ElectromagnetismLesson 1 of 5 in the course Electric Charges and Fields

Electric Charge: Interactions, Quantization, Atomic Structure, and Transfer

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 4 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Everyday experiences such as clothes clinging after a dryer cycle, a balloon sticking to a wall, or a small shock from a doorknob are examples of electric forces. This lesson introduces how these effects led to the idea of electric charge and describes the basic behavior of electric forces.

When certain materials are rubbed together, they can acquire electrical properties. A rubbed comb may attract a thin stream of water or small paper pieces; a rubbed balloon may stick to a wall. These effects are commonly called static electricity.

All flashcards

What is static electricity?
Electrical effects associated with charge on objects that is not flowing as a sustained current, such as a rubbed balloon sticking to a wall.
What are the two types of electric charge?
Positive charge and negative charge.
How do like and unlike charges interact?
Like charges repel each other; unlike charges attract each other.
What does it mean that an electric force is long-range?
It can cause an interaction between objects even when they are separated and not in physical contact.
How does electric force magnitude depend on separation distance?
It decreases in proportion to the square of the distance: F∝1/r2F\propto 1/r^2. Doubling the distance makes the force one fourth as large.

Quiz questions

  1. What does conservation of charge mean for a closed system?Answer: Its total charge remains constant.
  2. How do the charges of a proton and an electron compare?Answer: They have equal magnitudes and opposite signs.
  3. What condition makes an atom electrically neutral?Answer: It has equal numbers of protons and electrons.
  4. What happens when an atom gains electrons?Answer: It becomes negatively charged.
  5. How is conventional current defined in a metal circuit?Answer: In the direction positive charge would move.

Based on University Physics Volume 2 by Samuel J. Ling, William Moebs, Jeff Sanny (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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