Electric Fields Flashcards
Where will a charge particle experience a force
In an electric field
What do electric field lines represent?
How strong the electric field is
If the electric field lines are closer together, is the field strong or weak?
Strong
If two oppositely charged plates are placed close together, what will they produce?
A uniform electric field
What are the characteristics of a uniform electric field?
The field lines are equally spaced
The force acting on a charged particle remains constant
What are the two units for electric field strength?
NC^-1
Or Vm^-1
How can you investigate an electric field?
Use a power to supply to provide a p.d and caster oil with floating semolina to show the field lines
What is an electric dipole?
Two equal but opposite charges separated by a distance
As you move through an electric field, what changes?
The electric potential
What direction does an electric field travel?
Positive to negative
Where is charge particularly concentrated?
Around spikes or points
What is the permittivity of free space?
A measure of how easy it is for the electric field to travel through space
How can you investigate Coulomb’s law?
Charge a pair of insulated spheres, clamp them close together. Adjust the distance to see a change in force. Inverse square law
What is the charge of an alpha particle?
Twice the charge of an electron
What happens when an electron starts to approach the speed of light?
The kinetic energy increases, but it is the mass that increases not the speed
What is an electric field?
A region of space in which a charged particle will experience a force
Is an electric field a scalar or a vector quantity?
Vector
What is meant by the term electric field strength?
The force per unit charge acting on a charged particle
Why is the path of electrons curved when in an electric field, but straight outside of an electric field? (3)
When inside the E field, there is an acceleration towards the positive plate
Constant horizontal velocity
Outside the E field, the speed is so high, gravitational effect is negligible
2 spheres of the same mass are separated by a distance. If the charge on one sphere was greater than the other, what would happen? Why?
They would move the same distance, because the force experienced is equal and opposite
An electron is accelerated through a p.d. How will the fields effects differ if a proton were placed in it? (2)
Acceleration would be in the opposite direction because charge is opposite
The acceleration would be less because the mass of the proton is less than the electron
