Electrostatics

To do this activity you will need:

► A few very small pieces of paper (less than 1
cm x 1 cm).

Activity ►
►
A plastic pen
A piece of cloth (wool will work best)

Instructions:
► Place the pieces of paper on the table.
► Rub the pen back and forth along the cloth for
a few seconds.
► Immediately hold the pen next to (but not
touching) the bits of paper.

► What do you observe happening?

 By the end of this lesson, we will be able
to:
1. Identify the 2 types of electric charge.
Today’s
2. Understand what is meant by the term
Objectives ‘static electricity’.
3. Describe the forces that exist between
‘like’ and ‘unlike’ charges.
There are 2 types of electric charge:

- positive charge
- negative charge

Positive charges are carried by

tiny particles called protons.

Negative charges are carried

by tiny particles called
electrons.
What is static electricity?

► Static electricity is the build-up of

electric charges on an object.

► The word ‘static’ means stationary, or

not moving.

► This means that the charges in static

electricity do not flow like the charges
Static charges have accumulated on
in current electricity. the girl’s hair
Static Discharge

► Static charges do not flow, however if

enough static charge accumulates on
an object, then the charges can
‘jump’ from one object to another.

► An example of charges building up

and then ‘jumping’ or ‘discharging’ is
a lightning strike.
Effects of
Static
Discharge
 ► Click on the link below to access a
simulation of electrostatic charges.
Activity:
Investigating the
https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/ballo
forces between ons-and-static-electricity/latest/balloons-a
nd-static-electricity_en.html
electric charges
 The forces between electric charges

► When 2 electric charges are brought

together, they experience a force
between them.
► This force can be either attractive or
repulsive depending on the
charges.
► ‘Like’ charges repel each other.
► ‘Unlike’ charges attract each other.
 Test Your Understanding #1

► The diagram below shows 4 pairs of plastic balls hanging by nylon strings. Each ball in Figures A, B
and C, has either a positive or negative charge.

► Use your knowledge of the forces between like and unlike charges to determine the electric
charge on each ball by writing either a ‘+’ or a ‘-’sign. Figure A has been done for you.

► Do you think the ‘charges’ on the balls in Figure D will be positive, negative or neutral (no charge)?
Explain your answer.
Test Your Understanding #2
► Let’s try to use what we’ve
learned so far to explain what
happened in the introductory
activity.
► Choose the correct words in the
statement below,

Explanation:
When the pen was rubbed against
the cloth, electrons ‘jumped’ from
the cloth to the pen. This caused the
pen to gain (1) positive / negative
charges.
The charged pen was then able to
(2) attract / repel the positive
charges in the bits of paper, causing
the bits of paper to temporarily cling
to the pen.
How to bend water
using static electricity
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=C3EZLVFGASQ
Here’s another activity
for you to try at home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrSrn0z
fXuw
 Closure
As we end today’s session,
think about everything we did.

Ask yourself:

What are

► 2 new things I learned.

► 1 question I still have.