Physics Electric Charge Concepts

It's a fundamental property of matter that causes it to experience electrostatic forces. It can be positive or negative.

The total charge of a system is the sum of all individual charges present. This means we can add up the charges to find the total charge.

Electric charge always comes in discrete units, which are multiples of the elementary charge 'e' (1.6 x 10^-19 Coulombs). This means charge cannot exist in fractions of 'e'.

In an isolated system, the total amount of electric charge remains constant. This means no charge is created or destroyed, only transferred.

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

It's a region around a charge where another charge experiences a force. It's defined as the force per unit positive charge.

For a point charge, the electric field strength is directly proportional to the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance from it.

They are imaginary lines that represent the direction and strength of the electric field. Their properties help visualize the field.

The strength of the electric field is proportional to the density of the field lines. Closer lines indicate a stronger field, while farther lines suggest a weaker field.

A pair of equal and opposite charges separated by a small distance.

The product of the magnitude of one charge and the distance between the charges in an electric dipole.

The electric field created by an electric dipole at a point along the axis connecting the two charges.

The electric field created by an electric dipole at a point perpendicular to the axis connecting the two charges.

The tendency of an electric dipole to align itself with an external electric field. It's calculated as the cross product of the dipole moment and the electric field.

A state where the dipole moment is aligned with the electric field, resulting in zero torque, making the dipole stable.

A state where the dipole moment is opposite to the electric field, also resulting in zero torque, but the dipole is unstable, the slightest nudge will cause it to flip.

The total amount of electric flux passing through a closed surface is directly proportional to the net electric charge enclosed within the surface.

The electric field due to an infinite straight wire is directly proportional to the linear charge density of the wire and inversely proportional to the distance from the wire.

The electric field due to an infinite charged sheet is uniform and independent of the distance from the sheet.

The electric field inside a spherical shell or hollow sphere is zero, while the electric field outside is the same as that due to a point charge located at the center of the sphere.

The electric flux through a surface is the measure of the number of electric field lines passing through the surface.

The dot product of the electric field and the area vector of the surface, representing the component of the electric field perpendicular to the surface.

The integral of the dot product of the electric field and the infinitesimal area element over the entire surface.

The quantity of electric charge passing through a given area per unit time.

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

The ratio of the electric field strength in a vacuum to the electric field strength in the medium. It represents how much weaker the electric field becomes in the medium compared to air.

The force between two charges decreases as the distance between them increases. The force is directly proportional to (1/distance²).

A material that allows electric charge to flow easily through it. It has free electrons that can move freely.

A material that resists the flow of electric charge. The electrons are tightly bound to their atoms.

The process of transferring excess charge from a charged object to the Earth. It removes excess charge from the object.

A method of charging a neutral object by bringing a charged object close to it, but without direct contact. This induces opposite charges on the neutral object.

When two uncharged insulators are rubbed together, they acquire opposite charges due to the transfer of electrons. This is a fundamental way to create static electricity.

The total charge (q) of an object is directly proportional to the number of excess electrons (n) and the magnitude of the elementary charge (e). It can be expressed as:

q = ne

The force (F) between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes (q1 and q2) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them. This is expressed by Coulomb's Law:

F = kq1q2 / r²

where k is Coulomb's constant (9 x 10^9 Nm²/C²).

The electric field strength (E) at a point is defined as the force (F) experienced by a unit positive charge (q) placed at that point. It is given by:

E = F/q

The distance (r) between two charges can be determined using Coulomb's law and the known values of the charges (q1 and q2) and the force (F) between them. The equation can be rearranged as:

r² = kq1q2 / F

If the distance between two charges is doubled, the force between them will be reduced to one-fourth of its original value. This is due to the inverse square relationship in Coulomb's Law.

The force between two charges is independent of the medium between them. This is because the force between charges is a fundamental interaction and is not affected by the presence of other matter.

The electric field due to a point charge is radial. This means the field lines emanate outward from the point charge in a straight line, like spokes on a wheel.

The electric field is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The direction of the electric field is defined as the direction of the force experienced by a positive test charge placed in the field

Electric field lines are imaginary lines that map the direction and strength of an electric field. They always start on positive charges and end on negative charges, and they never intersect.

Electric flux is a measure of the amount of electric field passing through a surface. It's like the number of field lines crossing the surface.

The dielectric constant is a measure of a material's ability to reduce the electric field strength. A higher dielectric constant means it can 'weaken' the electric field more.

Torque is the twisting force that makes a dipole rotate in a uniform electric field. It's proportional to the dipole moment and the sine of the angle between the dipole moment and the electric field.