Chapter 5 - The Material World Flashcards
What is electricity?
The movement of electrons from one body to another.
Can protons move out of the nucleus of an atom?
No, only electrons can move from one atom to another.
What does it mean if an object is positively charged?
It has lost electrons and has more protons than electrons.
What does it mean if an object is negatively charged?
It has gained electrons and has more electrons than protons.
What is the unit of measurement for electrical charge?
Coulomb (C). One Coulomb is equal to 6.25×10^18 electrons or protons.
State the Law of Electrical Attraction and Repulsion.
Like charges repel, and opposite charges attract.
What is static electricity?
The movement of electrons between objects at rest (not connected in an electrical circuit).
What are three ways to charge an object at rest?
Friction, conduction, and induction.
What happens when two objects are charged by friction?
Electrons are transferred, leaving one object positively charged and the other negatively charged.
How does the electrostatic series determine charge?
It ranks materials by how strongly they hold electrons. Materials with a stronger hold become negatively charged when rubbed.
What is an electrical field?
An area of space where the electrical force of a charged object can act on another charged object.
State Coulomb’s Law.
The electrical force between two charged objects depends on their charges and the distance between them. F_e = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2.
What two factors affect the force between two charges?
The strength of the charges and the distance between them.
If the distance between two charged particles is halved, how is the force affected?
The force is quadrupled, as it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance.
