is defined as the force per unit charge at a given point in space.
• The electric field can be represented by the symbol E and is measured in units of newtons per coulomb (N/C).

Electric Potential

• Electric potential, also known as voltage, is the potential energy per unit charge at a given point in space.
• Electric potential is a scalar quantity and is measured in units of volts (V).
• The electric potential difference between two points is the work done in moving a unit charge from one point to the other.

Electric Dipoles

• An electric dipole consists of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance.
• The electric field of a dipole is zero at the midpoint between the charges.
• Electric dipoles are commonly found in molecules, such as water, and are important in understanding the behavior of molecules in electric fields.

Electric Flux

• Electric flux is a measure of the number of electric field lines passing through a given area.
• Electric flux is a scalar quantity and is measured in units of newtons per coulomb (N/C) times meters squared (m^2).
• Gauss's Law relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field.

Electric Charge

• Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that can be positive or negative
• Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract each other
• The unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C)

Coulomb's Law

• The electric force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• The force is attractive if the charges are opposite and repulsive if the charges are like
• Mathematically expressed as: F = k × (Q1 × Q2) / r^2, where F is the force, k is Coulomb's constant, Q1 and Q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between them

Electric Field

• Electric field is a vector field that surrounds charged particles and exerts a force on other charged particles
• Defined as the force per unit charge at a given point in space
• Represented by the symbol E and measured in units of newtons per coulomb (N/C)

Electric Potential

• Electric potential, also known as voltage, is the potential energy per unit charge at a given point in space
• A scalar quantity measured in units of volts (V)
• Electric potential difference between two points is the work done in moving a unit charge from one point to the other

Electric Dipoles

• Consists of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance
• Electric field of a dipole is zero at the midpoint between the charges
• Commonly found in molecules, such as water, and important in understanding molecular behavior in electric fields

Electric Flux

• A measure of the number of electric field lines passing through a given area
• A scalar quantity measured in units of newtons per coulomb (N/C) times meters squared (m^2)
• Gauss's Law relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field