Electrostatics Lecture Notes

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions from the lecture on electrostatics, including concepts related to electric charge, laws, conductors, insulators, and charging methods.

Electrostatics

The study of interactions between stationary electrically charged particles.

Net Charge

The amount of excess charge; a neutral object has an equal number of electrons and protons.

Coulomb's Law

A law stating that the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Static Electricity

Electric charges that are confined to an object, often caused by friction.

Conductor

A material that allows for the easy movement of charge, such as copper.

Insulator

A material that does not allow for easy movement of charge, such as rubber.

Charging by Friction

The process of charging an object through the rubbing together of two materials, leading to the transfer of electrons.

Charging by Induction

Charging a neutral conductor without contact, by bringing a charged object near to it.

Leyden Jar

A fundamental electric circuit element for storing electric charge.

Electric Field

A field around charged particles that exerts a force on other charged particles.