Question 1

Which of the following statements best describes the law of conservation of electric charge?

Accepted Answer

Electric charge is neither created nor destroyed; it is only transferred from one object to another.

Question 2

A glass rod is rubbed with silk, and the rod becomes positively charged. What happens at the atomic level?

Accepted Answer

Electrons are transferred from the rod to the silk.

Question 3

Which of the following materials is most likely to be a good electrical conductor?

Accepted Answer

Copper

Question 4

According to Coulomb’s Law, what happens to the electric force between two point charges if the distance between them is doubled?

Accepted Answer

The force becomes one-quarter as strong.

Question 5

Which equation correctly represents Coulomb’s Law for the force between two point charges?

Accepted Answer

$$F = k \frac{q_1$ q_2$}{r^2$}$$

Question 6

A charged comb attracts small pieces of paper even though the paper is electrically neutral. What is the best explanation for this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

The comb polarizes the molecules in the paper, causing attraction.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes a semiconductor?

Accepted Answer

A material that can behave as either a conductor or an insulator depending on impurities or conditions.

Question 8

What is the primary difference between a conductor and an insulator at the atomic level?

Accepted Answer

Conductors have free electrons that can move throughout the material, while insulators have electrons tightly bound to their atoms.

Question 9

A capacitor is charged by connecting it to a battery. What happens when the battery is disconnected?

Accepted Answer

The separated charge remains stored in the capacitor.

Question 10

Which of the following is true about superconductors?

Accepted Answer

They allow electric current to flow indefinitely without energy loss.

Question 11

What is the unit of electric potential, and how is it defined?

Accepted Answer

Volt, defined as Joule per Coulomb.

Question 12

If a neutral object is brought near a negatively charged rod, what happens to the charges in the neutral object?

Accepted Answer

The positive charges in the object are attracted toward the rod, and the negative charges are repelled, causing polarization.

Question 13

Which of the following best describes the electric field at a point in space?

Accepted Answer

The force per unit charge experienced by a small positive test charge placed at that point.

Question 14

A 1.5 V battery is connected to a circuit. What does the 1.5 V indicate?

Accepted Answer

One terminal is at a potential 1.5 Volts higher than the other.

Question 15

Which of the following is a real-world application of capacitors?

Accepted Answer

Camera flashes

Question 16

A water molecule (H2O) is an example of an electric dipole. What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

It has a separation of positive and negative charges, resulting in a molecule with a positive end and a negative end.

Question 17

If the charge on each of two point charges is doubled and the distance between them is halved, by what factor does the electric force between them change?

Accepted Answer

It increases by a factor of 16.

Question 18

Which of the following best explains why a charged balloon sticks to a wall after being rubbed on hair?

Accepted Answer

The wall becomes polarized, and the opposite charge is attracted to the balloon.

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a property of a superconductor?

Accepted Answer

Always acts as a perfect insulator at room temperature.

Question 20

Which of the following best describes the process of charging by induction?

Accepted Answer

A charged object is brought near a neutral object, causing a redistribution of charges without direct contact.

Electrostatics: Fundamentals of Electric Charge and Fields

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