Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can state conservation of charge for a system and explain what it means for charge to cross the system boundary. (Guide: “Charge is conserved”)
- I can explain why solids become charged by gaining or losing electrons, not protons. (Guide: “Charge is conserved”; Practice Q1)
- I can describe charging by friction, by contact and by induction, and give the sign each method produces. (Guide: “Three ways to charge an object”)
- I can explain how a neutral conductor and a neutral insulator are each polarized by a nearby charge. (Guide: “Induced charge separation (polarization)”; Practice Q3)
- I can explain what grounding is and why Earth can supply or absorb electrons. (Guide: “Grounding”)
Calculation and skills
- I can find the number of electrons transferred using N = |Δq|/e. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q1, Q4)
- I can find the charges on identical conductors after a sequence of contacts and check the total. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q2, Q4)
- I can draw or describe the charge distribution at each stage of charging by induction. (Guide: Figure 1; Practice Q6)
- I can calculate the net force on a polarized neutral object from a nearby point charge. (Practice Q5)
Reasoning
- I can explain why a charged object attracts a neutral one, whatever its sign, and why only repulsion proves an object is charged. (Guide: “Induced charge separation (polarization)”; Practice Q3, Q5)
- I can predict the result of changing the order of steps in charging by induction. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q6)
- I can use measured data and its uncertainty to support or challenge a claim about charge conservation. (Practice Q7)
- I can choose a larger system so that charge is conserved when charge leaks to the surroundings. (Guide: “Grounding”; Practice Q7)
All ticked? Move on to Topic 8.3, Electric Fields, or return to the course roadmap.