Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region VIII
Schools Division of Tacloban City
Leyte National High School
Senior High School
Tacloban City
ELECTROSCOPE
INTRODUCTION
An electroscope is a device used to detect the
presence of electrical charges. The charges are distributed
uniformly along the metal tip down to the two metal strips
when a charged object is brought near the metal tip. The
unbalanced distribution of charges in the electroscope is
only temporary and will return to its uniform distribution upon
taking away the charged material. This process is called
induction.
I. OBJECTIVE/S:
Conduct experiment to show electrostatic charging by induction.
Build your own electroscopes to detect the presence of electric charge.
II. MATERIALS:
For the Electroscope
Clear Plastic Cup/Glass container with lid (you can make an improvised
lid using cardboard)
Paper Clip/copper wire
Aluminum Foil
Push pin
Insulation/Electrical Tape
Scissors
For the Charged objects
Balloon
Plastic Comb
Cotton cloth
Metal ruler/any metal
III. PROCEDURE:
Making the Electroscope:
1. Create a small hole at the bottom of the plastic cup/lid of the container (make
sure it is enough for the paperclip/wire to fit in).
2. Cut two strips of aluminum foil (¼" width, 1½" length). Use the end of a
paper clip or push pin to punch a small hole in the end of each foil strip.
3. Unfold the paper clip so it looks like a long J strips (create a J-shape using a
piece of wire) and hang the foil, called leaves, on the curved end of the J.
Smooth out the leaves so they hang straight and next to each other, but do not
press them together.
4. Holding the cup upside down, insert the straight part of the paper clip through
the hole so the leaves hang inside the upside down cup without touching the
desk or table. Secure the paperclip with a piece of tape.
5. Roll some aluminum foil into a ball and place the ball on top of the paper clip
that is sticking out of the cup. The electroscope is now complete and ready for
use.
Testing the Electroscope:
1. Blow up the balloon and rub it vigorously against your hair. Bring the charged
balloon CLOSE (BUT NOT TOUCHING) to the foil ball. Observe what will
happen. Move the balloon away from the electroscope. Observe what
happens.
2. Get the metal ruler and rub it against the cotton cloth. Bring the charged metal
ruler CLOSE (BUT NOT TOUCHING) to the foil ball. Observe what will
happen. Move the ruler away from the electroscope. Observe what happens.
Troubleshooting:
Make sure the leaves are not stuck together. They should be two separate
pieces that can move freely on the J part of the paper clip/wire. If the leaves
don't move, check if the leaves are wrapped around the paper clip. They
should be able to move on their own.
Try this on a dry day.
IV. RESULTS AND FINDINGS:
a. Rubber balloon and human hair
After rubbing, the rubber balloon electrons while the
human hair electrons resulting to an acquired charge below:
i. Charge of rubber balloon after rubbing:
ii. Charge of human hair after rubbing:
Illustration of charge distribution
Material in an electroscope as material is Explanation
brought near it
Charged
rubber balloon
Charged
human hair
b. Metal ruler and cotton cloth
After rubbing, the metal ruler electrons while the cotton
cloth electrons resulting to an acquired charge below:
i. Charge of metal ruler after rubbing:
ii. Charge of cotton cloth after rubbing:
Illustration of charge distribution
Material in an electroscope as material is Explanation
brought near it
Charged metal
ruler
Charged
cotton cloth
