electric fields Flashcards
what do all charged particles and surfaces produce?
an electric field around themselves
what is an electric field
a region where a charged particle experiences a non contact force which can be attractive or repulsive
same charges _____ each other
repel
opposite charges _____ each other
attract
what are electric field lines
point in the direction that a positive charge would experience a force and point from positive to negative
what is columbs law?
- the force is directly proportional to the product of the charges involved
- the force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation between 2 charges
what type of force will it be if it has a positive value
repulsive
what type of force will it be if it has a negative value
attractive
what is electric field strength
electric field strength is defined as the electrotstatic force that a unit positive charge would expirence at a given point in the field
the force per unit charge acting at a point in an electric field
when does electric field strength decrease
as you move further away
what happens as there is a weaker electric field strength
the less dense the electric field lines
what is electric potential
amount of work done moving a unit positive charge from infinity to a point in the field
what is electric potential difference
work done moving a positive charge from one point to another. this means when you move a charge through a potential difference, work is done
change in Work done = charge x change in potential
what is equipotentials in electric fields
places where electric potential is the same, and no work is done moving along these
when calculating the force between 2 particles, what can air be treated as?
a vacuum
