Physics Form 5

Chapter 2: Electricity
Electric Field and Charge Flow

Electric Current and Potential

Difference

Series and Parallel Circuit

E.m.f and Internal Resistance

Electric Energy and Power

 Part 1:Electric Field and Charge Flow

electron

proton

neutron

Positive Charge of a proton

charge = +1.6 x 10-19 C
Electric
charge
Negative Charge of an electron
charge = -1.6 x 10-19 C
 A body is neutral if the number
of positive and negative charges
are the same
 Different charges attract one
another
 Like charges repel one another
 SI unit for charge is Coulomb, C.

Conductor Electron flow

- +
Fixed atom Electron
 Current
 Current – the rate of flow of electric charge
 SI unit of current is Ampere, A

 The direction of a current is the direction in which

a positive charge would move
 The direction of current is from positive terminal
to the negative terminal.
 The electromotive force, e.m.f, causes the negatively-
charged electrons to flow from the negative terminal
to the positive terminal.
 A current in a circuit is 1 ampere if the charge is
flowing at the rate of 1 coulomb per second
 A coulomb is the charge which passes any point in a
circuit when a steady current of 1A is flowing in 1s
 Formula:
 Extra Notes
 The charge in an electron,
e = - 1.6 x 10-19 C
 If N electrons make up 1 C of
charge, then
 No. of electrons, N x charge in
an electron, e = total charge, Q
 Thus, Q = Ne
Example 1
A charge of 500 C flow through a bulb in
every 3 minutes. What is the electric
current in the bulb?
Example 2
An electric current of 300mA flows
through a resistor for 4s, what is the
number of electrons which flows through
the resistor?
 Electric Field
 An electric field is a region where an electric
charge experiences an electric force
 A positive or negative charge produces an electric
field in the space surrounding the charge.
 Any charge in electric field experiences electric
force acting on it.

+ -
 Extra Notes: Electric Field
 The lines are called electric field lines or electric lines of
force
 The pattern of the electric lines of force depends on the
 Shape of the charged object
 Number of charged object
 An electric field line is a vector quantity as it has both
force and direction.
 Properties of electric line of force:
 The direction of the electric field lines is from the
positive charge towards the negative charge.
 The electric field lines do not cross-over each other.
 The closer the lines, the stronger the electric field is.
To Observe Pattern Of Electric Field
 + -

+ + - -
 -
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-
+ - + -
-
-

+ + -
+ + -
+ + -
- + + -
+ + -
+ + -
Ping Pong Ball Coated With Conducting Material
 Observation & Explanation
 A ping pong ball coated with
metallic paint is placed
centrally between two metallic
plates connected to a very high
voltage source.
 The ball is suspended with
nylon string which is an
electrical insulator.
 When the power supply is
switched on, the ball will not
move as it is initially neutral.
 The charges on both sides
neutralize each other.
 Observation & Explanation

 When the ping-pong ball touches the positively

charged plate X, the ball receives positive charges
from the plate and experiences a repulsive force.
 The ball will be pushed to the negatively charged
plate Y.
 When the ball touches plate Y, the positive charges
are neutralized by the negative charges.
 The ball then negatively charged and repels toward
plate X.
 The process is repeated and the ball oscillate to and
fro between the two metal plates X and Y.
 The rate of oscillation of the ping-pong ball can be
increased by increasing the voltage of the EHT power
supply or decreasing the distance between the two
plates X and Y.
 Flame Of A Candle
 When the EHT power supply is
switched on, the candle flame
divided into two portions in
opposite directions.
 The portion that is attracted to the
negative plate Q is very much
larger than the portion that is
attracted to the positive plate P.
 The hot flame of the candle
ionizes the air molecules in its
surrounding into positive and
negative ions.
 Flame Of A Candle

 The movement of the ions towards the plated P and Q

caused the candle flame to spread out.
 The bigger portion of the flame is attracted towards
the negative plate as the mass of the positive ions is
larger than of the negative ions.
 Lightning

 During cloud formation, the friction of movement

creates a lot of excess charge.
 This induced positive charges on the objects below it.
 If the forces of attraction are strong enough, the
negative charges in the clouds will be attracted
towards the positive charges of the objects, resulting
in lightning.