AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Flashcards: Electric Charge and Electric Force
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 14 cards to help you master important concepts.
If the magnitude of one of two interacting charges is tripled, how does the electrostatic force between them change?
According to Coulomb's Law, the force is directly proportional to the product of the charges, so tripling one charge will triple the magnitude of the force.
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If the magnitude of one of two interacting charges is tripled, how does the electrostatic force between them change?
According to Coulomb's Law, the force is directly proportional to the product of the charges, so tripling one charge will triple the magnitude of the force.
What is the elementary charge?
The elementary charge ($e$) is the smallest indivisible amount of charge found in matter, equivalent to the charge of a single proton or electron.
According to Coulomb's Law, what happens to the electrostatic force between two charges if the distance between them is doubled?
Since the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance ($F \propto 1/r^2$), doubling the distance reduces the force to one-fourth of its original value.
What fundamental property of all matter is responsible for electric forces?
Charge is the fundamental property of all matter that gives rise to electric forces between objects.
What does Coulomb's Law describe?
Coulomb's law describes the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two charged objects.
For any two objects possessing both mass and electric charge, how does the magnitude of the gravitational force typically compare to the electrostatic force?
For any two such objects, the magnitude of the gravitational force is usually much smaller than the magnitude of the electrostatic force.
What is the origin of the electric force?
The electric force results from the interactions between objects or systems that possess electric charge.
State the equation for the magnitude of the electrostatic force according to Coulomb's Law.
The magnitude of the electrostatic force is given by $|\vec{F}_{E}|=k rac{|q_{1}q_{2}|}{r^{2}}$, where k is a constant, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between them.
Two negative charges are placed near each other. Describe the electric force that results.
Since like charges repel, the two negative charges will exert a repulsive electric force on one another, pushing each other apart.
What two fundamental forces result from interactions between charged objects that also have mass?
Charged objects with mass experience both an electric force due to their charge and a gravitational force due to their mass.
How do the signs of charges determine the direction of the electrostatic force between them?
Like charges (e.g., positive-positive) repel each other, while opposite charges (positive-negative) attract each other.
What is electric permittivity?
Electric permittivity is a measurement of the degree to which a material or medium is polarized in the presence of an electric field.
A proton and an electron are placed near each other. Describe the nature of the electric and gravitational forces between them.
An attractive electric force exists because they have opposite charges, and a much weaker attractive gravitational force exists because they both have mass.
What does the constant $\epsilon_{0}$ represent in the full version of Coulomb's Law, $|\vec{F}_{E}|= rac{1}{4\pi\epsilon_{0}} rac{|q_{1}q_{2}|}{r^{2}}$?
The constant $\epsilon_{0}$ represents the electric permittivity of free space (a vacuum), a physical constant related to how electric fields pass through a vacuum.