FORCE FIELDS

IB PHYSICS | COMPLETED NOTES

 1

Static Electricity
IB PHYSICS | FORCE FIELDS
 PhET Simulation
What happens when
you rub the balloon
on the sweater?
Electrons transfer
from the sweater
to the balloon
Click here for Simulation
 Charge on an Atom
The protons and neutrons are buried deep in
the nucleus and cannot easily be touched

electrons orbiting the nucleus

are easily lost or gained
How do objects become charged?
Friction Contact Induction
What happens when you
rub John Travoltage’s
foot on the rug?

The foot gains electrons

from rubbing on the
carpet and the
electrons spread out
Click here for Simulation
 How do objects become charged?
Friction Contact Induction
What is the charge of each object? Draw in the Electrons
- -
+ - -
- - +
+ charge = 0 - - charge = -3
- - +
- -
+ +
- - - -

+ + + +
- -
Before After
How do objects become charged?
Friction Contact Induction
What happens when
you bring the balloon
over to the wall?

The electrons in the

wall redistribute and
move away from the
negative source

Click here for Simulation

 How do objects become charged?
Friction Contact Induction
What is the charge of this object? Draw in the Electrons for the ball
- -
+
+
- - -
+
+ + - -
- + - +-
-

+- + +- +-
- +-

+- +-

Before After
How do objects become charged?
Friction Contact Induction
Use your knowledge responsibly
 Charge Interactions

+ - + +

- + - -
Opposite Charges Like Charges
Attract Repel
 Which one has more force?
Which charged pair has larger electrostatic forces acting?

+ r
+ smaller distance = greater force

+ 2r
+
 Which one has more force?
Which charged pair has larger electrostatic forces acting?
1 µC 1 µC

+ r
+
2 µC
1 µC

+ + greater charge = greater force

r
 Coulomb’s Law
𝑞1 𝑞2 The force of attraction or repulsion
between two point charges is directly
𝐹=𝑘 2 proportional to the product of the two

𝑟 charges and inversely proportional to the

square of the distance between them.
Symbol Unit
- + Electrostatic Force 𝐹 [N]
q1
F F q2
Object 1 Charge 𝑞1 [C]
r
F F Object 2 Charge 𝑞2 [C]
q1 q2
- - Separation Distance 𝑟 [m]
 Coulomb’s Constant
𝑞1 𝑞2 𝑘 = 8.99 × 109 𝑁 𝑚2 𝐶 −2
𝐹=𝑘 2
𝑟
Use unit analysis to prove the units of k:
2 2
𝐹𝑟 𝑁𝑚 2 −2
𝑘= = = 𝑁𝑚 𝐶
𝑞1 𝑞2 𝐶𝐶
Solve for k Plug in units Simplify
 IB Physics Data Booklet

*Coulomb’s Law
 Conceptual Math
What is the repulsion force on the positive charge below?

4N
+ r
+
𝑞1 𝑞2
1N 𝐹=𝑘
(2𝑟)2

+ 2r
+ 𝑞1 𝑞2
𝐹=𝑘 2
4𝑟
 Conceptual Math
What is the repulsion force on the positive charge below?
1 µC 1 µC

+ r
+ 2N

2 µC
1 µC

+ + 4N
2𝑞1 𝑞2
𝐹=𝑘 2
𝑟
r
 Conceptual Math
Which pair has the greater electrostatic force? Same!

2𝑞1 2𝑞2 4𝑞1 𝑞2 𝑞1 𝑞2

+1 +1 𝐹=𝑘 =𝑘 =𝑘 2
(2𝑟) 2 4𝑟 2 𝑟
d

+2 +2
2d
 2

Electrostatic and
Gravitational Force
IB PHYSICS | FORCE FIELDS
 Review of Charges

+ - + +

- + - -
Opposite Charges Like Charges
Attract Repel
 Coulomb’s Law
𝑞1 𝑞2 The force of attraction or repulsion
between two point charges is directly
𝐹=𝑘 2 proportional to the product of the two

