lesson 3 Flashcards
what is electrostatics
the study of static electric charges
what are electroscopes
the instrument that detects static charge
name the electroscopes
metal leaf electroscope and pith ball
what is charging by contact
when electrons transfer from the charged object to a neutral object when it comes into contact with it
what type of charge does the neutral object gain when charging by contact
the same type because the electrons moved from one object to the other
What is charging by induction
the movement of electrons within a substance cause by a heavy charged object without direct contact, involves bringing a charger object to a neutral object (electroscope) and grounding the electroscope to retain the charge
what is electrical discharge
the rapid transfer of electric charges (e.g. sparks)
what is lighting
atmospheric discharge of electricity, negative charges build up at base of cloud creating temporary positive area on ground through induction. path of charged particles form when there’s is enough negative charge built up, the cloud discharged the negative charges along path creating a spark (lightning)
what are electrostatic generators
devices used to study how static charges create lightning and other phenomena
what are the two types of electrostatic generators
van de graaf and wimshurst
what does a van de graaf generator do
creates charge through friction between the roller and belt & transfers the change to a large metal sphere
what does the wimshurst machine do
creates charges on two slowly rotating disks with metal strips around them. using induction, charge is built up between the front and back plates as the disks rotate in opposite directions. the excess charge is collected by metal combs with points near the rotating disks
