Static Electricity Flashcards
What causes static electricity?
Static electricity is caused by transferring electrons between materials.
What happens when two materials are rubbed together?
Electrons are transferred from one material to the other, leaving a static charge on the object that lost electrons.
What occurs if the materials are insulators?
Electrons can’t flow, resulting in a positive charge on the object that gained electrons.
What type of charge moves in static electricity?
It’s always negative charges (electrons) that move.
What happens if enough charge builds up?
It can suddenly move, causing sparks or shocks.
What do like charges do?
Like charges repel each other.
What do opposite charges do?
Opposite charges attract each other.
What is electrostatic attraction?
The force between two charged objects that attract each other.
What is electrostatic repulsion?
The force between two charged objects that repel each other.
How can you test if an object is charged?
Electrically charged objects attract small neutral objects placed near them.
What happens when a charged rod is held above small scraps of paper?
The scraps will ‘jump’ towards the rod due to induced charges.
How does a charged rod affect a stream of water?
The rod induces a charge in the water, causing the stream to bend towards it.
What is a gold leaf electroscope used for?
It is used to test for charge.
What happens when a negatively charged insulator touches a zinc plate of a gold leaf electroscope?
Some of its charge is transferred to the electroscope, causing the gold leaf to rise.
What happens when a positively charged insulator touches the zinc plate?
Electrons flow into the plate, causing the gold leaf to rise.
