Electric Forces and Fields Flashcards
What is electric charge? What unit is it measured in?
Electric charge is a physical property of matter that causes it(matter) to experience a force when placed in an electric field? Electric charge(q) is measured in units of Coulombs(C)
What is an alpha particle?
An alpha particle is a Helium particle without electrons
Has a charge of +2
Objects with an equal number of protons and electrons are ___________
Neutral (q=0)
Note: Protons and electrons offset each other(NET charge is 0). Objects still have charges in them.
The charge of an object is ___________(1). This means that it must come in a ______________(2) of a base unit called the ________________(3) where e = __________________(4)
(1) Quantized
(2) Whole number multiple
(3) Elementary charge e
(4) 1.60 x 10 ^-19 C
The Law of Charges states that ______________________
Like charges repel, and opposite charges attract
What is Conservation of Charge, adn what circumstances must be met for this to hold true? What key physics principle refers to conservation of charge?
When objects in a system interact, the net charge before (sigma qb) the interaction is equal to the net charge after the interaction (sigma qa)
- Only valid in a system that is closed and isolated
-Key physics principle 7
What is inertia? What is inertia dependant on?
Inertia is an object’s tendency to remain in the state it is in(les responsive to external forces). Inertia is dependant on mass(higher mass = higher inertia).
Protons have a mass that is __________(1) than that of an electron. Because of their lower inertia, electrons are far ____________(2) to electrical influences than protons. Electrons ____________(3) around an object, while protons are _____________________(4).
(1) Larger
(2) More responsive
(3) Can move
(4) Fixed in place
What is a conductor?
A conductor is a material in which electrons can easily move around(ie. metals).
What is an insulator?
An insulator is a material where there is greater resitance to the movement of electrons, and therefore the electrons cannot move around as easily(ie. glass, plastic).
In an insulator, electrons tend to be in ______________ to one another.
Close proximity (because they can’t move around/away from each other)
Electrons ___________________________ of symmetrical conductors.
evenly distribute along the surface of
What is electrical conductivity?
Electrical conductivity is a material property that describes how tightly bound electrons are to the protons in the nucleus
What are the four methods of charging objects?
- Charging by friction
- Charging by conduction
- Charging by induction
- Charging by induction through grounding
What is charging by friction?
The transfer of electrons from one object to another but rubbing them together. The object with the higher EC will transfer electrons to the other object. Net charge of the system before and after is the same.
What does High EC mean?
ELectrons are more loosely bound to the nucleus and can more easily be transferred to a different object
What does low EC mean?
Electrons are more tightly bound to the nucleus adn are less likely to be transferred to a different object.
What is charging by conduction?
The transfer of electrons from one object to another as a result of direct contact without the requirement of rubbing the objects together. Electrical conductivity does not matter in conduction.
What happens in conductors with identical surface area?
The electrons will repel and evenly distribute over the surface of both conductors.
What happens in conductors with different surface areas?
The object with the larger surface area will carry more electrons