Electrostatics and Coulomb's Law

Electrostatics

Electric Charges

• Electric charges are of two types: positive and negative
• Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract each other
• The unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C)

Coulomb's Law

• Describes the electrostatic force between two point charges
• Force is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• Mathematically represented as: F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2
• k is Coulomb's constant, approximately 8.99 x 10^9 N m^2 C^-2

Electric Field

• A vector field that surrounds charged particles
• Electric field lines emerge from positive charges and enter negative charges
• The unit of electric field is newtons per coulomb (N/C)
• Electric field can be calculated using Coulomb's Law

Electric Potential

• Also known as voltage, it's the potential energy per unit charge
• Measured in joules per coulomb (J/C) or volts (V)
• Electric potential difference is the voltage between two points
• Electric potential is a scalar quantity

Gauss's Law

• Relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field
• States that the total electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the charge enclosed within the surface
• Mathematically represented as: ∫E · dA = Q / ε₀
• ε₀ is the electric constant (permittivity of free space)

Electric Dipole

• A system of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance
• Electric dipole moment is a measure of the strength of the dipole
• Electric dipole moment is a vector quantity
• Electric field due to an electric dipole decreases with distance

Electric Charges

• Electric charges come in two types: positive and negative
• Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract each other
• The unit of electric charge is the coulomb (C)

Coulomb's Law

• Describes the electrostatic force between two point charges
• Force is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• Mathematical representation: F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2
• k is Coulomb's constant, approximately 8.99 x 10^9 N m^2 C^-2

Electric Field

• A vector field surrounding charged particles
• Electric field lines emerge from positive charges and enter negative charges
• Unit of electric field is newtons per coulomb (N/C)
• Electric field can be calculated using Coulomb's Law

Electric Potential

• Also known as voltage, it's the potential energy per unit charge
• Measured in joules per coulomb (J/C) or volts (V)
• Electric potential difference is the voltage between two points
• Electric potential is a scalar quantity

Gauss's Law

• Relates the distribution of electric charge to the resulting electric field
• Total electric flux through a closed surface is proportional to the charge enclosed within the surface
• Mathematical representation: ∫E · dA = Q / ε₀
• ε₀ is the electric constant (permittivity of free space)

Electric Dipole

• A system of two equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance
• Electric dipole moment measures the strength of the dipole
• Electric dipole moment is a vector quantity
• Electric field due to an electric dipole decreases with distance