Static Electricity

The four basic Ideas of electrostatics

[1] Conductors and insulators.
All matter is made up of atoms. Atoms contain positively charged protons in the small central nucleus and
negatively charged electrons moving around the nucleus. An electrical force of attraction between the negative
electrons and the positively charged nucleus holds the electrons in orbit. An atom of any element contains
equal numbers of positive protons and negative electrons, resulting in the atom as a whole being electrically
neutral. Fig.1 shows the arrangement of protons, neutrons and electrons in an atom of helium.
In conductors such as metals, the atoms are arranged in a regular fixed pattern called a lattice. The outer
electrons in each atom are far from nucleus and tend to break free from the atoms or dissociate (fig.2).
These free electrons drift through the lattice structure in random directions, a bit like the movement of
molecules in a gas. If a potential difference is applied across a conductor, the electrons will stop drifting
randomly and begin to move in a certain direction. A movement of electrons in a certain direction is called an
electrical current.
Fig 1. An atom of Helium.
So conductors are materials which contain electric charges
which are free to move1 .
Insulators do not contain free moving electrons. In insulators,
the outermost electrons are trapped in covalent bonds with
neighbouring atoms. A substance such as silicon is a good
example of an electrical insulator....all four outermost electrons
are directly involved in covalent bonding with other atoms
( fig. 3). The absence of any free moving electrons means that
charge cannot flow through the material.
Fig.2 Electrical conductors such as a metals
contain free electrons
1

Fig 3. Electrons in insulators are held in bonds

in metals , the movable charges are free electrons. Hot gases or plasmas are also electrical conductors. In this case the movable charges are atoms which have been ionised by
high temperatures.

[2] Objects become charged by gaining or losing electrons.

Neutral objects become electrical charged by gaining or losing electrons
( protons, the positive charge carriers, can never be transferred since they
are locked in the nucleus of the atom) .

neutral object; it contains equal

amounts of protons and electrons

a neutral object has equal numbers of electrons and protons

a negative object has more electrons than protons
a positive object has a less electrons than protons

Add
electrons

remove
electrons

[3] Charged objects can be neutralized or earthed by connecting

them to the ground.
The idea of grounding or earthing a charged object is an important one.
The earth contains free moving electrons. There are so many electrons
available in the earth that adding or removing electrons from the ground
does not result in the ground becoming electrically charged. A charged
object can be discharged (made neutral again) by connecting it to the earth.

positively charged object; it

contains more protons than
electrons

negatively charged object; it

contains more electrons than
protons

When a charged object is connected to the earth, electrons are transferred to or

from the earth (Fig.4.1 and 4.2). The electrons are transferred until the object
becomes neutral.
Electrons are repelled from a negatively charged object: the electrons will
flow from the object into the earth

Electrons are attracted towards positively charged object: the electrons flow
from the earth to the object.

Important; electrically charged insulators

cannot be discharged by earthing since
charge cannot flow through them.!!

electrons

Fig 4.1 A negatively charged object is

is discharged by gaining electrons
from the earth

electrons

Fig 4.2 A positively charged object

is discharged by gaining electrons
by losing electrons into the earth

The process of discharging a positive and a negatively charged sphere is shown in the animations in fig.5.1 and 5.2. Notice the direction of electron flow in each case.

Fig 5.1 discharging a positive sphere

Fig.5.2 discharging a negative sphere

[4] Electrons in an isolated conductor are evenly distributed.

An isolated conductor is one which is far removed from any other charged
objects. Under these circumstances, the free electrons will be distributed evenly
throughout the conductor. This idea is illustrated in Fig. 6.
(If a charged object is brought close to the sphere, the electrons will
move through the material, resulting in an uneven distribution. We will learn
more about this a little bit later)

+
+ +
+ ++
++

+
+
+

+
+
+ +

Fig .6 electrons are evenly distributed in an isolated conductor

+
+
+ + +
+
+ +

Now that the basic rules2 of electrostatics have been reviewed, its time to put knowledge into practice and use these ideas to explain a number of interesting things.
Charging by friction.
When a plastic or wax rod is rubbed with a cloth, the rod becomes positively charged and the cloth becomes
negatively charged (see video opposite). This is an example of charging by friction. Electrons are transferred
from the rod and onto the cloth. The rod loses electrons and becomes positively charged. The cloth gains
electrons and becomes negatively charged.

Attraction between charged and neutral objects.

If two objects attract, then they must be oppositely charged. Right? Wrong!
A charged object can also attract a neutral object. Play the animation and see what happens when a
negatively charged rod is brought near to a metal sphere suspended on a nylon thread.
The presence of the charged rod near to sphere can causes the electrons to move and
become unevenly distributed.
The electrons on the sphere are repelled away from the negatively charged rod, and drift towards the
left edge of the sphere. The distribution of electrons on the surface of the sphere is no longer even...the
edge closest to the charged rod has lost electrons and becomes positively charged. The edge of the
sphere furthest from the rod has gained electrons and becomes positively charged.
The positively charged edge of the sphere is attracted to the negatively charged charged rod. As a result,
the sphere swings towards the rod .
1

Ive assumed that the most basic rule of all i.e like charges repel and unlike charges attract, needs no revision!

