Electric Charge and Atomic Structure

A measure of how many electrons are either missing or added to an atom.

The SI unit of electric charge. One coulomb is equivalent to the amount of charge passed by a current of 1 ampere flowing for 1 second.

A negatively charged particle that orbits the nucleus of an atom.

A positively charged particle that resides in the nucleus of an atom.

A neutral particle, found in the nucleus of an atom. It has no charge.

A charged object with a deficiency of electrons, making it positively charged.

A charged object with an excess of electrons, making it negatively charged.

Objects with the same type of charge (either both positive or both negative) repel each other. Objects with opposite charges (one positive and one negative) attract each other.

Static electricity is the build-up of electrical charge on the surface of a material. It occurs when two materials rub against each other, causing electrons to transfer from one material to the other.

A conductor is a material that allows electric charge to flow through it easily. Metals are good conductors due to the presence of free electrons, which can move throughout the material.

The tendency for electric charge to accumulate at pointed ends of conductors, causing a higher concentration of charge and potentially leading to electric discharge.

An insulator is a material that does not allow electric charge to flow through it easily. This is because the electrons in insulators are tightly bound to their atoms.

A device used to protect buildings from lightning strikes. It consists of a pointed copper rod running from the roof to the ground, facilitating point discharge and diverting lightning currents.

Induction is the process by which a charged object can influence the distribution of charge on a neutral object without direct contact. This occurs due to the electric field created by the charged object.

Point discharge is the phenomenon where charged particles (ions) in the air are strongly attracted to or repelled from a sharp point on a charged conductor, causing a loss of charge from that point.

A phenomenon where charge on a conductor, like a hollow metal can, resides entirely on its outer surface.

The force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

A Van de Graaff generator is a device used to produce high voltage static electricity. It works by transferring charge to a large, insulated dome using a moving belt.

The electric field strength at a point is the force that would be exerted on a unit positive charge placed at that point.

A device used to detect and study electric charges. It consists of a metal disc, rod, insulated plug, earthed container, and a gold leaf that deflects due to the repulsion of like charges.

The electric potential at a point is the work done per unit positive charge in bringing a charge from infinity to that point.

The process of inducing a charge on an object by bringing a charged object nearby. This causes a separation of charges and leaves the object with a charge opposite to the inducer.

A capacitor is a device that stores electrical energy in an electric field. It consists of two conductive plates separated by a non-conductive material called a dielectric.

The capacitance of a capacitor is a measure of its ability to store charge. It is defined as the ratio of the charge stored on the capacitor to the potential difference across its plates.

A device used to transfer a small amount of charge from one object to another, often used to test the charge on objects.

The process of bringing a charged object near a neutral object, causing a temporary separation of charges within the neutral object. This results in a region of opposite charge being attracted towards the charged object.

The force between two charges is stronger in a vacuum than in a medium.

The ability of a material to resist an electric field.

The ratio of the permittivity of a material to the permittivity of free space.

The region of space around a charged object where another charged object would experience a force.

Lines that represent the direction and strength of an electric field.

The process of removing dust particles from smoke using electrostatic charges.

A copying process that utilizes electrostatic charges to transfer an image onto paper.

Protective measures in electronic circuits to prevent static charges from damaging integrated chips.

A metal enclosure that prevents electric fields from entering or escaping.

The charge on an object is distributed in a way that minimizes the total potential energy. In a pear-shaped conductor, the charge will be concentrated at the pointy end.

The force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that if you double the distance between two charges, the force between them will decrease by a factor of four.

A full-body metal-foil suit protects the operator by providing a conductive path for current to flow around the body, thus preventing a dangerous build-up of voltage.

A Van de Graaff generator uses a belt to transfer charge to a spherical dome. When the potential difference between the dome and the surrounding air becomes high enough, the air becomes ionized and conducts the charge away from the dome, creating a discharge.

The tendency for electric charge to accumulate at pointed ends of conductors, causing a higher concentration of charge and potentially leading to an electric discharge.

When an insulated conductor is charged, the charges repel each other and move to positions that maximize their distance apart.

Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience forces when placed in an electric field. It's measured in Coulombs (C), where 1 Coulomb is the amount of charge passed by a current of 1 Ampere flowing for 1 second.

The charge on a single electron is -1.6 x 10^-19 Coulombs. This tiny value explains why billions of electrons are needed to make up just 1 Coulomb of charge.

A body becomes positively charged when it loses electrons, while it becomes negatively charged when it gains electrons.

Like charges repel each other (e.g., positive and positive, or negative and negative). Unlike charges attract each other (e.g., positive and negative).

When rubbed together, objects with weaker attraction for electrons lose electrons to the object with a stronger attraction. This explains why polythene becomes negatively charged and Perspex becomes positively charged after being rubbed together.