Static Electricity

Question 1

What is “static electricity?”

Answer 1

• Static electricity is the build up of charge on an insulator.

Question 2

What generates “static electricity?”

Answer 2

• Generated through transfer of electrons between insulators.

Question 3

What happens to 2 insulators when they are rubbed together?

Answer 3

• One of the insulators GAINS electrons: Negatively charged
• One of the insulators LOSE
  electrons: positively charged

Question 4

How do we know whether an insulator gains/ loses electrons?

Answer 4

• This depends on the type of material.
  YOU WILL ALWAYS BE TOLD

Question 5

What is an “electric field?”

Answer 5

• The area surrounding a charged object that can exert a force on other charged objects.

Question 6

True or False.
Attraction and Repulsion are examples of contact forces.

Answer 6

False!
They are non- contact
Experienced without touching

Question 7

Where is an electric field the strongest?

Answer 7

• The closest to the charged object itself.

Question 8

Where is an electric field the weakest?

Answer 8

• The further away from the charged object itself.

Question 9

If an object is placed in an electric field…Where will it experience the strongest force?

Answer 9

• The closer the object is to the charged object, the stronger the force.

Question 10

True or False. As the distance between a charged object and a second object increases, the force between them gets stronger.

Answer 10

FALSE!
- As the distance between them DECREASES, the force gets stronger.

Question 11

If two conductors are rubbed against each other, what will happen?

Answer 11

• The electrons will flow straight back to the intital conductor.

Question 12

What does a build up of electrostatic charge eventually lead to?

Answer 12

• Build up of electrostatic charge leads to SPARKING.

Question 13

Where do electrons go during sparking?

Answer 13

• The electrons go to any object that doesn’t have excess electrons.
• They need to be earthed.

Question 14

What is “discharge?”

Answer 14

• Discharge is the flow of electric charge from one body to another.

Question 15

Why is lightning transferred to Earth after a cloud becomes negatively charged?

Answer 15

• The cloud has excess electrons.
• The ground is neutral.
• The electrons jump the gap to the ground.

Question 16

What is meant by “induced charge?”

Answer 16

• When a charged object causes a neutral object to become charged and attracts it.

Question 17

What is electrostatic painting?

Answer 17

• Paint is negatively charged
• Rod is postively charged
• Paint repels, causing it to go in many directions
• Paint is attracted so stays better + spreads across

Question 18

VANN DE GRAFF…

Why does someone need to stand in tray?

Answer 18

• To keep charge on person
• So it doesn’t just travel to Earth

Question 19

What is an electrostatic force?

Answer 19

• The force two charged objects exert on each other.
• It is either attractive or repulsive.
• It is a non- contact force.

Question 20

How does the concept of an electric field help to explain the non contact force between charged objects?

Answer 20

• The force between 1 charged object and another increase as the distance decreases.

Question 21

how does the concept of an electric field helps to explain electrostatic phenomena such as sparking ?

Answer 21

• If the field is too strong (ie. too many electrons), some will jump the gap.

Question 22

If I rub two insulators together and one insulator has a 2- charge what charge will the other object have?

Answer 22

2+ charge