Measuring Electric Fields

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Force Field Noun

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[fors feeld]

Back

Force Field

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A region of space in which an object will experience a non-contact force, such as an electric or gravitational force.

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Example: This diagram shows a magnetic force field around a bar magnet, with lines indicating the field's direction and density showing its strength.

Front

Electric Field Noun

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[i-lek-trik feeld]

Back

Electric Field

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A property of the space around a charged object that exerts forces on other charged objects within that space.

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Example: This diagram shows how an electric field radiates outward from a positive charge and points inward toward a negative charge, representing the direction of force.

Front

Test Charge Noun

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[test charj]

Back

Test Charge

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A small positive charge used to detect the presence and measure the strength and direction of an electric field.

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Example: A small, positive test charge is placed in the electric field of a source charge to measure the direction and strength of the attractive force (F).

Front

Electric Field Strength Noun

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[i-lek-trik feeld strength]

Back

Electric Field Strength

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The force exerted on a positive test charge divided by the magnitude of the test charge, measured in newtons per coulomb.

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Example: This diagram shows electric field lines around charges. Arrows indicate the field's direction, and the density of the lines represents the electric field's strength.

Front

Coulomb's Law Noun

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[koo-lomz law]

Back

Coulomb's Law

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A law stating the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of charges and inversely proportional to the distance squared.

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Example: This diagram shows that particles with the same charge (positive-positive or negative-negative) push each other away, while particles with opposite charges (positive-negative) pull towards each other.

Front

Vector Quantity Noun

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[vek-ter kwon-ti-tee]

Back

Vector Quantity

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A physical quantity, such as force or velocity, that is defined by possessing both a magnitude and a direction.

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Example: This diagram shows two vector quantities as arrows. Each arrow has a direction (up or down) and a magnitude (length), representing forces acting on an object.

Front

Field Vectors Noun

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[feeld vek-terz]

Back

Field Vectors

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Arrows used to represent an electric field, where the length indicates strength and the arrowhead indicates the field's direction.

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Example: This diagram shows electric field vectors as lines with arrows, indicating the direction of force moving away from a positive charge and toward a negative charge.

Front

Electric Field Lines Noun

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[i-lek-trik feeld lynz]

Back

Electric Field Lines

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Lines drawn to represent an electric field, indicating the direction of force on a positive test charge at any point.

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Example: This diagram shows how invisible electric field lines point away from a positive charge (+q) and toward a negative charge (-q), mapping the direction of the electric force.

Front

Van de Graaff Generator Noun

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[van duh graf jen-uh-rey-ter]

Back

Van de Graaff Generator

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An electrostatic machine that uses a moving belt to accumulate a large amount of electric charge on a hollow metal sphere.

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Example: This diagram shows how a Van de Graaff generator works. A motor turns a rubber belt, carrying electric charge up to a large metal dome.

Front

Ion Noun

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[ahy-on]

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Ion

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An atom or molecule that has a net electric charge due to the loss or gain of one or more electrons.

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Example: A neutral atom becomes a positive ion when it loses one or more electrons, resulting in an overall positive electrical charge.