ELECTROSTATICS & ELECTRICITY LECTURE NOTES

Flashcards covering key concepts and definitions in electrostatics and electricity based on lecture notes.

Electrostatics

The study of charged particles at rest and the forces between them.

Electric Charge (q)

An intrinsic property of particles that can be positive or negative, measured in Coulombs (C).

Coulombs (C)

The unit of electric charge; equals the charge transported by a steady current of one ampere in one second.

Insulators

Materials that have a high resistance to the flow of electrons, e.g., rubber, plastic.

Conductors

Materials that allow the flow of electric current, such as metals like copper.

Superconductors

Materials that exhibit zero resistance to electric current below a certain critical temperature.

Conservation of Electric Charges

Charge can neither be created nor destroyed, only transferred between objects.

Coulomb's Law

Describes the force between two charges; is attractive for unlike charges and repulsive for like charges.

Electric Field (E)

A vector field around a charged object that describes the force it exerts on other charges.

Electric Potential Energy (U)

The energy a charge possesses due to its position in an electric field.

Equipotential Surface

A surface at which the electric potential is constant across all points.

Electric Current (I)

The flow of electric charge measured in amperes (A); one ampere equals one coulomb per second.

Resistance (R)

The opposition to the flow of electric current; measured in ohms (Ω).

Ohm's Law

Relates voltage (V), current (I), and resistance (R) in a circuit: V = IR.

Direct Current (DC)

An electric current that flows consistently in one direction.

Alternating Current (AC)

An electric current that periodically reverses direction.

Kirchhoff’s Laws

Rules for analyzing complex circuits: junction rule (current in = current out) and loop rule (sum of voltage drops = voltage sources).

Electromotive Force (EMF)

The potential difference of a cell when no current flows; the voltage available from a source.