2.1: Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Objectives

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

1. Electrical Charge
   • Describe the concept of electric charge
   • Explain qualitatively the force electric charge creates
2. Conductors, Insulators, and Charging by Induction
   • Explain what a conductor is
   • Explain what an insulator is
   • List the differences and similarities between conductors and insulators
   • Describe the process of charging by induction
3. Electrostatic Force - Coulomb's Law
   • Describe the electric force, both qualitatively and quantitatively
   • Calculate the force that charges exert on each other
   • Determine the direction of the electric force for different source charges
   • Correctly describe and apply the superposition principle for multiple source charges
4. Electric Field
   • Explain the purpose of the electric field concept
   • Describe the properties of the electric field
   • Calculate the field of a collection of source charges of either sign
   • Explain the purpose of an electric field diagram
   • Describe the relationship between a vector diagram and a field line diagram
   • Explain the rules for creating a field diagram and why these rules make physical sense
   • Sketch the field of an arbitrary source charge
   • Describe a permanent dipole
   • Describe an induced dipole
   • Define and calculate an electric dipole moment
   • Explain the physical meaning of the dipole moment
5. Calculating Electric Fields of Charge Distributions
   • Explain what a continuous source charge distribution is and how it is related to the concept of quantization of charge
   • Describe line charges, surface charges, and volume charges
   • Calculate the field of a continuous source charge distribution of either sign
6. Electric Flux
   • Define the concept of flux
   • Describe electric flux
   • Calculate electric flux for a given situation
7. Gauss’s Law
   • State Gauss’s law
   • Explain the conditions under which Gauss’s law may be used
   • Apply Gauss’s law in appropriate systems
8. Applying Gauss’s Law
   • Explain what spherical, cylindrical, and planar symmetry are
   • Recognize whether or not a given system possesses one of these symmetries
   • Apply Gauss’s law to determine the electric field of a system with one of these symmetries
9. Conductors in Electrostatic Equilibrium
   • Describe the electric field within a conductor at equilibrium
   • Describe the electric field immediately outside the surface of a charged conductor at equilibrium
   • Explain why if the field is not as described in the first two objectives, the conductor is not at equilibrium