Welcome to my physics blog! This blog will take you through my year in physics class! I hope you enjoy it and learn a lot!
Friday, April 24, 2015
Motors
In a motor, the battery supplies voltage which supplies current. The paperclips allow rotation and current to be conducted. The magnet supplies a magnetic field that makes charges move. The copper wire loop spins as a result of the flowing current. When creating my motor I scraped the wire only on the top of each side. This is because of the right hand rule so when current is perpendicular to the magnetic field a torque is caused.
In order for the motor to turn, there must be a current carrying wire that feels a force from the magnetic field of the magnet. This force causes a torque. The copper loop spins because it has moving charges in it from the magnetic field and the perpendicular current. The magnetic field goes upwards, the current goes to the right, and the wire turns because of this force/torque.
This motor can be used for many things, when something is attached to the ends of the wire. It could be used to power wheels, a fan, a mixer etc.
Monday, April 13, 2015
Charges and Polarization including Coulomb's law
Objects are charged when there are more protons or more electrons making objects positive or negative. This can happen because of friction, contact, or induction . Contact happens when something charged touches another object and transfers energy. Friction is when objects rub together and one steals electrons from the other. Induction charges an object without contact The reason that hair stands on end when a winter hat is taken off is because of friction. The hat becomes negative and the hair becomes positive and because opposites attract, the hair sticks up to try to get to the negative hat.
Polarization is when the charges in a neutral object are separated. Polarization is how plastic wrap sticks to a bowl. Plastic wrap becomes negatively charged through friction when it is unwrapped. When it comes in contact with a bowl, the positive charges in the bowl move close to the negative wrap and the negative charges move away from the wrap. The distance between the attractive charges is smaller than that between the repelling charges (Coulums law: F=k q1 q2/d^2).
Electric Fields
Electric fields are the area around a charge that can influence (push/pull) another charge. They are represented by arrows. The closer together they are the stronger the electric field is. The arrows show how a positive charge reacts. When two like charges are pushed closer together a stronger repulsion is created. Electronics are usually encased in metal because the metal creates a protective electric shield. The charges in electronics are sensitive and can not come in contact with others, so if a negative charge was encased by positive ones, it would feel no force no matter the location. Electric fields and shielding are also the reason that people in a car on power lines are safe.
Electric Potential/Electric Potential difference
The electric potential is the amount of energy stored up in an object. It equals electric potential energy/charge and is measured in volts. The electric potential difference is the difference between voltage. One power line has a different voltage than the other so when they are connected by something such as a birds wings, the circuit is complete and there is a difference in the electric potential. There is also a difference in electric potential when a car battery is jump started.
Ohm’s law and Resistance
Ohms law is I=v/r meaning that current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance. Resistance is how easy or difficult it is for the electrons and energy to travel. Length, temperature, and width are factors of resistance. Resistance is measured in ohms.
Types of Current, source of electrons, Power
Current happens when there is electric potential difference. There are two different ways that electrons and energy move through a wire, alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC).
DC is when the electrons move foreword. AC is when electrons move back and forth. AC is the most commonly used current. When these electrons move, the power company is supplying the signal for them to move, not supplying the electrons which are already in the wire. Power is equal to current and voltage. It is measured in watts and is associated with brightness.
Parallel and Series Circuits
Energy and current is used in two different circuits, parallel and series. Series is like adding stop lights to a road while parallel is like adding lanes. Parallel is almost always the type of wiring used. In series as more bulbs are added, they get dimmer because the current decreases and the resistance increases. In parallel as more bulbs are added, they all stay the same brightness as before making current increase and resistance decrease. In order to make sure that there isn't too much voltage because of too much current and resistance, fuses are used. Fuses break and shut down the system to keep us safe.
Objects are charged when there are more protons or more electrons making objects positive or negative. This can happen because of friction, contact, or induction . Contact happens when something charged touches another object and transfers energy. Friction is when objects rub together and one steals electrons from the other. Induction charges an object without contact The reason that hair stands on end when a winter hat is taken off is because of friction. The hat becomes negative and the hair becomes positive and because opposites attract, the hair sticks up to try to get to the negative hat.
Polarization is when the charges in a neutral object are separated. Polarization is how plastic wrap sticks to a bowl. Plastic wrap becomes negatively charged through friction when it is unwrapped. When it comes in contact with a bowl, the positive charges in the bowl move close to the negative wrap and the negative charges move away from the wrap. The distance between the attractive charges is smaller than that between the repelling charges (Coulums law: F=k q1 q2/d^2).
Electric Fields
Electric fields are the area around a charge that can influence (push/pull) another charge. They are represented by arrows. The closer together they are the stronger the electric field is. The arrows show how a positive charge reacts. When two like charges are pushed closer together a stronger repulsion is created. Electronics are usually encased in metal because the metal creates a protective electric shield. The charges in electronics are sensitive and can not come in contact with others, so if a negative charge was encased by positive ones, it would feel no force no matter the location. Electric fields and shielding are also the reason that people in a car on power lines are safe.
Electric Potential/Electric Potential difference
The electric potential is the amount of energy stored up in an object. It equals electric potential energy/charge and is measured in volts. The electric potential difference is the difference between voltage. One power line has a different voltage than the other so when they are connected by something such as a birds wings, the circuit is complete and there is a difference in the electric potential. There is also a difference in electric potential when a car battery is jump started.
Ohm’s law and Resistance
Ohms law is I=v/r meaning that current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance. Resistance is how easy or difficult it is for the electrons and energy to travel. Length, temperature, and width are factors of resistance. Resistance is measured in ohms.
Types of Current, source of electrons, Power
Current happens when there is electric potential difference. There are two different ways that electrons and energy move through a wire, alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC).
DC is when the electrons move foreword. AC is when electrons move back and forth. AC is the most commonly used current. When these electrons move, the power company is supplying the signal for them to move, not supplying the electrons which are already in the wire. Power is equal to current and voltage. It is measured in watts and is associated with brightness.
Parallel and Series Circuits
Energy and current is used in two different circuits, parallel and series. Series is like adding stop lights to a road while parallel is like adding lanes. Parallel is almost always the type of wiring used. In series as more bulbs are added, they get dimmer because the current decreases and the resistance increases. In parallel as more bulbs are added, they all stay the same brightness as before making current increase and resistance decrease. In order to make sure that there isn't too much voltage because of too much current and resistance, fuses are used. Fuses break and shut down the system to keep us safe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)