Electricity Review Flashcards
What is the law of electric charges?
Opposites attract and same charges repel
What happens when a negatively charged rod is touched to a neutral object?
when a negatively charged rod is touched to a neutral object it repels.
What are sparks?
(Electrical discharge) the charges are trapped until given a path to escape
How is lightning caused?
The bottom of the cloud creates a negative zone and through induction it creates a positive zone and then creates a rapid discharge to the ground.
3 ways things can be charged:
- Induction
- Friction
- Static
What is induction?
The movement of electrons with a substance caused by a nearby charged charged object without direct contact between the substance and the object.
What is friction?
A force resisting the relative motion of 2 surfaces in contact. (When two objects rub together the force of friction can remove electrons from one object and cause them to transfer to the other object) NO LOSS OF ELECTRONS. THEY ARE TRANSFERED
What is static?
(All said materials can be charged by the transfer of electrons) objects can become when electrons move from one object to another (build up of electric charge on the surface of an object = static charge / static electricity.
(Eg: balloon on hair)
If there are more protons than electrons:
Electrons lost = object will be negatively charged
If electrons are more than protons:
Electrons lost = object will negatively charged
If protons = electrons:
Object will be neutrally charged
Charges are static because
Because they remain very nearly fixed in one location on the surface
What is an insulator:
A material or object that does not easily allow electricity to pass through (eg: rubber, plastic, pure water)
Define conductor
An object or material that allows electric current to flow through it (eg: wire, aluminum, metals)
Difference between a conductor and an insulator
And electric current can flow freely in a conductor but cannot in an insulator.
