Honors Physics Bloom High School Mr. Barry Latham, M.A.Ed. Static Electricity Honors Physics Bloom High School Mr. Barry Latham, M.A.Ed.
20.1 Electric Charge Electrostatics- study of charges that are held in place Positive charge of nucleus equals the negative charge of surrounding electrons (before charging) Charged objects- Either builds up electrons or loses electrons NOTHING GAINS PROTONS! Like charges- repel Opposite charges- attract
Charging Net charge remains constant Conservation of Matter & Energy & Charge Insulator- doesn’t allow for the transfer of electrons Conductor- allows for the transfer of electrons Semi-conductor- BIG grey area between conductor and insulator
Conductors and Insulators Electric Conductor Metals (ie: copper, iron, silver, gold) Electric Insulator Glass, dry wood, plastics, rubber, cloth, and dry air
20.2 Electric Force Foundational principles Two kinds of charges: positive & negative Charges exert forces at a distance Forces are stronger when closer Like charges repel; opposite charges attract
Ways to Charge: Conduction Conduction- flow of charges (electrons) by touching Rubbing a balloon on your head Electroscope- device used to determine charge Metal knob connected by a metal stem to two thin, lightweight pieces of metal foil PhET “Balloons & Static Electricity”
Ways to Charge: Induction on Neutral Objects Induction- separation of charges without movement from the object Grounding- allowing charges to move relative to the charge of the Earth
Separating Charges on Neutral Objects Charging an object without touching Single object can be charged by induction through grounding
Coulomb’s Law Force depends on distance Force depends on charge F proportional to 1/r2 Force depends on charge F proportional to qAqB F proportional to qAqB/r2 K (proportionality constant) Magnitude on electron: 1.60x10-19 C 1 C = 6.24x1018 electrons K= 9.0x109 Nm2/C2 Similar to BIG G for gravity
Coulomb’s Law Charge in Coulombs (C) of object 1 Force in Newtons (N) Coulomb’s constant: 9.0 X 109 Nm2/C2 Distance between Charges In Meters (m)