Electric Charges and Interactions

Explain the concept of electric charges and how they interact with each other.
Explore the presence of electric charge by utilizing everyday objects and observe how static electricity facilitates interactions between charged and neutral items.
Define electric potential energy.
Explain the relationship between distance, charge, and electric potential energy.
Determine the strength of an electric field.
Differentiate between conductors and insulators and provide examples of each.

All students can describe electric forces and charges.
Most students can explain how electric charges interact.
Some students can give real-life examples.
All students can observe interactions between charged objects and paper.
Most students can explain how rubbing generates electric charge.
Some students can use scientific terminology to describe the effect.
All students can define electric potential energy of a system.
Most students can explain what happens to the electric potential energy if two negative charges are moved closer together.
Few students can describe two ways to increase the electric potential energy between two objects.
All students can identify electric conductivity.
Most students can contrast between electrically charged and electrically neutral.
Few students can differentiate between conductors and insulators and provide examples of each.

Electric Forces: A non-contact force of attraction or repulsion created by an object’s electric field.
Electric Charges
Electric Field: The invisible region surrounding a charged object.
Electric Potential Energy: Stored energy due to interactions of charges in an electric field.
Induction
Conduction
Conductors: A material in which charges can easily move.
Insulators: A material in which charges cannot easily move.

When a balloon is charged with static electricity, it can bend water.
Electric Charge Buildup: Shocks from doorknobs are primarily caused by a buildup of electric charge on a person's body, typically when walking on a carpet that transfers negatively charged particles to their shoes.
Charge Movement: Touching a doorknob allows negatively charged particles to move from the hand to the knob, resulting in a small electric shock.
The strength of the electric force between two charged objects depends on:
- The total amount of electric charge on both objects.
- The distance between the objects.
Electric Charges Interaction: Two objects will either be pulled together or pushed apart. If they have different charges (positively charged and negatively charged), they will attract. If they have the same charges (both are positively charged or both are negatively charged), they will repel.
Electric Potential Energy
- Electric Potential Energy is a stored energy due to interactions of charges in an electric field.
- Electric potential energy depends on:
  - The size of the charges
  - The distance between the two charges.
- The electric potential energy is greater with larger charges.
- It is also larger when the distance between the opposite charges is greater.
- It is also larger when the distance between the similar charges is smaller.

The more a glass rod is rubbed with wool, the stronger the force on the paper.
More paper was attracted to the rod, indicating that the charges on the glass rod increased with more rubbing.

Lightning is a giant spark of static electricity caused by charges building up in clouds.
Static electricity effects are more noticeable in dry climates.

Electric Charges: There are two types of electric charge: positive and negative. Oppositely charged particles attract each other, while similarly charged particles repel each other.
Electrically Charged Object: An object with an unbalanced amount of positive or negative charge.
Electrically Neutral Object: An object with equal amounts of positive and negative charge.
Socks cling to a blanket after drying because the clothes picked up opposite charges. The opposite charges are attracted to each other.