Unit 6 (Practice): Review Of Electricity

Question 1

Define ‘static electricity’

Answer 1

Static electricity is the buildup of electric charge on the surface of objects.

Question 2

What is electric charge?

Answer 2

Electric charge is a physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when placed in an electromagnetic field.

Question 3

In general, how does a neutral object become charged?

Answer 3

A neutral object becomes charged by gaining or losing electrons.

Question 4

Fill in the blanks: Objects with like charges _____

Answer 4

repel each other.

Question 5

Fill in the blanks: Objects with unlike charges ______

Answer 5

attract each other.

Question 6

What are three ways an object can become charged?

Answer 6

• Charging by friction
• Charging by contact
• Charging by induction

Question 7

What is an electroscope? What are the two types of electroscopes?

Answer 7

An electroscope is a device used to detect electric charge. The two types are the gold leaf electroscope and the metal rod electroscope.

Question 8

What are the two methods of charging by contact?

Answer 8

• Direct contact
• Indirect contact

Question 9

What is the electrostatic series?

Answer 9

The electrostatic series is a list that ranks materials based on their tendency to gain or lose electrons.

Question 10

When charging an object by friction, how can you predict what charge the object will become?

Answer 10

You can predict the charge based on its position in the electrostatic series.

Question 11

What happens to electrons when two objects are charged by friction?

Answer 11

Electrons are transferred from one object to another.

Question 12

A piece of amber is rubbed with silk. What is the charge on each object afterwards?

Answer 12

Amber becomes negatively charged and silk becomes positively charged.

Question 13

A piece of acetate is rubbed with wool. What is the charge on each object afterwards?

Answer 13

Acetate becomes positively charged and wool becomes negatively charged.

Question 14

What is meant by ‘charging by conduction’?

Answer 14

Charging by conduction occurs when a charged object touches a neutral object, transferring charge.

Question 15

When a charged object comes in contact with a neutral object, how will the electrons move?

Answer 15

Electrons will move from the charged object to the neutral object if the charged object is negative, or from the neutral object to the charged object if it is positive.

Question 16

What is grounding? What is the symbol for grounding?

Answer 16

Grounding is the process of connecting an object to the Earth to neutralize its charge. The symbol for grounding is a vertical line with three horizontal lines underneath.

Question 17

If a negative object is connected to the Earth by a ground, what will happen to the electrons?

Answer 17

Electrons will flow from the object to the Earth.

Question 18

If a positive object is connected to the Earth by a ground, what will happen to the electrons?

Answer 18

Electrons will flow from the Earth to the object.

Question 19

Does the Earth become charged after grounding? Explain.

Answer 19

No, the Earth does not become charged after grounding because it can absorb or supply a large number of electrons without a significant change in its overall charge.

Question 20

What is charging by induction?

Answer 20

Charging by induction is the process of charging an object without direct contact.

This involves the influence of a charged object on a neutral object, causing charge separation.

Question 21

What are the two types of charging by induction?

Answer 21

The two types of charging by induction are temporary induction and permanent induction.

Temporary induction occurs when the inducing charge is removed, while permanent induction involves grounding.

Question 22

What occurs when a charged object comes close to a neutral object but does not touch it?

Answer 22

An induced charge separation occurs, causing the charges within the neutral object to rearrange.

This leads to one side of the neutral object becoming positively charged and the other negatively charged.

Question 23

What happens when a negatively charged rod is brought close to a neutral metal leaf electroscope?

Answer 23

The electroscope will have its leaves repel each other due to induced negative charges moving away from the rod.

Diagrams would show the charges on both the rod and electroscope at each stage.

Question 24

What is permanent induction?

Answer 24

Permanent induction is the process of charging an object by grounding while a charged object is nearby.

This leads to a permanent charge on the object even after the inducing charge is removed.

Question 25

How is permanent induction different from temporary induction?

Answer 25

Permanent induction results in a lasting charge, while temporary induction results in a charge that disappears once the inducing charge is removed.

Question 26

What is the difference between a conductor and an insulator?

Answer 26

A conductor allows the flow of electric charge, while an insulator resists it.

Conductors have free electrons, while insulators have tightly bound electrons.

Question 27

Give two examples of good conductors.

Answer 27

Examples of good conductors include:
* Copper
* Silver

Question 28

Give two examples of fair conductors.

Answer 28

Examples of fair conductors include:
* Aluminum
* Iron

Question 29

Give two examples of insulators.

Answer 29

Examples of insulators include:
* Rubber
* Glass

Question 30

What is lightning?

Answer 30

Lightning is a discharge of electricity in the atmosphere, typically during a thunderstorm.

Question 31

What happens to the particles of water and ice in a thunderstorm as they are hit by winds?

Answer 31

The particles are moved and collide, leading to charge separation within the cloud.

Question 32

What charge collects at the bottom of the cloud?

Answer 32

Negative charge collects at the bottom of the cloud.

Question 33

What charge collects at the top of the cloud?

Answer 33

Positive charge collects at the top of the cloud.

Question 34

What charge will be found on the surface of the Earth as a result of the charge at the bottom of the cloud?

Answer 34

Positive charge will be found on the surface of the Earth.

Question 35

Why are the electrons pulled to the ground?

Answer 35

Electrons are pulled to the ground due to the attraction of the positive charge on the Earth’s surface.

Question 36

Explain the function of a lightning rod.

Answer 36

A lightning rod provides a conductive path for lightning to safely reach the ground.