Electrostatics

Front

What is electrostatics?

Back

The branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest and the forces and fields associated with them.

Front

What is a conductor?

Back

A material that allows electric charges to flow freely, such as metals.

Front

What is an insulator?

Back

A material that does not allow electric charges to flow freely, such as rubber or glass.

Front

What happens when two objects with opposite charges come close to each other?

Back

They attract each other.

Front

What happens when two objects with like charges come close to each other?

Back

They repel each other.

Front

What is grounding?

Back

The process of connecting an object to the Earth to neutralize its charge.

Front

What is the charge of an object after it has been grounded?

Back

It becomes neutral.

Front

What is the principle of conservation of charge?

Back

The total electric charge in an isolated system remains constant.

Front

What is the effect of rubbing a balloon with wool?

Back

The balloon becomes negatively charged, and the wool becomes positively charged.

Front

What is polarization in electrostatics?

Back

The redistribution of electric charges in an object due to the influence of a nearby charged object.