PHYSICS REVIEWER – Midsem Exam

ELECTROSTATICS, ELECTRIC CHARGES, ELECTRIC FIELDS

 Atoms – composed of particles with different charges: neutrons (neutral charge), protons
(positive charge), and electrons (negative charge).
 Electric charge – represented by q; the SI unit of charge is the coulomb (C).
o Elementary charge – represented by e. It is the electric charge carried by a single
proton. A proton has a charge of +e, while an electron has a charge of -e.

Conductivity – measure of the ease at which an electric charge moves through a material.

 Conductors – materials that readily allow the flow of charges.

 Insulators – materials that resist the flow of charges.
 Semi-conductors – intermediate between conductors and insulators; have low conductivity.
 Superconductors – has no resistance to the flow of charges.

Processes of Charging

 Charging by friction happens when two different materials are rubbed together. One material
will have a positive charge, while the other will have negative charge.
 Charging by conduction requires physical contact between a charging body and a neutral body.
A neutral body will transfer electrons to a positive body, while a negative body will transfer
electrons to a neutral body.
 Charging by induction happens when a nearby neutral body is charged without physical contact
by a charged body. The negative charges on the neutral body are attracted towards the positive
charging body, also known as polarization.

Principle of Conservation of Charge states that total charge of an isolated system remains constant.
Charges cannot be created nor destroyed. In any charging process, charges are merely transferred from
one body to another.

Coulomb’s Law states that the magnitude of electrical force between two charged particles is directly
proportional to the product of the magnitude of their charges of the charges and inversely proportional to
the square of the distance between them.
Superposition Principle states that each charge will exert a force on another charge as if no other
charges are present. The total force that a particular charge experiences due to a collection of charges is
the vector sum of all individual forces.

ELECTRIC FIELDS – the space surrounding a charged body; cause any charged particle placed in it to
experience an electric force.

Properties of Electric Lines

 Lines of force start from positively charged particles and end on negatively charged particles.
 Lines of force neither intersect nor break as they pass from one charge into another.
 The greater number of lines of force, the stronger the field.
 The neutral point is the point where no lines of force pass. The electric field is zero at neutral
point.

Electric Field at a Point Charge

OHM’S LAW

V = IR
 Voltage (V) – causes current to flow/move. Measured in volts (V). Invented by Alessandro
Volta.
 Current (I) – flow of electrons. Measured in amperes (A).
 Resistance (R) – opposes the push from the voltage source. Measured in Ohms. Invented by
Georg Ohm.

SERIES AND PARALLEL CIRCUITS

 Series circuit – electric current flows in one single path.

 Parallel circuit – electric current flows in multiple paths.

Concept Series Parallel

Voltage (V) Vt=V1+V2+V3 Vt=V1=V2=V3

Current (I) It=I1=I2=I3 It=I1+I2+I3

Resistance (R) Rt=R1+R2+R3 1Rt=1R1+1R2+1R3

Voltage V=IR
 Current I=VR

Resistance  R=VI