Comprehensive Physics and Electricity Concepts for Independent Learners

What is the original name for the mysterious force that picks up small, lightweight objects when objects are rubbed together?

Electric force

What is the Greek word for amber?

Elektron

Who named the 'electric force'?

William Gilbert

What were the 'four elements' Earth was thought to be made of in Western thought?

Earth, air, fire, and water

What is the chemical composition of water?

Hydrogen and oxygen

What are the different types of atoms on the periodic table called?

Elements

What is the Greek word for 'indivisible'?

atom

Each element on the periodic table is a different kind of what?

atom

Who is the most famous founding father who did not run for president?

Benjamin Franklin

What country was Benjamin Franklin popular in?

France

What is the name of the device that can store electricity and shock anyone who touches it?

Leyden jar

What subject was Benjamin Franklin very interested in?

Electricity

What did Benjamin Franklin describe as the attraction between two objects?

Electrical fire

What was Benjamin Franklin's important discovery in terms of electricity?

Electricity is conserved.

Something that cannot be created or destroyed has this property.

Conservation

Franklin attached a key to what during his experimentations?

a kite

Franklin proved that lightning was what kind of phenomenon?

an electrical phenomenon

What is the fundamental piece of matter that everything is made out of?

particles

The center of the atom is known as what?

Nucleus

The two types of particles in the center of an atom are called what?

protons and neutrons

What are the two types of particles that have roughly the same mass called?

Protons and neutrons

What is the fundamental property that determines an object's response to force?

Mass

What is another name for mass?

Inertia

What is the particle that exists far outside the nucleus?

Electron

Most atoms have an equal number of these two particles.

Protons and electrons

Oxygen has how many protons?

Eight

The electric charge of neutrons is what?

Neutral

The electric charge of protons is what?

Positive

The electric charge of electrons is what?

Negative

What types of charges attract each other?

Opposite

What types of charges repel each other?

Same

What law states that an object's mass will keep it moving as long as nothing stops it?

Newton's first

What law states that an object will accelerate in the direction of the force it's feeling?

Newton's second

What law states that every action has an equivalent reaction?

Newton's third

Which has more mass, a proton or an electron?

A proton

If pulled by the same force, which will accelerate more, a proton or an electron?

An electron

Protons and neutrons are made up of what?

Quarks

What is a way to write very big and very small numbers in an abbreviated form?

Scientific notation

The prefix mega has what power of 10?

6

The prefix kilo has what power of 10?

3

The prefix centi has what power of 10?

-2

The prefix milli has what power of 10?

-3

The prefix micro has what power of 10?

-6

The prefix nano has what power of 10?

-9

How many types of fundamental forces are there?

Four

The fundamental force that attracts and repels charged particles is called what?

Electricity

The fundamental force that keeps protons in the nucleus is called what?

Strong nuclear force

The fundamental force that transforms particles into other particles is called what?

weak nuclear force

The fundamental force that pulls mass towards other mass is called what?

Gravity

The three variables that affect gravity between two objects are what?

Masses of the two objects and the distance between them.

What is the gravitational force equation?

FG = G (m1m2 / r²)

In the gravitational equation, if you double the radius, what happens to the force?

It becomes 1/4th as strong.

What is the value of the gravitational constant?

6.67 × 10-11 N m²/kg²

What is the mass of a proton?

10-27 kg

What is the mass of an electron?

10-30 kg

What is Coulomb's Law?

FE = k (q1q2 / r²)

What do the q's in Coulomb's law represent?

The amount of charge on both objects

What does the r in Coulomb's law represent?

The distance between the charges

What is the letter representing Coulomb's constant?

k

A word to describe something that comes in discrete, countable amounts is what?

quantized

In Coulomb's law, if you double the radius, what happens to the force?

It becomes one-fourth as strong.

What is the value of Coulomb's constant?

8.99 × 10⁹ N m²/C²

Which is stronger between electrons, gravitational force or electric force?

Electric force

What kind of electric force will two electrons feel?

Repulsive

Most atoms have what kind of charge?

Neutral

A quantity that has both magnitude and direction is known as what?

A vector

What are the two types of commonly used fields?

A scalar field and a vector field

The temperature in a room is an example of what kind of field?

Scalar field

What is a vector?

A quantity with both magnitude and direction.

What kind of field is the temperature in a room an example of?

A scalar field.

What type of field is the wind over the surface of the Earth an example of?

A vector field.

What type of field is gravity?

A vector field.

Where does the gravitational field around Earth point?

Towards the center of the Earth.

What is the equation for the force of gravity around Earth?

FG = mg.

What is the g value of Earth near the ground?

9.8 newtons per kilogram.

What is the equation for electric force?

FE = qE.

In which direction does the force a proton feels point relative to E?

The same direction.

In which direction does the force an electron feels point relative to E?

The opposite direction.

What is the electric field E measured in?

Newtons per coulomb.

Which direction does a field around a single proton point?

Away from the proton.

Which direction does a field around a single electron point?

Towards the electron.

What is the equation that gives the strength of a proton's electric field?

E = kq/r².

How are many electric fields from close objects combined?

They are added together.

What is the electric field like at a distance from a proton-electron pair?

Very weak, resembling a particle with zero total charge.

In an electric dipole, where do the fields reinforce each other?

Directly between the proton and electron, both pointing right.

What is an electric dipole?

A configuration with a positive and negative charge creating a polarized field.

How does a third charge move in a dipole's field?

It follows the field lines; negative charges move opposite.

Why can some molecules act as electric dipoles?

They have a positive and negative side, affecting nearby charges.

How does symmetry simplify electric field calculations?

It allows canceling out opposing field components.

What happens if two tugboats pull a ship in opposite directions?

The ship does not move; the net force is zero.

If a proton is placed between two equally charged spheres, what happens?

It feels no net force; the electric fields cancel out.

What occurs if a proton is nudged forward between two charged spheres?

It moves forward due to additive forward field components.

Why do horizontal field components cancel in a proton's motion?

They are equal and opposite, leaving only the vertical component.

What happens to a proton above a flat sheet of positive charge?

It is pushed upward, as left and right field components cancel.

What is the direction of the electric field from a flat sheet of charge?

Perpendicular to the sheet, away from the edges.

How do fields between oppositely charged plates behave?

They reinforce each other, creating a uniform field.

What does Gauss's law help calculate?

The electric field for extended objects using a Gaussian surface.

What is the permittivity of free space?

A constant related to the Coulomb constant.

What is electric field flux?

The amount of electric field passing through a given area.

How is electric field flux calculated?

As the electric field strength (E) times the surface area (A).