All Flashcards
Compare the electric field inside and outside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium.
Inside: Electric field is zero. | Outside: Electric field is perpendicular to the surface.
Compare the charge distribution in conductors versus insulators.
Conductors: Charge resides on the surface and distributes evenly. | Insulators: Charge can be distributed throughout the volume and does not move freely.
Compare electric potential and electric field inside a conductor.
Electric Potential: Constant inside the conductor. | Electric Field: Zero inside the conductor.
Compare the behavior of conductors in electrostatic conditions versus dynamic (current flow) conditions.
Electrostatic: Charges are stationary, electric field inside is zero. | Dynamic: Charges are moving, electric field can exist inside due to voltage source.
Compare the function of a conductor with and without a voltage source.
Without Voltage Source: Distributes charge to achieve electrostatic equilibrium. | With Voltage Source: Facilitates continuous charge flow, creating an electric current.
Compare the electric field inside and outside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium.
Inside: Electric field is zero. | Outside: Electric field is perpendicular to the surface and non-zero.
Compare the charge distribution on a conductor with and without an external electric field.
Without field: Charge is evenly distributed on the surface. | With field: Charge redistributes to cancel the field inside.
Compare electric potential and electric field inside a conductor.
Electric Field: Always zero inside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium. | Electric Potential: Constant, but not necessarily zero, inside a conductor.
Compare the behavior of conductors and insulators in an electric field.
Conductors: Charges move freely to cancel the field. | Insulators: Charges do not move freely; they polarize.
Compare the electric field inside a Faraday cage to the electric field outside.
Inside: Electric field is zero. | Outside: Electric field exists and is influenced by the cage's shape and any external charges.
Define electrostatic equilibrium.
A condition where charges on a conductor are not moving, resulting in a stable charge distribution.
What are free electrons?
Electrons in a conductor that can move freely through the material, enabling electrical conductivity.
Define electric shielding (or screening).
The phenomenon where a conductor cancels out an external electric field inside its volume due to charge rearrangement.
What is a Faraday cage?
A conductive enclosure that blocks external electric fields, creating a field-free zone inside.
Define electric potential.
The amount of electric potential energy a unitary point charge would have if located at any point in space.