All Flashcards
Compare the electric field inside and outside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium.
Inside: Electric field is zero. | Outside: Electric field is perpendicular to the surface and non-zero.
Compare the charge distribution on a conductor with and without an external electric field.
Without field: Charge is evenly distributed on the surface. | With field: Charge redistributes to cancel the field inside.
Compare electric potential and electric field inside a conductor.
Electric Field: Always zero inside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium. | Electric Potential: Constant, but not necessarily zero, inside a conductor.
Compare the behavior of conductors and insulators in an electric field.
Conductors: Charges move freely to cancel the field. | Insulators: Charges do not move freely; they polarize.
Compare the electric field inside a Faraday cage to the electric field outside.
Inside: Electric field is zero. | Outside: Electric field exists and is influenced by the cage's shape and any external charges.
What happens when a conductor is given a charge?
The charges distribute themselves evenly on the surface of the conductor to maximize the distance between them.
What is the effect of an electric field not being perpendicular to a conductor's surface?
It would exert a horizontal force on the charges, causing them to move and disrupting electrostatic equilibrium.
What happens when a conductor is placed in an external electric field?
The electrons rearrange to cancel out the field inside the conductor, creating a shielding effect.
What is the effect of the electric field being zero inside a conductor?
Charges inside the conductor align themselves to create an internal field that perfectly cancels out any external electric field.
What is the effect of surrounding an area with a conductor?
It creates a protected area by blocking out external electric fields (Faraday cage).
What is the effect of placing a conductor in an external electric field?
The free electrons in the conductor rearrange themselves to cancel out the external field inside the conductor, creating a zero-field zone.
What happens when a charge is placed inside a conducting shell?
A charge of equal magnitude but opposite sign is induced on the inner surface of the shell, and a charge of equal magnitude and same sign is induced on the outer surface.
What is the effect of non-perpendicular electric field lines on the surface of a conductor?
A horizontal force would act on the charges, causing them to move, which contradicts the state of electrostatic equilibrium.
What happens when two conducting spheres with different radii and the same positive charge are connected by a wire?
Electrons will flow from the sphere with the larger radius to the sphere with the smaller radius until they reach the same electric potential.
What is the effect of a Faraday cage surrounding an electronic device?
The electronic device is shielded from external electric fields, protecting it from shocks or interference.