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Related Concept Videos

Electric Field01:16

Electric Field

12.9K
Consider two point charges, each exerting Coulomb force on the other. It is possible to describe the Coulomb interaction via an intermediate step by defining a new physical quantity called the electric field.
In the new picture, imagine that the first charge sets up an electric field independent of all other charges in the universe. When another charge comes in its vicinity, the second charge experiences an electric force depending on the electric field at that point. The source charge does not...
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Determining Electric Field From Electric Potential01:12

Determining Electric Field From Electric Potential

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The electric field and electric potential are related to each other. If the electric field at various points in the region of interest is known, it can be used to calculate the electric potential difference between any two points. Similarly, if the electric potential is known for various points, then it is possible to calculate the electric field.
In general, regardless of whether the electric field is uniform, it points in the direction of decreasing potential because the force on a positive...
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Finding Electric Potential From Electric Field01:13

Finding Electric Potential From Electric Field

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For a system of charges, it is easy to calculate the system's potential because potential is a scalar quantity. However, in some instances where calculating the electric field is more straightforward than finding the potential, the electric field is used to calculate the system's potential. For a positive charge, the electric field is radially outward, and the potential is positive at any finite distance from the positive charge. In such an electric field, the motion away from the...
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Electric Field Inside a Conductor01:20

Electric Field Inside a Conductor

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When a conductor is placed in an external electric field, the free charges in the conductor redistribute and very quickly reach electrostatic equilibrium. The resulting charge distribution and its electric field have many interesting properties, which can be investigated with the help of Gauss's law.
Suppose a piece of metal is placed near a positive charge. The free electrons in the metal are attracted to the external positive charge and migrate freely toward that region. This region then...
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Electric Field Lines01:25

Electric Field Lines

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The three-dimensional representation of the electric field of a positive point charge requires tracing the electric field vectors, whose lengths decrease as the square of their distance from the charge and which point away from the charge at each point. This vector field is no doubt challenging to visualize. The visualization of electric fields becomes quickly intractable as the number of charges increases.
The solution to this problem is to use electric field lines, which are not vectors but...
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Induced Electric Fields01:23

Induced Electric Fields

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The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
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Changing the Direction and Orientation of Electric Field During Electric Pulses Application Improves Plasmid Gene Transfer in vitro
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Electric Fields Elicit Ballooning in Spiders.

Erica L Morley1, Daniel Robert1

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, Life Sciences Building, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.

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|July 10, 2018
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spiders can balloon into the sky, but wind alone doesn't explain it. New research shows that electric fields stimulate spiders to take flight, revealing a new factor in arthropod migration.

Keywords:
atmospheric potential gradientballooningelectrostaticsmechanoreceptionsensory ecologyspidertrichobothria

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Area of Science:

  • Zoology
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Spiders are known to disperse aerially through
  • ballooning
  • but the exact mechanisms are not fully understood.
  • Existing aerodynamic models do not completely explain how spiders become airborne.
  • The atmospheric potential gradient (APG) has been proposed as an additional force.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test if spiders can detect and respond to electric fields (e-fields) associated with the APG.
  • To determine if these e-fields are sufficient to trigger ballooning behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental setup to simulate vertical e-fields.
  • Observation of spider behavior in response to e-fields and airflow.
  • Investigation of the mechanical response of spider mechanosensory hairs to e-fields.

Main Results:

  • Spiders exhibit ballooning behavior and takeoff when exposed to a vertical e-field.
  • Spider mechanosensory hairs are activated by weak e-fields.
  • Electric fields provide a sufficient driving force for spider ballooning.

Conclusions:

  • Atmospheric electricity, specifically e-fields, plays a significant role in spider ballooning.
  • The APG can serve as meteorological information indicating optimal times for ballooning.
  • Atmospheric electricity is a crucial factor in understanding arthropod aerial migration patterns.