What is charge?
An electrical charge is a property of matter that causes the matter to experience a force when the matter is placed in an electromagnetic field. The symbol for electric charge is “q.”
What causes electric charge?
An electric charge is created when an object has an unequal number of electrons and protons. An uncharged object has an equal number of protons and electrons.
What are the parts of an atom?
Three major parts make up an atom. Neutrons have no charge and are not attracted or repelled by charged particles. Electrons have a negative charge and are attracted to positively charged particles and repelled by other negatively charged particles. Protons have a positive charge and are attracted to negatively charged particles and repelled by other positively charged particles.
How is charge measured?
The typical unit for measuring charge is the coulomb. One coulomb is the charge on 6.24 billion, billion electrons. The symbol for the coulomb is “C.”
What is an electric force?
The electric force is the attraction or repulsion between two or more charged objects. The strength of the electric force depends on two factors, the size of the electric charge and the distance between the objects. The symbol for electric force is “F.”
How is electric force measured?
Like most forces, the unit of measure for the electric force is the newton. The symbol for newtons is “N.”
What is Coulomb’s Law?
Coulomb’s Law states that the electric force between two charged particles or objects is proportional to the product of their charges and inverse of the square of the distance separating the two particles. Coulomb’s Law is expressed as:
F =
kq1q2
d2
Where F= electric force, q1 = charge on one particle, q2 = charge on the other particle,
and d = distance separating the particles. k = a constant that changes the proportionality into an equation and k = 9,000,000,000 Nm2/C2
As shocking as it may sound, in this module you’ll investigate the factors that affect the electric interactions between two electrically charged particles. Get started now finding out how to increase or reduce electrical forces.
