Sections
Glossary
Glossary
- conductor
- a material that allows electrons to move separately from their atomic orbits
- conductor
- an object with properties that allow charges to move about freely within it
- Coulomb force
- another term for the electrostatic force
- Coulomb's law
- the mathematical equation calculating the electrostatic force vector between two charged particles
- electric charge
- a physical property of an object that causes it to be attracted toward or repelled from another charged object; each charged object generates and is influenced by a force called an electromagnetic force
- electric field
- a three-dimensional map of the electric force extended out into space from a point charge
- electric field lines
- a series of lines drawn from a point charge representing the magnitude and direction of force exerted by that charge
- electromagnetic force
- one of the four fundamental forces of nature; the electromagnetic force consists of static electricity, moving electricity and magnetism
- electron
- a particle orbiting the nucleus of an atom and carrying the smallest unit of negative charge
- electrostatic equilibrium
- an electrostatically balanced state in which all free electrical charges have stopped moving about
- electrostatic force
- the amount and direction of attraction or repulsion between two charged bodies
- electrostatic precipitators
- filters that apply charges to particles in the air, then attract those charges to a filter, removing them from the airstream
- electrostatic repulsion
- the phenomenon of two objects with like charges repelling each other
- electrostatics
- the study of electric forces that are static or slow-moving
- Faraday cage
- a metal shield which prevents electric charge from penetrating its surface
- field
- a map of the amount and direction of a force acting on other objects, extending out into space
- free charge
- an electrical charge—either positive or negative—which can move about separately from its base molecule
- free electron
- an electron that is free to move away from its atomic orbit
- grounded
- when a conductor is connected to Earth, allowing charge to freely flow to and from Earth's unlimited reservoir
- grounded
- connected to the ground with a conductor, so that charge flows freely to and from Earth to the grounded object
- induction
- the process by which an electrically charged object brought near a neutral object creates a charge in that object
- ink-jet printer
- small ink droplets sprayed with an electric charge are controlled by electrostatic plates to create images on paper
- insulator
- a material that holds electrons securely within their atomic orbits
- ionosphere
- a layer of charged particles located around 100 km above the surface of Earth, which is responsible for a range of phenomena including the electric field surrounding Earth
- laser printer
- uses a laser to create a photoconductive image on a drum, which attracts dry ink particles that are then rolled onto a sheet of paper to print a high-quality copy of the image
- law of conservation of charge
- states that whenever a charge is created, an equal amount of charge with the opposite sign is created simultaneously
- photoconductor
- a substance that is an insulator until it is exposed to light, when it becomes a conductor
- point charge
- a charged particle, designated , generating an electric field
- polarization
- slight shifting of positive and negative charges to opposite sides of an atom or molecule
- polarized
- a state in which the positive and negative charges within an object have collected in separate locations
- proton
- a particle in the nucleus of an atom and carrying a positive charge equal in magnitude and opposite in sign to the amount of negative charge carried by an electron
- static electricity
- a buildup of electric charge on the surface of an object
- test charge
- a particle—designated —with either a positive or negative charge set down within an electric field generated by a point charge
- Van de Graaff generator
- a machine that produces a large amount of excess charge, used for experiments with high voltage
- vector
- a quantity with both magnitude and direction
- vector addition
- mathematical combination of two or more vectors, including their magnitudes, directions, and positions
- xerography
- a dry copying process based on electrostatics