electric and magnetic fields Flashcards
force field
a force field is an area in which an object experiences a non-contact
electric field
a force field in which charged particles experience a non-contact force
electric field strength
force per unit charge experienced by an object in a field
E=F/Q
coulombs law
the magnitude of force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
electric field strength in a radial field equation
E=KQ/r^2
electric potential
potential energy per unit charge of a positive point charge at that point in the field
where is the magnitude of electric potential maximum
at the surface of the point charge
where is the magnitude of electric potential smallest
it is 0 at infinity
electric potential in a radial field equation
V=KQ/r
electric potential difference
energy needed to move a point charge between two points
what does the distance between field lines represent
the strength of the field at that point
capacitance
charge per unit potential difference stored in a capacitor
how can you find the energy stored by a capacitor in a charge-potential difference graph
energy will be the are underneath the graph
how do capacitors charge once a switch is closed
-current starts flowing and negative charge builds up on the negative terminal plate.
-on the opposite plate, electrons are repelled by the build up of negative charge on the plate, therefore these electrons move to the positive terminal and an equal but opposite charge is formed on each plate, creating a potential difference.
-as the charge increases, so does the potential difference, but electron flow decreases due to the repulsion, so current eventually becomes zero.
capacitor discharge
the current flows in the opposite direction. electrons transferred to the positively charged plate through the resistor. the current, charge and potential difference fall exponentially