Summarizing Electric Forces in Biology

Summary

• Many molecules in living organisms, such as DNA, carry a charge.
• An uneven distribution of the positive and negative charges within a polar molecule produces a dipole.
• The effect of a Coulomb field generated by a charged object may be reduced or blocked by other nearby charged objects.
• Biological systems contain water, and because water molecules are polar, they have a strong effect on other molecules in living systems.

Glossary

dipole

a molecule’s lack of symmetrical charge distribution, causing one side to be more positive and another to be more negative

polar molecule

a molecule with an asymmetrical distribution of positive and negative charge

screening

the dilution or blocking of an electrostatic force on a charged object by the presence of other charges nearby

Coulomb interaction

the interaction between two charged particles generated by the Coulomb forces they exert on one another