Coulomb's Law
The relationship between elctrical charge and distance; F = (k) (q1 x q2)/(d squared); If the charges are alike in sign, the force is repulsive; If the charges are unlike, the force is attractive
Coulomb
The SI unit of the electrical charge; One of these is equal to the total charge of 6.25x10 to the 18th power electrons
Conductor
Any material having free charged particles that easily flow through it when an electric force acts on them
Electrostatics
The study of electric charge at rest (not in motion, as in electrical currents)
Conservation of Charge
Electric charge is neither created nor destroyed; The total charge before an interaction equals the total charge after
Insulator
A material without free charged particles and through which charge does not easily flow
Semiconductor
A material with properties that fall between a conductor and an insulator and whose resistance can be affected by adding impurities
Superconductor
A material that is a perfect conductor with zero resistance to the flow of electric charge
Charging by Contact
Transfer of electric charge between objects by robbing or simple touching
Charging by Induction
Redistribution of elecftric charges in and on objects caused by the electrical influence of a charged object close by but not in contact
Electrically Polarized
Term applied ot an atom or molecule in which the charges are aligned so that one side has a slight excess of positive charge and the other side a slight excess of negative charge
Electric Field
___ ___ = F/q; Defined as elecftric force per unit charge, it can be consided to be an "aura" surrounding charged objects and is a storehouse of electric energy; About a charged point the ____ decreases with distance according to the inverse-square law, l
Electrical Potential Energy
The energy a charged object possesses by virtue of its location in an electric field
Electric Potential (voltage)
This is the ___ ___ energy per unit of charge; Measured in volts; ___ = (___ ___ energy)/charge
Capacitor
An electrical device--in its simplest form, a pair of parallel conducting plates separated by a small distance--that stores electric charge and energy
Electric Force
Force that one charge exerts on another; When the charges are the same sign, they repel; When the charges are opposite, they attract
Potential Difference
The difference in electric potential between two points, measured in volts. When two points of different electric potential are connected by a conductor, charge flows so long as a potential difference exists; Synonymous with voltage difference
Voltage Difference
The difference in electric potential between two points, measured in volts. When two points of different electric potential are connected by a conductor, charge flows so long as a potential difference exists; Synonymous with potential difference
Electric Current
The flow of electric charge that transports energy from one place to another; Measure in amperes, where 1A is the flow of 6.25x10(to the 18th squared) electrons per second, or 1 coulomb per second
Electrical Resistance
The property of a material that resists electrical current; Measured in ohms (?)
Ohm's Law
The statement that the current in a circuit varies in direct proportion to the potential difference or voltage across the circuit and inversely with the circuit's resistance; Current = (voltage)//(resistance); A potential of 1V across a resistance of 1? p
Direct Current (dc)
Electrically charged particles flowing in one direction only
Alternating Current (ac)
Electrically charged particles that repeatedl reverse direction, vibrating about relatively fixed positions; In the US, the vibrational rate is commonly 60Hz
Electric Power
The rate of energy transfer, or the rate of doing work; The amount of energy per unit time, which electrically can be measured by the product of current and voltage; ___ = current x voltage; Measured in watts (or kilowatts), where 1W = 1A x 1V = 1 J/s
Series Circuit
An electric circuit in which electrical devices are connected along a single wire such that the same electric current exists in all of them
Parallel Circuit
An electric ciruit in which electrical devices are connected in such a way that the same voltage acts across each one, and any single one completes the circuit independently of all the others
Magnetic Force
1)Between magnets, it is the attraction of unlike magnetic poles for each other and the repulsion between like magnetic poles; 2)Between a magnetic field and a moving charged particle, it is a deflecting force due to the motion of the particle: the deflec
Magnetic Field
The region of magnetic influence around a magnetic pole or a moving charged particle
Magnetic Domains
Clustered regions of aligned magnetic atoms. When these regions themselves are aligned with another, the substance containing them is a magnet.
Electromagnet
A magnet whose field is produced by an electric current. It is usually in the form of a wire coil with a piece of iron inside the coil.
Cosmic Rays
Various high-speed particles that travel throughout the universe
Electromagnetic Induction
The induction of voltage when a magnetic field changes with time. If the magnetic field within a closed loop changes in any way, a voltage induced its the loop: Voltage induction ~ area loop x ((?mag. field)//(?time)); This is a statement of Faraday's law
Faraday's Law
An electric field is created in any region of space in which a magnetic field is changing with time. The magnitude of the induced leectric field is proportional to the rate at which the magnetic field changes The direction of the induced field is at right
Generator
An electromagnetic induction device that produces electric current by rotating a coil within a stationary magnetic field; Converts mechanical energy to electrical energy
Transformer
A device for transferring electric power from one coil of wire to antoher, by means of electromagnetic induction, for the purpose of transforming one value of voltage to another
Maxwell's Counterpart to Faraday's Law
A magnetic field is created in any region of space in which an electric field is changing with time. The magnitude of the induced magnetic field is proportional to the rate at which the elctric field changes. The direction of the induced magnetic field is