Electrostatics Flashcards
What is electrostatics?
The study of electricity at rest
Which particles are involved in the charging process?
Electrons
When does an object gain a positive charge?
When it has a shortage of electrons
When does an object gain a negative charge?
When the object has an excess of electrons
What is a conductor?
A material that can allow a current to flow
What is an insulator?
A material that does not allow current to flow
What are examples of insulators?
Wood Plastic Glass Rubber Paper
What is an example of a conductor?
Metal
What is friction?
The force that exists between two objects that have been rubbed together
What does friction cause?
A transfer of electrons between the two substances
What is a triboelectric series?
The ease with which a substance loses or gains electrons
How is a triboelectric series structured?
Those more likely to lose electrons are at the top
Those more likely to gain electrons are at the bottom
What materials are at the top of the triboelectric series?
Rabbit fur Glass Human hair Nylon Wool Silk Paper Cotton
What material is in the middle of the triboelectric series?
Steel
What materials are at the bottom of the triboelectric series?
Wood Amber Hard rubber Gold Polyester Styrofoam Polyurethane PVC Silicon Teflon
How do charged objects interact?
Like charges repel
Unlike charges attract
What happens when a negatively charged object comes into contact with a neutral object?
The electrons on the negatively charged object pushes the electrons on the neutral object away
They will then be attracted to one another
What is the magnitude of an electrostatic force affected by?
The size of the charges on the object
The distance between the charged objects
What does the size of a charge have to do with its electrostatic force?
The greater the charge, the greater the electrostatic force
What does distance have to do with an electrostatic force?
The greater the distance between the charged objects, the less the electrostatic force
What is polarisation?
The process whereby a neutral object can be attracted to a negatively charged object
What is the principle of conservation of charge?
It states that the net charge of an isolated system remains constant during any physical process
What happens when two charged bodies (same size and insulated together) are brought into contact?
There will be a movement of electrons between the two bodies
After separation, they will carry the same charge
What formula shows the movement of electrons between two charged objects?
Overall charge is equal to the sum of the charge of both objects divided by two
How do we quantify charge?
By using the charge in one coulomb
What equation is used to quantify charge?
Charge is equal to the charge of one coulomb times the number of electrons
Q=nqe
What is the charge in one coulomb?
1,6 x10^-19C
