AP Physics 1 : Electrostatics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Physics 1

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Example Questions

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Example Question #5 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

By how much will the electric field change if the charges of all source charges are increased by a factor of , and the test charge is increased by a factor of 

Possible Answers:

The electric field will be changed by a factor of 

The electric field will be changed by a factor of 

The electric field will be changed by a factor of 

The electric field will be changed by a factor of 

Correct answer:

The electric field will be changed by a factor of 

Explanation:

The electric field  for point charges is given by:

 

Where  is Coulomb's constant,  is the charge of each source charge , is distance of the test charge from the source charge, and  is the number of source charges.

In this problem, since all of the source charges are increased by a factor of 2, the electric field will also increase by a factor of 2. The increase in the charge of the test charge is not applied to the strength of the electric field, since the electric field is only dependent on the values and locations of the source charges. 

Example Question #6 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

Spheres

Two identical conducting spheres are attached to insulated posts and charged so that  and .

The spheres are brought together so they touch, then moved back apart. What is the charge on  now?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

When the spheres make contact, charges are exchanged. The charges on the spheres will move due to the Coulomb forces from all the particles in each sphere. They will move toward equilibrium.  

In this case  has a net negative charge while  has a net positive charge.  will have to migrate to  so that .  

When the spheres are separated they will have equal charge and the charge on  will still be .

Example Question #7 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

Determine the total electric charge of   molecules in solution in Coulombs. 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In solution, the ions will disassociate into  and . Since there will be  molecules of  with a total charge  and  molecules of  with a total charge of , the overall charge will be 

Example Question #8 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

Vt physics 10 29 question 7 charges

Consider the given diagram of two electrical charges. Which of the following is true about charges A and B?

Possible Answers:

A is negative and B is positive

A is positive and B is negative

Both charges are negative

Both charges are positive

Correct answer:

Both charges are positive

Explanation:

In this question, we're presented with a diagram in which two electrical charges have field lines pointing away from them. We're then asked to determine a true statement regarding these two charges.

To be able to answer this question correctly, we'll have to recall that for positive electrical charges, the field lines will always point away from the charge. For negative electrical charges, the field lines point inwards toward the charge. Since both charges A and B in the diagram have their field lines pointing away from them, both of them must be positively charged. Also notice that their field lines will not cross one another; instead, they are repelled from one another.

Example Question #1 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

An electric field line is point from the left towards the right. Where will an electron move when placed in the field?

Possible Answers:

Upward

Towards the left

Towards the right

It will not move

Downward

Correct answer:

Towards the left

Explanation:

The electron will move towards the left because electric field lines always point towards the negative charge. The electron is negatively charged and will oppose the negative electric field on the right and move towards the positive end on the left.

Therefore the correct answer is that the electron will move to the left. 

Example Question #10 : Fundamentals Of Electric Charge

A point charge of  coulombs experiences a force of  in an electric field. What is the magnitude of this electric field?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The formula for the force on a point charge in an electric field is as follows:

 is the force on the charge,  is the magnitude of the charge and  is the electric field. Substituting for our values we obtain:

Therefore the correct answer is 

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