Science Force Fields

Force field

area of influence around an object

How does a force field exert forces on objects?

without touching them

Three types of force fields?

magnetic-electrostatic-gravitational

What is a magnetic field?

areas of magnetic force around a magnet that spreads from pole to pole

How are magnetic fields created?

by the two magnetic poles on a magnet

What two poles do magnetic fields have?

north and south

What does Earth’s magnetic field do?

protects it from solar winds

Where is Earth’s magnetic field generated from?

the liquid outer core

What is magnetic force?

attraction or repulsion between two magnetic poles

How do poles attract/repel

north-south attract, north-north/south-south repel

What are electromagnets?

a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by an electric current

What are the components of electromagnets?

Coil, core, and power source

What is a coil in an electromagnet?

creates magnetic field when current flows through it

What is a core in an electromagnet?

a piece of metal like iron for the coil to wrap around

What is a power source in an electromagnet?

supplies the coil with electric current

What did Michael Faraday discover?

electromagnetic induction

What is Faraday’s Law?

the amount of electromagnetic force produced is related to the strength of the magnetic field, its motion, and the amount of copper coils involved

How did Faraday use magnets to make electricity?

passing a magnet through a copper coil of wire repeatedly, which would attract and repel the electrons in the copper

What are electrostatic fields?

an area of force around a charged object that may exert force on other charged objects

What are the two types of charges in electrostatic fields?

positive and negative

How do charges attract/repel in electrostatic fields?

Positive-positive/negative-negative repel and positive-negative attract

How do electrostatic fields hold atoms together?

electrons (-) are attracted to protons (+) within the nucleolus

4 methods of redistribution of static charge?

friction-induction-conduction-polarization

What is friction?

transfer of charge by rubbing two surfaces together

What is induction?

redistributing charge of an object using another objects electric field

What is conduction?

transfer of charge that takes place when two objects touch

What is polarization?

the attraction or repulsion of electrons by an external electric field which causes electrons to move within their own atoms

What is a gravitational force field?

an area of force created around any body with mass

How does mass attract to eachother in gravitational force fields?

the body with the larger mass attracts the body with smaller mass-smaller is attracted to larger

What are controlling factors of gravitational field strength?

mass and distance

How does distance play into gravitational force field strength?

the farther the objects move (the larger the distance) the weaker the gravitational strength