Physics Vocab Electric Forces and Electric Fields

types of charges

positive and negative charges - proton and electrons

protons

A positively charged particle that is found in the nucleus of every atom.

electrons

a subatomic particle that is found in all atoms

no mass

nuetrons

two particles in the nucleus with no charge - neutral, with a similar mass to electron

conductors

materials in which the electric charges move freely

insulators

materials in which the electric charges do not move freely

semiconductor

characteristics are between those of insulators and conductors

ex: silicon, germanium

charging by conduction

a charged rod object is placed in contact with another object. when the rod is removed the sphere is left with charge

charging by induction

a negatively charged rubber rod is brought near an uncharged sphere, the charges in the sphere are redistributed

Coulomb’s law

states that the electrostatic 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 of a charge

An electric field is a region of space where a charged particle experiences a force due to the presence of another charge