Physics Notes
Electrostatics
- Concepts: (Terms
& Objectives)
- Concept Summary
(download the PowerPoint)
- Electric charge
- Two types - positive and negative
- Like charges repel, unlike charges attract
- Originally named by Franklin
- Unit: Coulomb
- defined in terms of electric current = charge passing
a point in a circuit in 1 second if the current is 1
Ampere.
- = 6.24 x 1018 charges
- Basic atomic structure
- Protons
- Neutrons
- Electrons
- Neutral atoms
- Ions
- Charging by:
- friction
- contact
- electric charge is conserved
- Electrical Forces
- Coulomb's Law
- inverse square law
- same form as Newton's Law of Universal
Gravitation
- k = 9.0 x 109 N
m2/C2
- much stronger than gravitational forces
(~1039)
- Michael's Question - Electric versus gravitational forces
- Induction
- How charged objects attract neutral objects
- electric dipoles
- charging by induction
- lightning
- Practice Quizzes
- Labs & Demos:
- Links:
last update April 2, 2008 by JL
Stanbrough