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.
Define electric field.
A field created by charged objects that exerts a force on other charged objects. It can be attractive or repulsive.
What is electric field strength?
The force per unit charge experienced by a test charge placed in the electric field. Measured in N/C or V/m.
Define electrostatic equilibrium in a conductor.
A condition where there is no net motion of charge within the conductor, and the electric field inside the conductor is zero.
What is polarization?
The separation of charge within an insulator (or even a neutral object) caused by an external electric field.
Define electric field lines.
Visual representations of the electric field, indicating direction and strength. They point away from positive charges and towards negative charges. Density indicates strength.
What is a Faraday cage?
A conductive enclosure that blocks external electric fields by redistributing charges to cancel the external field inside.
Compare and contrast electric fields and gravitational fields.
Electric fields can be attractive or repulsive, while gravitational fields are always attractive. Both involve a field of force around an object with intrinsic properties (charge or mass).
Compare conductors and insulators in terms of electric fields.
Conductors allow charges to move freely, resulting in zero electric field inside in electrostatic equilibrium. Insulators resist charge movement and can sustain an internal electric field.
Compare electric field strength (E) and electrostatic force (F).
Electric field strength (E) is the force per unit charge (E = F/q). Electrostatic force (F) is the force experienced by a charge in an electric field (F = qE).
Compare the motion of positive and negative charges in an electric field.
Positive charges accelerate in the direction of the electric field. Negative charges accelerate against the direction of the electric field.
Compare the electric field due to a point charge and the electric field between parallel plates.
The electric field due to a point charge is radial and non-uniform. The electric field between parallel plates is uniform.