𝑟 charges and inversely proportional to the

square of the distance between them.
Symbol Unit
- + Electrostatic Force 𝐹 N
q1
F F q2
Object 1 Charge 𝑞1 C
r
F F Object 2 Charge 𝑞2 C
q1 q2
- - Separation Distance 𝑟 m
 IB Physics Data Booklet

*Coulomb’s Law
 Sign is important!
𝑘 = 8.99 × 109 𝑁 𝑚2 𝐶 −2
𝑞1 𝑞2
𝐹=𝑘 2
𝑟

+ F → Repel (+)(+) or (-)(-)

- F → Attract (+)(-) or (-)(+)

 Quantifying Charge
The total charge in Coulombs can be
related to the number of electrons
 Quantifying Charge
The coulomb was selected to use with electric
currents which makes it a very large unit for
static electricity. Get your metric prefixes ready

Pico- (10-12)
Micro- (10-6)

Nano- (10-9)
BASE UNIT

Milli- (10-3)
m-

p-
n-
µ-
 Conversion Check
7 μC → C
7× 10 -6 C
 Try This
A small cork with an excess charge of +7.0 µC is placed 14 cm
from another cork, which carries a charge of −3.2 µC. What is
the magnitude of the electric force between the corks?
𝑞1 𝑞2 −6 −6
9
(7 × 10 )(−3.2 × 10 )
𝐹 = 𝑘 2 = (8.99 × 10 )
𝑟 (0.14)2

𝐹 = −10.3 N
attract
𝑞1 𝑞2
𝐹=𝑘 2
𝑟 k = 8.99 × 109 N m2 C-2 Elementary Charge = 1.60 × 10-19 C
 How many electrons??
A small cork with an excess charge of +7.0 µC is placed 14 cm
from another cork, which carries a charge of −3.2 µC. What is
the magnitude of the electric force between the corks?
How many excess electrons
on the second cork??

−6
1 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛 13
−3.2 × 10 C × −19
= 2 × 10 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑠
−1.60 × 10 C

𝑞1 𝑞2
𝐹=𝑘 2
𝑟 k = 8.99 × 109 N m2 C-2 Elementary Charge = 1.60 × 10-19 C
 Gravity
What is Gravity?
Idea #1: A downward force that
stops you from flying away
Idea #2: An attraction towards
larger objects
Idea #3: All mass attracts all other
mass
Circle the answer that you agree with most
Universal Law of Gravitation

𝑀𝑚 The force of attraction between bodies

with mass is directly proportional to the

𝐹=𝐺 2 product of the two masses and inversely

proportional to the square of the distance
𝑟 between them.
Symbol Unit

r Gravitational Force 𝐹 [N]

𝑀 [kg]

M
Object 1 Mass
m
Object 2 Mass 𝑚 [kg]

Separation Distance 𝑟 [m]

 Universal Law of Gravitation

𝑀𝑚
𝐹=𝐺 2
𝑟
G → Universal Gravitational Constant

G = 6.67 × 10 -11 N 2
m kg-2
IB Physics Data Booklet

*Universal Law of Gravitation

Gravity – Equal and Opposite
The force on the skydiver is the
same as the force on the earth but
the earth’s huge mass means that
there is hardly any acceleration
 Measuring the proper distance
Technically Newton’s Law of Gravitation defines how to calculate the
gravitational force between two point masses

(Not a point mass)

Fortunately, Newton’s shell theorem states that:

“A spherically symmetric shell of mass M acts

as if all of its mass is located at its center.”

r
 Try This
Determine the force of gravitational attraction between the earth (m = 5.98 x
1024 kg) and a 70-kg physics student if the student is in an airplane at 40000 feet
above earth's surface. This would place the student a distance of 6.39 x 106 m
from earth's center.

