3.2 static electricity Flashcards
(20 cards)
what does static electricity describe
a situation where positive and negative charges are unevenly distributed, leaving materials with an overall positive or negative charge
how can you give a glass rod a negative charge
by rubbing it with fur
how can you give a glass rod a positive charge
by rubbing it with silk
what happens when two positively charge object meets each other
the will repel each other
what is coulomb’s law described as
the force between two electrically charged bodies
what is coulombs law used to calculate
the force of attraction between two particles
what does the term K stem from
a universal constant, the electric constant
what is the SI unit for force, charge and distance
force - newtons (N)
charge - coulombs (C)
distance - metres (m)
why are metals a good conductor
because of the number of free electrons available
what cause electrons to flow from negative to positive
an electrostatic force
what are materials with very low conductivity classed as
insulators
what happens when an electron enters a conductor
another electron at the opposite end is pushed out
what happens when an electric current passes through water
it will decompose the water creating hydrogen on the negative side and oxygen on the positive side
when would water become a better conductor
when adding acids, bases, or salt
what is electrolysis used for
electroplating and for charging batteries, as well as producing useful substances such as chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide.
what happens when an electric current flows through an electrolyte
there are ions that carry charges, rather than electrons
where do positive ions flow from
the anode to the cathode
what is the conduction of electricity by gases called
gas discharge
how many particles does a vacuum have
zero particles
