PHYS 102 Chapter Notes - Chapter 21: Elementary Charge, Atomic Number, Electric Field
22 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Electromagnetic interactions involve particles that have electric charge, an attribute that is as fundamental as mass. Electrically charged objects are accelerated by electric forces. Charge is quantized and obeys a conservation principle. When charges are at rest in our frame of reference, they exert electrostatic forces on each other. Electrostatic forces are governed by a simple relationship known as coulomb"s law and are most conveniently described by using the concept of electric field. When something is able to attract other objects, it has a net electric charge, or it has become charged. Electrostatics are the interactions between electric charges that are at rest. There are exactly two kinds of electric charge: the kind on the plastic rod rubbed with fur (negative, the kind on the glass rod rubbed with silk (positive) Two positive charges or two negative charges repel each other. A positive charge and a negative charge attract each other.
