Centre of Charge analogous to Centre of Mass, Valid Concept ?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the concept of a "Centre of Charge" and its potential analogy to the "Centre of Mass." It concludes that while a point exists where all charge of a body can be assumed to be concentrated, this point does not necessarily coincide with the centre of mass due to variations in charge density. Specifically, for a uniformly charged semicircle with charge 'Q' and radius 'R', the effective charge center is located at '2R/π', which aligns with the centre of mass only under specific conditions, such as spherical symmetry. In general cases, the two centers may differ significantly.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatics and charge distribution
  • Familiarity with the concept of Centre of Mass (CoM)
  • Knowledge of Gauss's Law and its applications
  • Basic principles of density and its impact on physical properties
NEXT STEPS
  • Research Gauss's Law and its implications for charge distribution
  • Study the differences between charge density and mass density
  • Explore the concept of Centre of Charge in non-uniform charge distributions
  • Investigate the mathematical derivation of Centre of Mass for various shapes
USEFUL FOR

Physicists, electrical engineers, and students studying electrostatics or mechanics who seek to understand the relationship between charge distribution and mass distribution in physical systems.

tejaswa
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I want to know whether I can use a point where all charge of a body can be assumed to be concentrated. Obviously such a point exists. I want to know whether it'll be the same point as centre of mass [as both are scalars and their integration SHOULD yield the same result]

For example, if a half ring [semicircle] has a charge 'Q' uniformly distributed over it and a radius 'R', can I assume all of this Q to be effectively centred at '2R/∏' [location of centre of mass] from its centre? :bugeye:
 
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First, the center of mass is not a scalar - it is not a mass, it is a position. Furthermore, the charge and mass might not have the same density everywhere, so the two might be centered around different positions. Say you have two spheres, one i charged, one is not. Then the CoM would be between the spheres (for some appropriate density of the spheres) but the 'charge center' would be in the middle of the charged sphere.

For your second question, the answer, I believe, is "no, not in general". If you're talking about spherically symmetric things then yes (look up Gauss law of "something to do with this"), but anything else is more tricky than that.
 

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