Chapter 5. Electricity and magnetism Flashcards
What does electricity describe?
All phenomena caused by positive and negative charges
What is a neutral body?
Bodies with equal amounts of positive and negative charges
What is a charged body?
Bodies that have an excess of one type of charge and are therefore positively or negatively charged
What is a dipole?
Bodies whose charges are separated or unevenly distributed
What is electrostatic force?
The force between like or unlike charges resulting in attraction or repulsion
Unlike electrical charges…
attract
Like electrical charges…
repel
What is charging an object?
creating an imbalance in the electrical charge of an object
What does the Law of Conservation of Charge state?
no electrical charges can be made or destroyed, but simply transferred
A conductor allows…
Allows charges to move through it
An insulator prevents…
Prevents charges from moving
How will charges be distributed on a conductor?
They will be distributed evenly on the surface
How will charges be distributed on an insulator?
They will be located in patches on the surface of an insulator
