Atoms and Electrostatic Charge Flashcards
Learn about atomic structure and electric charge
Name three good conductors
Silver, copper, aluminium or carbon (Most metals are good conductors).
Name a semiconductor.
Silicon or germanium
Name three plastics that act as insulators.
PVC, polythene, perspex
Name an insulator that is not a plastic.
Glass, rubber or dry air.
What is a conductor?
A material that lets electrons pass through it.
What is an insulator?
A material that hardly conducts at all. Its electrons are tightly held to atoms and are not free to move.
When perspex is rubbed with a dry woollen cloth, does it become positively or negatively charged?
+ Positively charged +
When polythene is rubbed with a dry woollen cloth, does it become positively or negatively charged?
- Negatively charged -
Do two negative charged attract or repel?
Repel
Do a negative and a positive charge attract or repel?
Attract
What charge is carried by protons in an atom?
Positive +
What charge is carried by electrons in an atom?
Negative -
What charge is carried by neutrons in an atom?
None, they are neutral.
Name one non-metal that is a good conductor.
Carbon
Describe the basic structure of an atom.
An atom consists of a nucleus containing neutrons, which have no charge, and positively charged protons with negatively charged electrons ‘orbiting’ this nucleus.
What is the charge of an atom’s nucleus?
Positive
