PHYS 2211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Lightning, Net Force, Ion
Document Summary
One of the most fearsome natural phenomena is lightning. Some people might be curious why and how it occurs. Today, we know that lightning is a flow of electricity. In this chapter we are going to study about characteristics of electricity. An atom is basically composed of three different components -- electrons, protons, and neutrons. An electron can be removed easily from an atom. Normally, an atom is electrically neutral, which means that there are equal numbers of protons and electrons. Positive charge of protons is balanced by negative charge of electrons. When atoms gain or lose electrons, they are called "ions. : a positive ion is a cation that misses electron(s), a negative ion is an anion that gains extra electron(s). Objects that exert electric forces are said to have charge. There are two kinds of electrical charges, positive and negative. Same charges (+ and +, or - and -) repel and. Opposite charges (+ and -) attract each other.
