All Flashcards
What is the effect of placing a positive test charge in an electric field?
The test charge experiences a force in the same direction as the electric field.
What is the effect of excess charge on a conductor?
The charges redistribute until the electric field inside the conductor is zero, with all excess charge residing on the surface.
What is the effect of a strong electric field on an insulator?
Dielectric breakdown can occur, causing the insulator to conduct electricity.
What is the effect of increasing the density of electric field lines?
It indicates a stronger electric field.
What is the effect of placing a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium?
The electric field inside the conductor becomes zero.
Given an electric field line diagram around a positive and negative charge, what do the arrows represent?
The arrows represent the direction of the electric field at that point.
In an electric field line diagram, what does the density of the lines indicate?
The density of the lines indicates the strength of the electric field.
In a diagram of a charged conductor, where does excess charge reside?
Excess charge resides only on the surface of the conductor.
In a diagram of electric field lines, what do the starting and ending points of the lines represent?
Field lines start on positive charges and end on negative charges.
In a diagram representing a Faraday cage, what is the electric field inside the cage?
The electric field inside the cage is zero.
How do you calculate the electric field at a point?
Divide the electric force on a tiny positive test charge by the magnitude of that test charge: .
How to find the net electric field at a point?
Add the individual electric field vectors from all nearby charges. Remember that electric fields are vector quantities.
What is the process of charge redistribution in a conductor?
Conductors rapidly move charges until the electric field inside is zero and charges are at rest.
How to determine the direction of the electric field from a positive charge?
The electric field points radially outward from the positive charge.
How to determine the direction of the electric field from a negative charge?
The electric field points radially inward toward the negative charge.