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MCAT Physics Chapter 5- Electrostatics and Magentism

Terms in this set (34)

SI unit of charge
the coulomb
Fundamental unit of charge
e= 1.60 x 10^-19
Opposite charges exert ... forces, and like charges exert ... forces
attractive, repulsive
Conductors
allow the free and uniform passage of electrons when charged
Insulators
resist the movement of charge and will have localized areas of charge that do not distribute over the surface of the material
Coulomb's law
-gives the magnitude of the electrostatic force vector between two charges
-force vector always points along the line connecting the centers of the two charges

F=kq1q2/(r^2)
Electric field
region generated by an electric charge or multiple charges that can exert a force on another charge brought into the field
Electric field equation
E= F/q= kQ/(r^2) (unit is N/C)

q=charge of test charge
Q=charge of source charge
Electric field is the ratio...
of the force that is exerted on a test charge to the magnitude of that charge
Field lines
representations of electric fields that radiate outward from positive source charges and radiate inward to negative source charges
Positive test charges
move in the direction of the field lines
Negative test charges
move in the direction opposite of the field lines
Electrical potential energy
-the amount of work required to bring the test charge from infinitely far away to a given position in the vicinity of a source charge
-increases when two like charges move toward each other or when two opposite charges move further apart
-decreases when two opposite charges move toward each other or when two like charges move further apart
Electrical potential energy equation
U=kQq/r (unit is J)
Electrical potential
the electrical potential energy per unit charge
Electrical potential (from electrical potential energy)
V=U/q (unit is volts)
Electrical potential (from source charge)
V= kQ/r (unit is volts)
Voltage
-aka potential difference
-the change in electrical potential that accompanies the movement of a test charge from one position to another
-path independent
-unit is volts
Voltage equation
ΔV=V(b)-V(a)= W(ab)/q
Electric dipole
-two charges of opposite sign separated by a distance d
-in external electric field, electric dipole will experience a net torque until it is aligned with electric field vector
-electric field will not induce any translational motion in the dipole regardless of its orientaton with respect to the electric field vector
Test charge movement
-positive test charge will move spontaneously from high potential to low potential
-negative test charge will move spontaneously from low potential to high potential
Electrical potential near a dipole equation
V= kqd(cos(theta))/(r^2)
Dipole moment
p=qd
Torque on a dipole in electric field
T= pEsin(theta)
Magnetic fields
-created by magnets and moving charges
-has SI unit of tesla (1 T= 1000 gauss)
Diamagnetic materials
possess no unpaired electrons and are slightly repelled by a magnet
Paramagnetic materials
possess some unpaired electrons and become weakly magnetic in an external magnetic field
Ferromagnetic materials
possess some unpaired electrons and become strongly magnetic in an external magnetic field
Current-carrying wires
create magnetic fields that are concentric circles surrounding the wire
Magnetic field from a straight wire
External magnetic fields exert...
forces on charges moving in any direction except parallel or antiparallel to the field (sin(0) and sin(180) are 0)
Magnetic field from a loop wire
Magnetic force on a moving point charge
Magnetic force on a current-carrying wire
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...