fields Flashcards
what is a force field
area in which an object experiences a non-contact force
what two ways can force fields be represented as?
vectors or field lines
what does a vector in force fields show
direction of the force that would be exerted on the object
what does the distance between field lines represent
strength of the force exerted by the field in that region
how are force fields formed
interaction of masses, static charge or moving charges
what type of field is formed during the interaction of masses
gravitational fields
what type of field is formed during the interaction of charges
electric fields
what are the differences between gravitational fields and electric fields
- in gravitational fields, the force is always attractive whereas in electric fields the force can be repulsive or attractive
- electric force act on charge whereas gravitational force acts on mass
what are the similarities between gravitational fields and electric fields
- both follow inverse square law
- use field lines to be represented
- have equipotential surfaces
what does gravity act on?
any object with mass
what type of force is gravity
attractive
what does newtons law of gravitation show
the magnitude of the gravitational force between two objects is directly proportional to the product of the masses and is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
newtons law of gravitation equation
F=Gm₁m₂/r²
what are the two types of gravitational fields
uniform field or radial field
how does a radial field exert gravitational force?
the force exerted depends on the position of the object in the field
how does a uniform field exert gravitational force?
the same gravitational force is exerted on a mass everywhere in the field
what Is gravitational field strength
force per unit mass exerted by a gravitational field on an object
what is gravitational potential?
work done per unit mass when moving an object from infinity to that point
what is gravitational potential at infinity
0
is gravitational potential always negative or positive
negative
what is the gravitational potential difference
energy needed to move a unit mass between two points
what is potential on an equipotential?
it is constant on the equipotential surface
what are equipotential surfaces
surfaces that are created through joining points of equal potential together
how much work is done when moving along an equipotential surface
none