Coulomb's Law

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Electric Charge Noun

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[uh-lek-trik charj]

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Electric Charge

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A fundamental property of matter causing it to experience a force in an electromagnetic field; can be positive or negative.

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Example: This image shows that opposite electric charges (+ and -) attract each other, while like electric charges (+ and + or - and -) repel each other.

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Electron Noun

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[uh-lek-tron]

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Electron

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A stable subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge, found orbiting the nucleus of an atom.

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Example: This diagram shows a negatively charged electron orbiting a positively charged nucleus, illustrating the components whose attractive electrostatic force is described by Coulomb's Law.

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Proton Noun

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[proh-ton]

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Proton

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A stable subatomic particle with a positive elementary electric charge, located within the nucleus of an atom.

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Example: This diagram shows a proton, a positively charged particle, located in the nucleus of an atom, attracting negatively charged electrons, which illustrates Coulomb's Law.

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Neutron Noun

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[noo-tron]

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Neutron

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A subatomic particle possessing no net electric charge, found within the nucleus of an atom alongside protons.

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Example: This diagram shows a neutron (blue sphere) in the nucleus of an atom, where it has no electrical charge, unlike the positive proton and negative electron.

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Nucleus Noun

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[noo-klee-uhs]

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Nucleus

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The dense, positively charged central region of an atom, which is composed of both protons and neutrons.

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Example: The nucleus, containing positively charged protons, attracts the negatively charged electrons, holding the atom together due to electrostatic force (Coulomb's Law).

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Quark Noun

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[kwark]

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Quark

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An elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter that combines with other quarks to form protons and neutrons.

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Example: This diagram shows that quarks are fundamental particles that combine in groups of three to form larger particles like protons and neutrons.

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Coulomb (C) Noun

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[koo-lom]

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Coulomb (C)

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The standard international (SI) unit used to measure the quantity of electric charge, represented by the symbol C.

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Example: This diagram shows that objects with like charges (positive-positive or negative-negative) repel each other, while objects with opposite charges (positive-negative) attract each other.

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Triboelectric Charging Noun

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[trahy-boh-ee-lek-trik char-jing]

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Triboelectric Charging

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A process where an object becomes electrically charged after it comes into contact with a different material through friction.

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Example: Rubbing a balloon on hair transfers electrons, making the balloon negatively charged and the hair positively charged, causing them to attract each other.

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Triboelectric Series Noun

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[trahy-boh-ee-lek-trik seer-eez]

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Triboelectric Series

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A list that ranks materials based on their tendency to gain or lose electrons when touched by another material.

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Example: This chart ranks materials by their tendency to gain or lose electrons. When two materials are rubbed together, the one higher on the list becomes positively charged.

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Electrostatic Induction Noun

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[uh-lek-troh-stat-ik in-duhk-shun]

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Electrostatic Induction

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The redistribution of electric charge within an object caused by the influence of a nearby charge, without direct contact.

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Example: Bringing a positively charged rod near a neutral sphere causes the sphere's negative charges to move closer and positive charges to move away.