MIDTERM I Flashcards
which way does conventional current flow through a circuit?
from the higher potential to the lower potential (because conventional current involves the flow of positive charges)
what are equipotential SURFACES supposed to depict?
all points perpendicular to the electric field where the electric potentials are equal and particles can move along them without any work being done…???? IN 3D
voltage is…
electric potential PER CHARGE
electric potential is…
the potential energy IN JOULES that a charged particle has/contains d/t its location within an electric field
why/how does friction generate electrical charge?
electrons actually move from one object to another (via conduction), causing imbalances in the objects’ protons and electrons
what are electric field lines supposed to show you?
the direction of a charge’s electric field
what is current?
flowing charge. not the same as static charge
what is capacitance?
the amount of charge a material can hold (which can be calculated, and is r/t physical properties)
wires with currents flowing in the same direction: attracted or repelled?
attract
what is a dielectric?
the non-conducting material (like plastic, paper, or air) that exists between the plates of a capacitor to help keep the charges from traveling across the gap
what are the 2 terms in the electric field eqn?
- force (of particle) WHICH IS A VECTOR
2. charge (of particle)
why/how does friction generate electrical charge?
electrons actually move from one object to another (via conduction or induction), causing imbalances in the objects’ protons and electrons
electric charge of an PROTON is…
1.6E19 coulombs
who can you tell which part of a magnet is its north pole?
the north pole is the part that points toward geographic north when placed
what are root mean square (rms) values for quantities involved in alternating current calculations?
the square roots of the average values for a given quantity (i.e. the square root of the average current for a given system)
which of these terms does NOT have an rms value: current, resistance, or voltage?
resistance
what does the energy density of a capacitor describe?
the volume of energy a capacitor can store
energy per unit volume
what is the dielectric constant (k) for air?
1
what are the 4 terms in the eqn for the MAGNITUDE of magnetic force exerted ON a wire, BY a nearby current?
- the radius
- 2(pi)
- the current (I)
- ‘permeability’ of free space constant (mu naught)
electric potential DIFFERENCE (aka voltage DIFFERENCE) can be describe as…
the amount of energy/work required to move a ONE COULOMB OF CHARGE from one location within in electric field to another (given) location within the electric field
what is a battery?
a device whose voltage/electric potential facilitates current in a circuit
the battery contains positive and negative charges that can’t get to one another until/unless you provide the pathway/circuit for them to travel through
what is a magnet?
a material that attracts ‘ferromagnetic’ materials and creates a magnetic field
what are the 3 terms in the wire resistance eqn (the one that includes resistivity constant)?
- L for length of wire
- A for area (of the cross section of) wire
- resistivity or the material
electric potential is a type of…
potential energy
what do electric dipoles have to do with equipotential lines/surfaces?
equal and opposite equipotential lines/surfaces of separate particles give rise to electric dipoles
how many different ways are there to write the power eqn (involving voltage and current)?
3
what does the resistivity of a material tell you?
the amount of resistance the material has; this is a property of the material that you get from a table
what are the 3 ways an object can become charged?
- friction (touching)
- conduction (touching)
- induction (NO touching)
which way do electric field/lines travel for NEGATIVE charges?
radially TOWARDS/into the particle
what is a watt?
power per time
how many joules is 1 eVolt?
1.6E-19 joules
how does resistance related to current and voltage in the Ohm’s Law eqn?
R = V/I because R follows from physical properties of a material, regardless of the voltage being introduced
what are the 4 terms in the eqn for the MAGNITUDE of two wires’ currents exerting magnetic fields on one another?
- the radius
- 2(pi)
- the current (I)
- ‘permeability’ of free space constant (mu naught)
what are equipotential lines supposed to depict?
all points perpendicular to the electric field where the electric potentials are equal and particles can move along them without any work being done…???? IN 2D
electric charge of an electron is…
-1.6E19 coulombs