8 Electricity

Question 1

What are the two different types of electric charge?

Answer 1

positive (+) and negative (-)

Question 1

What is static electricity?

Answer 1

A build-up of electrical charge on an object

Question 2

How do like charges interact?

Answer 2

They repel

Question 3

How do unlike charges interact?

Answer 3

They attract

Question 4

How does distance affect the force between charges?

Answer 4

The closer the charges, the greater the force between them

Question 5

What charge do electrons have?

Answer 5

Negative (-) charge

Question 6

What charge do protons have?

Answer 6

Positive (+) charge

Question 7

What charge do neutrons have?

Answer 7

Neutrons have no charge

Question 8

What does rubbing materials do in relation to electric charge?

Answer 8

It separates charges already there

Question 9

What are conductors?

Answer 9

Materials that let electrons pass through them

Question 10

Why do conductors lose charge almost immediately after gaining it?

Answer 10

Electrons can easily flow through them until balance is restored

Question 11

Why are insulators easy to charge by rubbing?

Answer 11

Any electrons that get transferred tend to stay

Question 12

What are examples of conductors?

Answer 12

Silver, copper, aluminium, carbon

Question 13

What are examples of insulators?

Answer 13

PVC, polythene, perspex, glass, rubber, dry air

Question 14

What are semiconductors?

Answer 14

Materials which are poor conductors when cold, but better conductors when warm

Question 15

What are examples of semiconductors?

Answer 15

Silicon, germanium

Question 16

What happens if enough charge builds up on something?

Answer 16

Electrons may be pulled through the air and cause sparks

Question 17

What is earthing?

Answer 17

Objects are connected to the ground so unwanted charge flows away

Question 18

What is induction?

Answer 18

An uncharged object getting charges because of a charged object nearby which does not actually touch it

Question 19

What is the SI unit of charge?

Answer 19

coulomb (C)

Question 20

What is a microcoulomb in coulombs?

Answer 20

1 µC = 10^(-6) C (one millionth of a coulomb)

Question 21

How much is the charge of 1 coulomb roughly?

Answer 21

Equal to the charge on about 6 billion billion electrons

Question 22

What are uses of electrostatic charge?

Answer 22

Electrostatic precipitators, photocopiers, laser printers

Question 23

What is an electric field?

Answer 23

An area around a charged particle or object where electric charges feel a force

Question 24

In electric field patterns, in which direction do the arrows go?

Answer 24

The direction in which the force on a positive (+) charge would act, (away from positive, towards negative charge)

Question 25

When a conductor is charged up, where do the charges concentrate?

Answer 25

The outside

Question 26

When a conductor is charged up, where do the charges concentrate the most?

Answer 26

The sharpest curve

Question 27

What are ions?

Answer 27

Electrically charged atoms, or groups of atoms

Question 28

What is a stream of atoms an example of, and why?

Answer 28

A current, as it is a flow of charge

Question 29

How do atoms become ions?

Answer 29

They lose, or gain electrons

Question 30

Without ions, what is air?

Answer 30

A good electrical insulator

Question 31

With ions present, what is air?

Answer 31

A conductor