𝑀𝑚 24
−11
(5.98 × 10 )(70)
𝐹 = 𝐺 2 = (6.67 × 10 )
𝑟 (6.39 × 106 )2

𝐹 = 684 N
 Comparison
Electrostatic Force Gravitational Force
𝑞1 𝑞2 𝑀𝑚
𝐹=𝑘 2 𝐹=𝐺 2
𝑟 𝑟
𝑘 → 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑜𝑚𝑏 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝐺 → 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
𝑞1 , 𝑞2 → Charges [C] 𝑀, 𝑚 → Masses [kg]
 Permittivity
Coulomb’s Constant is sometimes expanded to this form:
1
𝑘=
4𝜋𝜀0
𝜀0 → Permittivity of Free Space (vacuum)
𝜀0 = 8.85 × 10-12 C2 N-1 m-2
*Solving for k will get Coulomb’s Constant for a vacuum
 IB Physics Data Booklet

*Solving for k
 Permittivity
Permittivity changes relative to the substance
Relative Permittivity
𝜀 Relative Permittivities
𝜀𝑟 =
𝜀0 Free Space (a vacuum) 1
Dry Air 1.0005
IB might ask you about
Paper 4
this: the higher the relative
permittivity, the harder it is Concrete 4
for electrostatic forces to
Rubber 6
travel over a distance…
 3

Force Fields
IB PHYSICS | FORCE FIELDS
 Warm Up
What is the force of gravity between the earth and the moon?

r = 3.8 × 108 m

m = 7.4 × 1022 kg
m = 6 × 1024 kg

24 22
−11
(6 × 10 )(7.4 × 10 )
𝐹 = (6.67 × 10 )
(3.8 × 108 )2

𝐹 = 2.05 × 1020 N
𝑀𝑚
𝐹=𝐺 2
𝑟 G = 6.67 × 10-11 N m2 kg-2
 Review of Circular Motion
How fast (in m/s) is the moon moving?

r = 3.8 × 108 m

𝐹 = 2.05 × 1020 N m = 7.4 × 1022 kg

m = 6 × 1024 kg

(7.4 × 1022 )𝑣 2
2.05 × 1020 =
(3.8 × 108 )

𝑚𝑣 2 𝑣 = 1026 m s −1
𝐹= = 𝑚𝜔2 𝑟
𝑟
 Force Fields
Vector field that describes the force that would act
on a particle at various positions
Electric Gravitational
Field Field
Symbol
𝐸 𝑔
N N
Unit

= N C−1 = N kg −1
C kg
 Electric Fields
Electric Fields point in the direction that a
positive charge would travel
___________

+ +

+ -
+
+
 Try This
Label these charges as positive (+) or negative (-)

+ –
 Try This
Predict what the field lines will look like:

+ +
Gravity as a field
Gravity as a field
 Gravity as a field
• The gravitational field distorts the space around the
mass that is causing it so that any other mass placed at
any position in the field will “know” how to respond
immediately.

• Bigger masses “curve” the

rubber sheet more than
smaller masses.
Gravity as a field
How do we visually represent the
strength of the field?

Vector Density
IB Physics Data Booklet
 Remember g?

g = 9.81 m s -2
g representing acceleration is not the whole story…

g → Gravitational Field Strength

N kg × m s −2
𝑔= = = m s−2
kg kg
Wait, does that mean g changes?
400 𝑘𝑚 + 6370 𝑘𝑚 = 6770 𝑘𝑚
𝑀
𝑔=𝐺 2
Orbiting Altitude
= 400 km 𝑟
24
𝑀 −11
(6 × 10 )
Earth Radius 𝑔 = 𝐺 2 = (6.67 × 10 )
= 6,370 km 𝑟 (6,770,000)2

𝑔 = 8.73 N kg −1
M = 6 × 1024 kg
 Using g
= 2,000,000 kg = 75 kg
g = 5 N kg-1
What is the force of gravity for each position?
g = 8 N kg-1 𝐹 = (75 𝑘𝑔)(5 𝑁 𝑘𝑔−1 ) 𝐹 = (2,000,000 𝑘𝑔)(5 𝑁 𝑘𝑔−1 )
𝐹 = 𝟑𝟕𝟓 𝑵 𝐹 = 𝟏𝟎, 𝟎𝟎𝟎, 𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝑵

𝐹 = (75 𝑘𝑔)(8 𝑁 𝑘𝑔−1 ) 𝐹 = (2,000,000 𝑘𝑔)(8 𝑁 𝑘𝑔−1 )

𝐹 = 𝟔𝟎𝟎 𝑵 𝐹 = 𝟏𝟔, 𝟎𝟎𝟎, 𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝑵
 Try This
What is the electric field strength if a particle with a
charge of +6.3 μC experiences a force of 0.0025 N?

