Electricity and Magnetism

EOC GOAL 4 REVIEW

Static Electricity and Charges:

Electricity is energy that comes from the charged

particles in atoms: electrons and protons.

Static electricity is usually produced by gathering a

group of stationary electrons.

Electrons are particles of negative charge.

 EX: A plastic rod is rubbed with fur. The friction of

the rod will pull electrons from the fur. The rod then becomes negatively charged. This action is called charging by friction.
EX: Charging by friction can also be demonstrated

using a glass rod and a piece of silk. The silk pulls some electrons from the rod, which becomes positively charged. Protons are particles of positive charge.

 If two negatively charged plastic rods are brought

close together, they repel one another.

In addition, static electric charges produce electric

fields of force in the space around them similar to the force fields around magnets.
Charges are conserved just as energy is conserved.

 An electrical conductor is a material, through which

electric charges can easily flow, EX: metal.

An insulator is a material through which electric

charges do not move easily or sometimes not at all. Plastic, rubber, and wood are good examples.

 When a charged objects electric field causes

electrons to shift in another object in close proximity, this action is called induction.
When a charged object shifts some of its electrons to

another object because the two have touched, this shift is called conduction.

 Sometimes you will see a spark as visual evidence of

the electric discharge when electrons jump from the charged to the uncharged object.
Lightning is the most powerful discharge of static

electricity we see.

Practice Problems

Voltage, Resistance, and Current

All electronic devices use circuits. Simple circuits are closed loops made up of elements

that provide a path for current to flow.

A semiconductor is a material with conductivity

between a conductor and an insulator.

 In circuits, voltage is a measure of the force that

moves charges through conducting materials and is measured in volts.

The movement of these charges is called current and

is measured in amps.

 The opposite of conductivity is called resistivity

(resistance). The more resistance there is, the less current.

Resistance is measured in Ohms, and the symbol is

the Greek letter omega .

 Ohms Law states that V = IR V=voltage (volts)

I=current (amps)
R=resistance (ohms)

 If voltage increases and resistance is constant, then

current must also increase and vice versa.

All electronic devices have one or more resistors. EX:

a toasters resistor is its heating element.

Light bulbs are also resistors.

 The watt rating of light bulbs indicates how much

power they require from their energy source to work.

Power (P) is the rate at which electrical energy is

supplied.

 P = VI P=power (watts)

V=(voltage)
I=(current)

Practice Problems
V = IR P = VI

Electrical Circuits
A simple circuit is a closed path that allows electrical

charges to flow from their source through a resistor and back to the source or to the ground.
There are two basic types of circuits: series and

parallel.

 Most electrical devices are turned on and off by a

device called a switch.

When the switch is in the off position, the circuit is

open, or incomplete, and the flow of current is interrupted.

If the switch is closed, the circuit is complete, and

current can flow through it.

 The two basic electrical circuit types are series and

parallel.
A series circuit has one path for current to flow

through.

When you add a resistor in series the current decreases, dimming the bulbs.

 In a parallel circuit, the resistors are wired in a way

that provides alternate paths that the charges can follow. If one resistor fails, the other resistors still work.
When you add a resistor in parallel the current

divides among the different paths and thats why the bulbs stay the same brightness.

Practice Problems
V =IR

Electromagnetism
Magnetism is the general term for magnetic forces of

attraction and repulsion.

A magnetic field is an area of space in which

magnetic forces of attraction and repulsion are observed.

Magnetic fields are produced by electrons as they

spin on their axes like toy tops.

 When an electric current runs through a wire loop

surrounding an iron core, an electromagnet is created that can be turned on or off.

An iron bar can be made into a magnet when small

groups of its atoms line up to form a magnetic domain.

 Within a magnetic domain, the atoms have their

magnetic poles aligned in the same direction.

Rubbing the iron bar with a magnet or passing it

through an electromagnetic field makes most of the domains line up. When this happens, the iron bar becomes a magnet.

 If the magnetism remains in the bar, it becomes a

permanent magnet.
The strength of the magnet is directly proportional to

the number of turns of wire in the coil and the strength of the current.

 Every magnet has a north and south pole. Magnetic

poles behave like electric charges.

Like poles repel each other; opposite poles attract

each other.

 A motor transforms electrical energy into mechanical

energy.
A generator does the opposite job of a motor. It

transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Practice Problems