Unit 1: Electrostatics

Charge

Charge

It is a fundamental property of matter that describes the amount of electrical energy present in an object.

Coulomb

SI unit of charge

Electric charge

It is a fundamental property of matter that arises from the presence or absence of electrons in an atom.

Conductors

These are materials that allow electric charge to flow freely through them.

Insulators

These are materials that do not allow electric charge to flow easily.

law of electrostatics

a set of fundamental principles that govern the behavior of electric charges at rest.

Coulomb's law

This law states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Electric field

A region in space where an electric charge experiences a force.

Electric potential difference

It is the difference in electric potential between two points in an electric field. It is measured in volts (V).

Charging

It is the process of adding electrical energy to a system.

Discharging

It is the process of releasing electrical energy from a system.

Electrostatic force

It is the force that exists between electrically charged particles.

Electrostatic Force Formula

Point Charges

Two Point Charges

Two Parallel Plates

Electric field strength

It is the force per unit charge experienced by a test charge placed in an electric field. It is a vector quantity and is denoted by E.

Capacitors

devices that store electric charge and energy.

Electric motors

devices that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

Particle accelerators

devices that use electric fields to accelerate charged particles to high speeds.

Electrostatic precipitators

devices that use electric fields to remove pollutants from the air.

Electric potential energy

It is the energy that a charged particle possesses due to its position in an electric field. It is defined as the amount of work required to move a charged particle from infinity to a point in the electric field.

Joule

SI unit of electric potential energy

Potential difference

It is the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points in an electric circuit.

Gauss' Law

It is a fundamental principle in electromagnetism that relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the charge enclosed within that surface. It is named after the German mathematician and physicist Carl Friedrich Gauss.

Flux

It is the amount of a physical quantity passing through a given surface.

Extended charge distributions

This refer to the distribution of electric charge over a three-dimensional object.

Continuous Charge Distributions

These charge distributions are those where the charge is distributed continuously over a volume or surface.

Spherical Charge Distributions

These charge distributions are those where the charge is distributed uniformly over the surface of a sphere.

Cylindrical Charge Distributions

These charge distributions are those where the charge is distributed uniformly over the surface of a cylinder.

Planar Charge Distributions

These charge distributions are those where the charge is distributed uniformly over a flat surface.

Gauss law in Line of Charge

Gauss law in Point, Hoop, or Sphere (fully enclosed)

Gauss law in Sphere (not fully enclosed)

Gauss law in Insulating Sheet of Charge