Fundamental Principles of Electricity and Coulomb's Law

Fundamental Concepts of Electricity

Electricity: is defined as electron flow through a conductor.

Classification of Materials

• Conductors: These are materials that have a great facility for electricity to pass through them.
• Semiconductors: These are intermediate materials in the ability to conduct electrons at higher temperatures.
• Insulators: These are materials that do not conduct electrons through them and can allow charge accumulation.

Electrical Charges and States

• Positive: When a material is rubbed against another, it loses electrons and tries to attract others.
• Negative: When a material is rubbed with another, it gains electrons and repels another body.
• Neutral: When a material is rubbed with another and does not win or lose electrons.

Detection and Measurement Tools

Electroscope: is a device that consists of establishing whether a body is electrified.

Lamellae: it consists essentially of a rod that has at its upper end a metal ball and at its lower end two plates (an insulator).

Charles Augustin: Inventor of the electrostatic balance.

Atomic Particles and Energy Sources

Ion: the name given to electrically charged atoms.

Energy Sources: Hydro, geothermal, thermoelectric, nuclear, and wind turbines.

Effects of Electric Current

• Heaters: Passing an electrical current to produce heat by a conductor. If the conductor is good, such as copper, it is heated slightly; but if the conductor is poor, such as steel, it is heated more.
• Devices: Some poor conductors are heated red-hot and locked in a vacuum; the incandescent light emitted is sometimes the driver gas.
• Magnetic: A conductor behaves like a magnet when current flows through it.
• Chemical: The electric current produces chemical changes in applications like electrolysis and hydrolysis.
• Physiological: If you touch the two poles of a battery, you feel a slight tingling because the current acts on the nerves.

Coulomb's Law and Current Types

Coulomb's Law: For electric charges, there is a phenomenon which governs where two charges approach; they are rejected if they are equal and attract if they are different. From this law arises Coulomb's Law.

Direct Current: is one in which the charges move in one direction by the conductor (batteries).

Alternating Current: is called so when the established electric field changes periodically.

The Fundamental Law of Electrostatics

The force of attraction or repulsion between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the distance that separates these.