gravitational and electrostatic forces vocab

charge

may be positive, negative, or neutral; can be present on subatomic particles, atoms, or molecules; causes the object to interact with electromagnetic fields

coulomb

the SI unit of electric charge, equal to the quantity of electricity conveyed in one second by a current of one ampere

coulombs law

a law describing the electrostatic force of interaction between charged particles based on the strength of the charges and the distance between the particles

electric field

a region around a charged particle or object within which a force would be exerted on other charged particles or objects

electric force

the interaction between a charged particle and an electromagnetic field or between two charged particles

electrostatic force

a force created by the interaction of stationary electric charges

gravitation

a force of attraction exerted by each particle of matter in the universe on every other particle

gravitational field

the region of space surrounding a body in which another body experiences a force of gravitational attraction

gravitational force

a force of attraction between two masses

newtons law of universal gravitation

law stating that every piece of matter is attracted to every other piece of matter; the force is directly proportional to their masses but inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them

alternating current

an electric current that reverses its direction many times a second at regular intervals

ampere

the SI unit of measurement for electric current

attractive force

a force that acts to move objects closer together

circuit

a closed loop of conductors through which on electric current can flow

conductor

a material that allows electrons to flow freely from particle to particle

direct current

an electric current flowing in only one direction

electricity

a physical phenomenon associated with the presence and movement of electric charge

electromagnetism

the physical interaction between charged particles; one of the four fundamental interactions in nature

electrostatic attraction

an attraction related to the relative charge of an object

field

a physical condition existing in space that causes particles placed within the space to experience a force

repulsion/repulsive force

the force that acts between bodies of like electric charge or magnetic polarity, tending to separate them

volt

the SI unit for electromotive force, or the difference in potential that would drive one amp of current against one ohm of resistance

voltage

the difference in electric potential between two points