Static electricity Flashcards
Which sub-atomic particle is transferred when an object becomes charged with static electricity
Electrons
How do electrons become transferred
By friction between insulated objects
Why can’t you charge an Earthed object
Electrons go to Earth
When an object gains electrons what type of static charge does it gain
Negative
Static charge is a non-contact force, what does this mean
The force can interact with other forces and objects without touching them.
When a balloon is rubbed with a cloth and electrons move onto the cloth what charges are created
The cloth becomes negatively charged and the balloon becomes positively charged.
What action do two positive objects exert on each other
They will repel
What action does a charged object have on a non-charged object
They will attract
What name is given to the apparent charge created in a neutral object by a charged object’s proximity
An Induced charge
When a charged rod is brought near to a Gold leaf electroscope what will you see.
The induced charge will cause the gold foil to rise away from the metal arm inside the scope
A negatively charged object is brought near to a positively charged object, what force will be seen
The objects will attract
A person with a static charge may feel their hair stand on end, why does it do that?
Alike charges repel. Each hair has the same type of charge so repels every other hair.
A Van der Graaf generator can be used to create large static charges. Why would a pile of metal pie tin bases fly off the top?
Alike charges repel. Each pie tin has the same charge and it is the same type of charge as the ball on the Van der Graaf generator.
When using the Van der Graaf generator a person must stand on a polystyrene box to become charged up, why?
The person must be insulated from the ground. You cannot charge an Earthed object.
When the charge on the Vander Graaf is sufficiently large it may jump as a spark to an Earthed object. Why might this be dangerous.
Sparks may ignite flammable gases.
