Electrostatics Flashcards

Flashcards covering electrostatics concepts from the lecture notes.

Four Fundamental Interactions

Gravity, Strong, Weak, and Electromagnetic

Strong Nuclear Force

A strong, short-range attractive force that holds the particles of the nucleus of an atom together. Much larger in magnitude than gravitational or electromagnetic forces.

Weak Force

Force involved in transmutation of particles within the nucleus, observed in radioactive decay. Stronger only than the gravitational force.

Gravitational Force

Attractive force existing between all objects. Weakest of all forces, keeps the moon in orbit around the Earth.

Electromagnetic Force

Force exerted by charged particles at rest or in motion on each other. Includes electric and magnetic forces.

Electrostatics

The study of properties and results of electric charges at rest.

Atom Charge

Neutrally Charged

Positive Ion

Created when an electron is removed from an atom.

Negative Ion

Created when an electron is attached to an atom.

Two Kinds of Electric Charges

Positive (protons) and Negative (electrons)

Like Charges

Repel

Unlike Charges

Attract

Electroscope

Instrument to determine charge.

Charge

Fundamental property of matter measured in Coulombs (C).

Coulomb

Unit of charge, named after Charles Augustin de Coulomb.

Charge Denotation

Denoted by the letter q.

Insulators

Materials that inhibit the flow of free charged particles (e.g., wood, air, rubber).

Conductors

Materials that allow the flow of free charged particles (e.g., metal, water).

Semiconductors

Intermediate class of materials with conduction between an insulator and conductor (e.g., germanium, silicon).

Charging by Friction

Charging by rubbing one material to another. One material loses electrons and becomes positively charged, and the other gains electrons and becomes negatively charged; charges are conserved.

Charging by Conduction

Charging a neutral body by touching it with a charged body.

Charging by induction

Charging a neutral object by bring a charged body close to but not touching the object.

Coulomb's Law

The size of the electric force between two charged particles depends on the size of the charges and the distance between them.

Elementary Charge

The charge on one electron or one proton, e- = -1.60 x 10-19 C

Millikan Oil Drop Experiment

Experiment by Robert Millikan to determine the charge on an electron.

Millikan

Charge was always a multiple of -1.6 x 10 -19 C, the charge on a single electron.