GCSE Physics Revision: Static Electricity & Electrostatics

5th April 2017

GCSE Physics Key Stage 4

Static Electricity and Electrostatics Revision

Get Full Marks for your GCSE Science Exams by listening to our song on Static Electricity and Electrostatics (LINK!!!!!!!!).  Use this Revision Guide to help you remember the main points and to make sure that you have covered all the main elements of the GCSE Physics Syllabus for the new examinations coming this summer.

Take a look at some of the following definitions and see how much you already know.

Conductors -Materials/Substances that readily allow electricity flow are good conductors, they have low resistance:

  • GOLD

  • COPPER

  • SILVER

Conductors are used for making electricity cables, to allow the swift passage of electricity through them.

Add an example of how conductors are used - like you have done for insulators below

Insulators - Materials/Substances that do not readily allow electricity flow are good insulators, they have high resistance:

  • Plastic

  • Rubber

  • Air

Insulators are used to protect us from the potentially harmful effects of the electricity which is flowing through the cables.

EXAMPLE:  Most of the cables in your house/home will be made from COPPER wire which has been wrapped in PLASTIC and/or RUBBER.

Electrostatics

Substances/objects are capable of retaining a charge, they could be:

  • POSITIVE

  • NEGATIVE

  • NEUTRAL (NO CHARGE).

How does an object become charged?

An electron is a ‘negatively’ charged particle, which can be gained or lost by an object, represented in diagrams by a MINUS.

An object can become charged when it either:

  • GAINS electrons (minuses) and becomes NEGATIVELY charged.

  • LOSSES electrons (minuses) and becomes POSITIVELY charged.

Ions - Ions are charged particles or molecules which have become charged because they have either gained (negative charge) or lost (positive charge) electrons.  

Electrical Fields - Charged objects create an electrical field around them.  When the electrical fields of two objects overlap, they can interact by either:

  • Attracting - Opposite Charges

  • Repelling  - Same Charge  

So OPPOSITES ATTRACT and LIKE REPEL.

Now that you have listened to the song, why not watch the video and take the multiple choice quiz to see how much you have understood and remembered. Remember, revising for your GCSE Physics exam does not have to be difficult. Use our innovative revising materials to make revising easy.  Have a look at see what other GCSE topics we cover including Forces and Energy Transfers. A full list can be found here…………..


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