Friction produces electric charges high in the atmosphere. This occurs when small particles such as water droplets and ice collide or rub against one another. Wind, among other factors, separates these charges and large electric forces develop between the ground … Read More
Tag: Electricity and Magnetism
The Physics Behind Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
MRI provides physicians with a tool to assess a patient’s health. To have an MRI exam, the patient lies in a very strong magnetic field that is generated by powerful magnets. The MRI machine then applies radio waves to the … Read More
The Operation of Magnetically Levitated Trains (Maglevs)
Magnetic levitation (maglev), take place when the magnetic interaction is strong enough to balance the force of gravity. The like poles of two magnets repel one another, and if the magnets are placed vertically and the strength of the repulsion … Read More
Basic Facts about Superconductors
Most of the conductors we use in our daily life are metals such copper wire. While these conductors are useful in many applications, they are not perfect as they have at least a small amount of resistance, which implies that … Read More
Coulomb’s Law and Electric Field
According to Benjamin Franklin, we have two types of electric charges i.e. positive and negative charges. Positive and negative charges attract, but positive charges repel each other, as do negative charges.
The force F that a pair of electric charges … Read More
Uses of Static Electricity
Even though static electricity can be unsafe, it has some uses as discussed below:
- In vehicles spark plugs ignite fuel injected into the engine’s cylinders.
- Copier machines use static electricity. To produce a copy, most modern copier machines make a