Module 3
1. Module 3
1.2. In this Module
Module 3—Electrical Phenomena
In This Module
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Lesson 1—Electrostatics
In this lesson, you will explore static electricity, conductors, insulators, charge conservation, and the three methods of transferring charge.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- Can the concepts that explain large-scale phenomena like lightning be explored using small-scale equipment like a Van de Graaff generator?
- How can these concepts explain what happens to charges within a cloud during a lightning strike?
Lesson 2—Investigating Coulomb’s Law
If charges can interact and exert forces on one another over great distances, how can the interaction of these charges be described? If the law of universal gravitation describes the force of attraction of one mass on another mass, then which law explains the force that acts on one charge due to another charge?
In this lesson you will explore the work of Charles Coulomb and learn how the results of his torsion balance experiments led to an equation describing the electrostatic force between two objects, now known as Coulomb’s law.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- What is Coulomb’s law, and how was this law determined using the results of experiments?
- Can Coulomb’s law predict the effect of electrostatic force if the distance of separation increases by a known amount? What does the answer to this question suggest about lightning safety?
Lesson 3—Applying Coulomb’s Law
In this lesson you will apply Coulomb’s law to the exploration of both large-scale and extremely small-scale phenomena.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- How much charge is transferred in a lightning strike, and how is this amount of charge measured?
- How can Coulomb’s law be applied to predict the net force acting on one point charge due to the presence of other point charges? How does this sort of analysis relate to the symmetry found in crystals?
Lesson 4—Electric Fields
In this lesson you will study electric fields and how to describe and analyze their effects.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- What is an electric field, and how can an electric field be described and analyzed?
- What exactly is St. Elmo’s fire, and why does it occur at the end of tall pointed surfaces like lightning rods and ships’ masts?
Lesson 5—Electric Potential Energy
In this lesson you will study electric fields and how they lead to electric potential energy. You will learn that there are similarities with gravitational potential energy.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- What is electric potential energy? How is it similar to gravitational potential energy?
- What is voltage? How is voltage calculated?
Lesson 6—The Motion of Charges in Uniform Electric Fields
In this lesson you will study the motion of charged particles in electric fields. You will compare this to motion in other fields you have previously studied.
You will investigate the following essential questions:
- How do charged particles move in a uniform electric field? How is this motion similar to a mass moving in a gravitational field?
- Is it possible to predict the velocity, acceleration, and displacement of charged particles moving in electric fields?