NAME: _________________________________________________________

FORM: ____________________

ELECTROSTATIC TEST

1. Describe the phenomenon of lightning with the aid of a fully labelled diagram and explain how
the lightning rods work on tall buildings.

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(8 marks)
 2. An advertisement for a dust brush claims that it is “an electrostatic brush which attracts dust and
does not just move it elsewhere”. The brush is made from nylon fibres which, when charged,
have the same sign of charge as polythene.

i. State the sign of charge the nylon fibres gain when they were rubbed across the surface of a glass
mirror.

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ii. Explain how this charging happens, naming any particles involved.

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iii. What effect will there be on the surface of the mirror?

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iv. What happens to an uncharged dust particle when a charged nylon fibre is brought close to it?

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(6 marks)

3. A cellulose acetate rod is rubbed with a cloth for a period of time

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i. Explain how a cellulose acetate rod becomes positively charged when rubbed with a cloth.

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ii. What would happen if two cellulose acetate rods are placed close to each other?

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iii. Why is it not possible to charge a metal rod held in the hand by rubbing it with a cloth?

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(6 marks)

4. A charges polythene rod is brought near an uncharged metal rod supported on an insulated stand
as shown in the diagram below.

charged polythene rod

metal rod

insulating stand

i. What effect, if any, will the charged polythene rod have on an uncharged metal rod?

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ii. On the diagram add three + signs and three –signs to show the arrangement of charges in the
metal rod when the charged polythene rod is held close to it.

iii. What effect, if any, will occur on the metal rod, if a student touched the right side of the metal
rod.

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(6 marks)
 5. The diagram below shows a home-made thundercloud indicator. It consists of two metal bells, A
and B, which are mounted on an insulated stands. A light metal sphere on the end of a nylon
thread is free to swing about on the point O. The bell B is connected to Earth.
light metal sphere

nylon thread

metal bell B metal bell A

insulating stand

When a thundercloud is near, bell A becomes positively charged.

i. Mark on the diagram the nature and the distribution of the charge on the sphere due to the charge
on A.

The sphere then swings between A and B, striking the bells and causing them to ring.

ii. Explain why the sphere moves towards A.

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iii. Explain why the sphere to swing back to B as soon as it struck A.

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iv. What happens to the charge on the sphere when it strikes B?

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(6 marks)
6. i. Define an “electric field”

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ii. State “the direction of the electric field”

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iii. Complete the following electric field diagrams.

(a)

- +

(b)
+

(4 marks)

END OF TEST