Coulombs Law: Physics Quiz Multiple Choice

A student touches a Van de Graaff generator and becomes positively charged. Their hair begins to stick up in the air. What causes their hair to do this? a) Electrons have been depleted from the hair strands, making them all positively charged so they all repel each other and spread out. b) The positively charged hairs are attracted to the neutral ceiling. c) The student's hand becomes positively charged, so they become polarized and their hair becomes negatively charged. d) Their hair is neutral, but it becomes attracted to the Van de Graaff.

a) Electrons have been depleted from the hair strands, making them all positively charged so they all repel each other and spread out.

A polarized object... a) is electrically neutral, but charges are not evenly distributed so opposite sides of the object have opposite charges. b) is always negatively charged with excess electrons. c) is always positively charged with excess protons.

a) is electrically neutral, but charges are not evenly distributed so opposite sides of the object have opposite charges.

Two balloons are each charged up by rubbing with fur. When the balloons are hung near each other , they will... a) attract each other b) Repel each other c) they will not except a force on each other

b) Repel each other

A person drags their feet across a wool carpet, transferring electrons from the carpet to the person's body. When the person touches a grounded doorknob, they feel a small shock. When this happens, a) Negative charges are transferred from the doorknob to the person. b) Positive charges are transferred from the doorknob to the person. c) Negative charges are transferred from the person to the doorknob. d) Positive charges are transferred from the doorknob to the person.

c) Negative charges are transferred from the person to the doorknob.

A plastic rod is rubbed with fur. An empty soda can is laid on its side, and when the rod is held close (but does not touch) to it it begins to roll toward the rod. What causes the can to be attracted to the rod? a) Negative charges move from the can to the rod, making the can positive and the rod negative and causing them to attract each other. b) Positive charges move from the can to the rod, making the can negative and the rod positive and causing them to attract each other. c) The can becomes polarized, and the side nearest the rod becomes positively charged causing them to attract each other. d) The can becomes polarized, and the side nearest the rod becomes negatively charged causing them to attract each other.

c) The can becomes polarized, and the side nearest the rod becomes positively charged causing them to attract each other.

A student touches a Van de Graaff generator and becomes positively charged. Which statement is correct: a) The student is now slightly more massive due to gaining protons b) The student is now slightly more massive due to gaining electrons c) The student is now slightly less massive due to losing electrons d) The student is now slightly less massive due to losing protons

c) The student is now slightly less massive due to losing electrons

Two charges are place near each other. A large negative charge is placed to the left, and a much smaller positive charge is placed to the right. Where could a third negative charge be positioned so that it experiences zero net force from the first two charges? a) To the left of the negative charge. b) Between the two charges. c) To the right of the positive charge. d) There is no position where the third charge would experience zero net force.

c) To the right of the positive charge

Conductive object A is touched briefly by positively-charged conductive object B, and A becomes positively charged. Which statement is true: a) Positive charges were transferred from B to A. b) Positive charges were transferred from A to B. c) Negative charges were transferred from B to A. d) Negative charges were transferred from A to B.

d) Negative charges were transferred from A to B.

If two objects are electrically attracted to each other, which of the following situations is possible? There can be more than one correct response. a) Both objects are positively charged. b) Both objects are negatively charged. c) Both objects are neutral d) One object is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. e) One object is charged and the other is neutral.

d) One object is positively charged and the other is negatively charged.

If a negatively charged metal bar is connected to ground... a) electrons will flow from the ground into the bar, neutralizing it. b) protons will flow from the ground into the bar, neutralizing it. c) protons will flow from the bar into the ground, neutralizing it. d) electrons will flow from the bar into the ground, neutralizing it.

d) electrons will flow from the bar into the ground, neutralizing it.

When the distance between two charged particles doubles, the force between them... a) quadruples (4x) b) halves (½x) c) doubles (2x) d) is quartered (¼x)

d) is quartered (¼x)

Two point charges, Q1 and Q2, are separated by a distance R. If the magnitudes of both charges are halved and their separation is also halved, what happens to the electrical force that each charge exerts on the other one? a) It increases by a factor of 8. b) It increases by a factor of 2. c) It increases by a factor of 4. d) It increases by a factor of 16. e) It remains the same.

e) It remains the same.