ELECTRICAL SCIENCE

ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS

ATOM AND ITS FORCES

What is electricity? Electricity is defined as "the flow of electrons through simple
materials and devices" or "that force which moves electrons." Scientists think electricity is produced by very tiny particles called electrons and protons. These particles are too small to be seen, but exist as subatomic particles in the atom. To understand how they exist, you must first understand the structure of the atom.

EO 1.1 DESCRIBE the following terms:
a. Electrostatic force
b. Electrostatic field
c. Potential difference
d. Electromotive force (EMF)
e. Ion charge

The Atom
Elements are the basic building The Atom
blocks of all matter. The atom is the smallest particle to which an element can be reduced while still keeping the properties of that element. An atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by negatively charged electrons, so that the atom as a whole is electrically neutral. The
nucleus is composed of two kinds of subatomit  particles, protons and neutrons, as shown in atom. The proton carries a single unit positive charge equal in magnitude to the electron charge. The
neutron is slighty heavier than the
proton and is electrically neutral, as the name implies. These two particles exist in various combinations, depending upon the element involved. The electron isthe fundamental negative charge (-) of electricity and revolves around the nucleus, or center, of the atom in concentric orbits, or shells.

In its natural state, an atom of anyelement contains an equal number of electrons and protons. The negative charge (-) of each electron is equal in magnitude to the positive charge (+) of each proton; therefore, the two opposite charges cancel, and the atom is said to be electrically neutral, or in balance.

Electrostatic Force

A special force is acting between the charged objects discussed above. Forces of this type are the result of an electrostatic field that exists around each charged particle or object. This electrostatic field,
and the force it creates, can be illustrated with lines called "lines of force"


Forces Around Atoms Summary
Electrostatic Force - force that holds an electron in orbit around a nucleus
Electrostatic Field - force acting between charged objects that causest hem to repel or attract Potential Difference - measures how large the electrostatic force is between two charged objects. According to Coulomb’s Law, charged bodies attract or repel each other with a force that is directly proportional
to the product of their charges and is inversely proportional to the square
of the distance between them.
Electromotive Force (EMF) - sum of the potential differences of all
charged particles in an electrostatic field
Ion Charge - dependent on the loss or gain of free electrons (if an atom
gains an electron - negative ion charge; if an atom loses an electron -
positive ion charge)