𝐹 0.0025 N
𝐸= =
𝑞 6.3 × 10−6 C

𝐸 = 397 NC −1
 Think about this…
Two isolated point charges, –7 μC and +2 μC, are at a fixed distance apart.
At which point is it possible for the electric field strength to be zero?

-7 μC +2 μC

A B C D

Forces cancel out

 Try this
What is the gravitational field strength halfway
between the centers of the earth and the moon?
r = 3.8 × 108 m / 2 = 1.9 × 108 m

m = 7.3 × 1022 kg
m = 6 × 1024 kg
6 × 1024 7.3 × 1022
𝑔 = 6.67 × 10 −11
= 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝟏 𝐍 𝐤𝐠 −𝟏 𝑔 = 6.67 × 10−11 8 2
= 𝟎. 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟏𝟑 𝐍 𝐤𝐠 −𝟏
1.9 × 108 2 1.9 × 10

g= 0.011 − 0.00013 =
𝑀 -11 𝑁×𝑚
2 𝑔 = 0.0109 N kg −1
𝑔=𝐺 2 G = 6.67 × 10 𝑘𝑔2
𝑟
 Try this
Where would an object experience a
gravitational field of 0 N kg-1 𝑀𝑒 𝑀𝑚
𝐺 2=𝐺 2
𝑟 𝑟 𝑒 𝑚

r = 3.8 × 108 m rm = 3.8 × 108 - re

re rm
m = 7.3 × 1022 kg
m = 6 × 1024 kg 𝑀𝑒 𝑀𝑚
𝐺 = 𝐺 6 × 1024 7.3 × 1022
𝑟𝑒 2 𝑟𝑚 2 =
cancel out G 𝑟𝑒 (3.8 × 108 − 𝑟𝑒 )
and
square root everything
𝑀𝑒 𝑀𝑚 9.31 × 1020 − 2.45 × 1012 𝑟𝑒 = 2.70 × 1011 𝑟𝑒
=
𝑟𝑒 𝑟𝑚
9.31 × 1020 = 2.72 × 1012 𝑟𝑒

𝑀 2
𝑟𝑒 = 3.42 × 108 m
𝑔=𝐺 2 G = 6.67 × 10-11 𝑁×𝑚 𝑘𝑔2
𝑟
 4

Magnetism &
Right Hand Rule
IB PHYSICS | FORCE FIELDS
 Rules of Interaction

N S N S

N S S N

S N N S
 Cutting Magnets in Half
Poles cannot be isolated – a magnet cannot be broken to
get a separate north and south pole. Instead, it creates
two magnets, each with a north and south pole

N S N S
Magnetic Domains

In order for a material with

domains to become magnetic,
the domains have to be aligned
by an external magnetic field.
If enough of a materials domains
become aligned, the material
forms a magnetic dipole and
becomes a permanent magnet
 Magnetic Fields
North to _________
Magnetic field lines point from _________ South

N S

A compass would align with these field lines

 B-Field

B → Magnetic Field Strength

Units

Tesla [T]
 Magnetic Fields
A horseshoe magnet is just a bent bar magnet. The rules
for magnetic fields still apply.

N S
The Earth is a Magnet
Right Hand Rule #1
If you make a “thumbs up” sign
and point your thumb down a
wire in the direction of the
current, your other four fingers
will point in the direction of the
magnetic field.

Thumb points in
direction of the current
Fingers point in direction
of the field lines
 Drawing in 3D
It can be hard to translate a 3rd dimension into a
2-dimensional diagram so there some
conventions to help us out

How do you represent a direction that’s perpendicular to the paper?

Into the paper Out of the paper

 Drawing in 3D
Where is Magnetic Flux Density the highest?

