Electricity and Magnetism Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering key concepts in electricity and magnetism, including definitions, laws, types of currents, and circuit components.

What is electrostatics?

The study of stationary electric charges.

What is electrodynamics?

The study of electric charges in motion.

What is electrification?

The process of losing and accepting electric charges.

What are the three ways to achieve electrification?

Contact, friction, and induction.

What does Coulomb's law state?

The electrostatic force is directly proportional to the product of the electrostatic charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

What is the fundamental unit of electric charge?

Coulomb (C).

What is static electricity?

The build-up of an electric charge on the surface of an object, which does not flow.

What is a circuit?

A path for the flow of electrons.

What are the two types of currents?

Direct Current (DC) and Alternating Current (AC).

What is a series circuit?

A circuit where components are lined up along one path; if broken, all components turn off.

What is a parallel circuit?

A circuit with several branching paths; if broken at any branch, only components on that branch turn off.

What is resistance?

The opposition to the flow of an electric current, producing heat.

What is voltage?

The measure of energy given to the charge flowing in a circuit.

What is Ohm's Law?

The voltage across the total circuit is equal to the current times the resistance.

What materials are considered conductors?

Materials through which electric current flows easily, like metals and water.

What are semiconductors?

Materials that can behave as both conductors and insulators depending on conditions.

What is a superconductor?

A material that exhibits no resistance below a critical temperature.

What factors influence resistance?

Material, thickness, length, and temperature of the wire.