PHYS 1008 B Physics II / Electric Forces and Fields Review

Flashcards created to help students review key concepts in Electromagnetism and Modern Physics for PHYS 1008 B.

What does classical mechanics study?

The motion of particles.

What is the difference between electrostatics and electrodynamics?

Electrostatics is the science of electric charges at rest; electrodynamics is the science of electric charges in motion.

What is conservation of charge?

The net charge of a closed system never changes.

What are the two types of electric charge?

Positive (+) and negative (−).

What is the SI unit of electric charge?

Coulomb (C).

What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's law gives the electric force acting between two point charges, and it's an inverse square law force.

How does charge transfer occur when rubbing objects together?

Both electrons and ions can be transferred from one object to the other.

What happens when like charges interact?

Like charges repel one another, while unlike charges attract.

What is a conductor?

A material in which charge can move easily.

What is a superconductor?

A material with no resistance to charge motion.

How is an electroscope charged negatively?

By touching its metal bulb with a negatively charged object.

What is the significance of an object's net charge being zero?

It indicates that the object has equal amounts of positive and negative charge.

What does it mean to ground a conductor?

To provide a conducting path between the conductor and the Earth.

How is an object polarized by induction?

An electrically neutral object can have regions of positive and negative charge within it due to the influence of a nearby charged object.

What is the elementary charge?

The charge possessed by a proton or an electron, approximately ±1.602 × 10−19 C.

How do electric forces compare to gravitational forces?

Electric forces can be much stronger than gravitational forces, and they act at a distance like gravity.

What are significant figures?

Digits in a number that carry meaning contributing to its precision.