I
 Right Hand Rule #1
Draw in the magnetic field lines around these current carrying wires

I I

I
 Looped Wire
A wire in a loop has as stronger magnetic
field inside the loop than outside… weak
B-field

strong
B-field
Creating an electromagnet
 Magnetic Field

N S
Electromagnet Applications
 5

Electromagnetic Force
IB PHYSICS | FORCE FIELDS
 Remember the Right Hand Rule?
Thumb points in
direction of the current
Fingers point in direction I
of the field lines

I
 Right Hand Rule #2
Thumb points in direction of the current

Fingers point in direction of the field lines

Palm points in direction of the force

How do you represent a direction that’s perpendicular to the paper?

Into the paper Out of the paper

 Right Hand Rule #2
A current-carrying wire is placed in a magnetic field and the
magnetic field exerts a force on the wire

F
S N S N

F
 Designing a Motor
When electric current is passed through a
motion
magnetic field, you get ____________

S N
 Motors vs Generators
Electric Motors convert

Electricity Motion

Electric Generators convert

Motion Electricity
Examples
 Speakers

S N S N

F
 Definition of the Ampere
Consider two parallel wires, with current in the
same direction. Do they attract or repel??

**One ampere is defined as the current that would cause a force of 2 × 10-7 N per
meter between two long parallel conductors separated by 1 m in a vacuum
 Fields

Gravitational Field Magnetic Field

𝐹 N
𝑔= = 𝐹 N
𝑚 kg 𝐵= = = T
𝐼 A
Electric Field

𝐹 N
𝐸= =
𝑞 C
 Magnetic Flux
The magnetic field strength is sometimes referred to as magnetic flux and
depends on how perpendicular the current is in relation to the field direction
 Magnetic field Strength
Current, I 𝐹
θ 𝐵=
Length of wire
in field, L
𝐼𝐿𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
θ The force on the wire is proportional
Angle between
field and current to the charge moving perpendicular
to the field. Because of these the
perpendicular component must be
used in the calculation
 Fields
𝐹
𝐵= 𝐹 = 𝐵𝐼𝐿 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝐼𝐿 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
F
Magnetic force
L
Newtons [N] Length of conductor in
uniform magnetic field
B
Magnetic field strength
Tesla [T] Angle between

I
Current θ magnetic field and
current
Amperes [A]
IB Physics Data Booklet
 Try This…
A current of 3.8 A in a long wire experiences a force of 5.7 × 10-3 N when it
flows through a magnetic field of strength 25 mT. If the length of wire in the
field is 10 cm, what is the angle between the field and current?

𝐹 = 𝐵𝐼𝐿 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
−3
𝐹 −1
(5.7 × 10 )
𝜃 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛−1 = 𝑠𝑖𝑛
𝐵𝐼𝐿 (25 × 10−3 )(3.8)(0.1)
𝐹 = 5.7 × 10−3 N
𝐵 = 25 mT = 25 × 10−3 T
𝐼 = 3.8 A 𝜃 = 36.87°
𝐿 = 10 cm = 0.1 m
 Force on a Charged Particle
When there is a magnetic force on a current carrying wire, the force
is really on the moving charges inside of the conductor.
Single charged particles can also experience a magnetic force when
moving through a magnetic field…
𝐿
𝑣=
𝐹 = 𝐵𝐼𝐿 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 +
𝑡
𝑞 𝐿 = 𝑣𝑡
𝐹 = 𝐵 𝑡 𝑣𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑞
𝐼=
𝑡
𝐹 = 𝐵𝑞𝑣 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
IB Physics Data Booklet
 Try This…
What is the magnetic force acting on a proton (+1.6 × 10-19 C) moving at an
angle of 32° across a magnetic field of 5.3 × 10-3 T at a speed of 3.4 × 105 m s-1?

𝐹 = 𝑞𝑣𝐵 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝐹 = 1.6 × 10−19 3.4 × 105 5.3 × 10−3 𝑠𝑖𝑛32°
𝑞 = 1.6 × 10−19 C
𝐹 = 1.5 × 10 −16 N
𝑣 = 3.4 × 105 m s−1
𝐵 = 5.3 × 10−3 T
𝜃 = 32°
 Particles Moving Across Fields

+
fast

slow +

magnetic field out of screen magnetic field into screen