Electric Fields

These flashcards cover fundamental concepts and principles of electric fields, including charging objects, electric field lines, Coulomb's law, and equipotential surfaces.

What happens when a charged object is placed near an earthed conductor?

The earthed conductor will become charged.

What do electric field lines indicate?

They show the direction a positive test charge would move.

How are charges transferred when rubbing two different materials together?

Electrons transfer from one material to the other, resulting in one being negatively charged and the other positively charged.

What is the main effect of rubbing a perspex rod with a dry cloth?

Electrons transfer from the rod to the cloth, making the rod positively charged and the cloth negatively charged.

How does an electrically insulating material behave in terms of charge?

Insulating materials do not contain free electrons; all electrons are bound to individual atoms.

What is the principle behind charging a metal object?

A metal object must be isolated from the Earth to prevent neutralization of the charge before it can be charged.

What is electric field strength defined as?

Electric field strength is defined as the force per unit charge on a positive test charge placed at that point.

What is Coulomb's law?

Coulomb's law states that the electric force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

What is an equipotential surface?

An equipotential surface is a surface on which the potential is constant; no work is done when moving a charge along it.

How does the electric field strength vary between two parallel plates?

The electric field strength is uniform between two parallel plates, being the same in magnitude and direction.