All Flashcards
How do you find the net electric field due to multiple charges?
Use the principle of superposition: calculate the electric field due to each charge individually as vectors, then add the vectors to find the resultant electric field.
Describe the head-to-tail method of adding electric field vectors.
Place the tail of one vector at the head of the other. The resultant vector is drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last vector.
Describe the parallelogram method of adding electric field vectors.
Place the vectors at the same starting point, complete the parallelogram, and draw the resultant vector as the diagonal.
What is the effect of placing a conductor in an external electric field?
Charges redistribute on the surface of the conductor, creating an induced field that cancels the external field inside the conductor.
What is the effect of increasing the distance from a point charge on the electric field strength?
The electric field strength decreases proportionally to the square of the distance (inverse square law).
What is the effect of increasing the magnitude of a source charge on the electric field strength?
The electric field strength increases proportionally to the magnitude of the source charge.
What is the effect of polarization on a neutral object near a charged object?
A slight separation of charge occurs within the neutral object, creating an attraction between the objects.
What is the effect of electric field lines crossing?
Electric field lines cannot cross. Crossing implies an infinitely strong field at the intersection, which is not physically possible.
Compare and contrast electric fields and gravitational fields.
Electric fields can be attractive or repulsive, while gravitational fields are always attractive. Both fields exert forces on objects (charge or mass) and diminish with distance.
Compare the behavior of conductors and insulators in electric fields.
Conductors allow charges to move freely, resulting in zero electric field inside at electrostatic equilibrium. Insulators resist charge movement and can be polarized by electric fields.