Static Electricity

Introduction:
Static electricity is electrical charge that is not moving. That is, the
charges are staying in one place and the total charge remains fixed. We
frequently encounter static electricity. For example, most of us have been
shocked as a result of static electricity built up on our body as a result of
walking on a carpet, or your socks stick to your pants after drying in a clothes
dryer without a softener.
For thousands of years, mankind were frightened by lightening without
knowing that lightening is the result of a large buildup of static charge in the
clouds that ultimately is released through the discharge we call lightening.
Benjamin Franklin was an early investigator of static electricity. We have
probably all been taught about how he flew a kite in a storm and demonstrated
that static charge and lightening were similar phenomena. Franklin also was the
first person to describe electrical charges as being either positive or
negative. His choice, unwittingly, led to the charge on an electron being
called negative, and the proton's charge being positive.

Learning Objectives:
1.

Describe the effect of electrical charges on small-uncharged objects.

2.

Describe electrical attraction and electrical repulsion.

3.

Describe how static electrical charge can be created.

4.
Describe a method to measure the electrical force between electrical
charges.

Equipment:
You will need scotch tape, socks, a styrophone cup (coffee cup), aluminum
foil, thread, and small pieces of paper.

Procedure:
1.
Attach lengths of thread to the bottom of each cup. Hang one of the cups
from some fixed support. Charge the cups by rubbing them in your hair (if you
have hair, and if it is not too oily). Alternatively, you might take a sock
fresh from drying in a dryer without benefit of fabric softener or of a cling
free sheet. Hold the second cup by its string and bring it near to the first
cup. What happens?
2.
Notice how the force of repulsion, indicated by how far each thread is
angled from vertical, increases when the distance between the cups is decreased.
3. Demonstrate electrical attractions by bring the second cup near the pieces of
paper. How close must you get to cause the paper pieces to jump onto the cup?
4.
cup.

Suspend a wad of foil from a string. Bring the foil near to the second
What happens? Allow the foil to touch the cup. What happens? Explain.

5.
Turn on a water faucet just enough to have a very small stream trickling
out. Bring a charged cup near the stream and notice the attraction of the water
to the cup.
6.
Demonstrate an electrostatic precipitator using a lit cigarette or a smoky
candle and the charged cup (you may have to recharge the cup from time to time).
Bring the charged cup near to the smoke. What happens?
7.
Take two 20-cm strips of scotch tape and two small pieces of paper.
Attach the end of each tape strip to a piece of paper. The paper will serve as
handles for holding the tape without being stuck to your fingers.
Place the
bottom 10-cm of each tape to a tabletop and rub firmly. When the tape is pulled
from the tabletop, each piece of tape will have excess electrons and hence will
be negatively charged. When the two pieces of tape are brought near each other,
they will repel each other.
8.
Determine the type of charge on the socks by seeing if the tape will be
attracted to the socks or repelled. Do the same with the styrofoam cups.

Data Analysis and Questions:

A lab report is required for reporting the results of your experiment.
Please write your report in Word and submit it as a file.
Besides the general report material, be sure that your report answers the
following points.
1.
Explain why the charged object (cup) attracts uncharged objects (pieces of
paper or foil).
2.
Describe how you could use the results of procedure 2 to develop a measure
of the electrical charge on an object.
3.

Describe the mechanism for creating an electrical charge.