The process is called electrostatic induction. Fig 7 shows the effect of bringing a positive rod and a negative rod near to a neutral metal sphere.

attraction

+ +
+ +
+
+
+

+ + + +

Fig 7.1 isolated neutral sphere

+
+ ++
+
+

Fig 7.2 Neutral sphere near a positive rod

attraction + +

+
+ +
+

Fig 7.3 Neutral sphere near a negative rod

In both cases the object will be attracted towards the charged material. The important thing to remember here is that uncharged objects can be attracted towards
electrically charged materials.

Example Questions:
1.

When a plastic rod is charged negatively by friction

A it gains electrons
C it loses electrons

B it gains neutrons
D it loses protons

Example Question: A Polyethene rod is positively charged. It is

brought close to, but not touching, an neutral metal sphere. The sphere is
insulated from its surroundings.
Which diagram best shows the distribution of charge on the sphere?

Answer: A
2. When a positively charged rod is brought close to a piece of metal
foil, the foil is attracted to the rod. Which of the following
statements about thye foil could be true?
I. the foil is neutral
II. the foil is positively charged
III the foil is negatively charged
A. I only
Answer: D

B I and II

C .III only

D I and III
Answer:D

Charging by Induction.
We have already seen how materials can become electrically charged by using
friction .Fig.8 shows a different method of charging two metal spheres. At the
beginning of the animation;
the spheres are in contact with each other, allowing electrons to move from
one sphere to the other.
both spheres are electrically neutral, having equal amounts of positive and
negative charge
At the end of the animation
One sphere has lost electrons and becomes positively charged
The other sphere has gained electrons and becomes negatively charged
Play the video carefully, pausing where necessary, until you fully understand the
steps involved.
Example Question. Two neutral metal spheres, A and B are placed next to each
other so that they are in contact and a negatively charged rodis brought close to
the spheres as shown in the diagram. The spheres are then seperated and the
positively charged rod is removed.
(i) Which of the following best desribes the charge on the spheres after
seperation?

A
B
C
D

Sphere A

Sphere B

positive
negative
positive
neutral

negative
positive
positive
neutral

Fig.8 Inducing a charge on two metal spheres

+ + +

(ii) Would the result of the experiment be different if it was

repeated using plastic spheres? Explain your answer.
Answers:
(i) A (electrons move from sphere A to sphere B)
(ii) The spheres would remain neutral. No movement of
electrons is possible because electrons cannot move through an
insulator

Testing for electrical charge; The Gold Leaf Electroscope.

The gold leaf electroscope is an instrument used to detect electrical charge. A simple electroscope contains a thin metal leaf attached to the lower end of
a metal rod. The other end of the rod is connected to a flat metal plate.
When a charged object is brought close to the cap of the electroscope, the gold leaf deflects away from the metal rod. Fig. 8.1 shows a simple electroscope, electrons
are distributed evenly throughout the cap, stem and leaf. When a negatively charged rod is brought close to the cap, electrons are repelled from the cap towards the
bottom of the stem and the leaf. The cap loses electrons and becomes positively charged, the stem and leaf gain electrons and become positively charged. The bottom of
the stem and the leaf are both negatively charged. The leaf is deflected from the stem by an electrostatic force of repulsion. A similar thing happens when a positively
charged rod is brought close to the electroscope (Fig. 8.2)

Fig. 8.1 negative rod near an electroscope

Fig. 8.2 positive rod near an electroscope

In either case, the effect is only temporary. As soon as the charged rod is removed, the electrons on the electroscope will redistribute evenly across the stem, leaf and
cap. The leaf will return to its rest position.
An electroscope will show whether an object is electrically charged because the leaf will deflect, but it cannot distinguish between positive or negative charge.

Electric Fields
Definition: An electric field is a region in space in which an electrically charged test particle experiences a force which is proportional to its charge.
All electrically charged objects are sorrounded by electric fields. The two most commonly encountered electric fields are the radial electric fields around a charged
particles (or spheres) (fig.1) and the electric field around a pair of oppositely charged particles or spheres (fig. 2).

Fig.1. The radial electric field sorrounding a

positively charged particle e.g a proton (red dot)

Fig. 2. The electric field between

two oppositely charged parallel particles

Electric fields are represented by electric field lines. Field lines do not really exist,they are imaginary things, but they help us to understand the properties of an
electric field. In particular..
Field lines show the direction of the force acting on a positively charge placed in the field. If a negatively charged particle is place in the field, it will
experience a force in the opposite direction to the field lines. It might help to remember that field lines always point away from positive and towards
negative.
Field lines help to tell us something about the strength of the electric field. In fig. 1, the electric field is strongest close to the charged particle, where the
lines are closer. The field lines between the plates in fig. 2 are parallel, so the strength of the field is the same at all points between the plates.

There are some common electric fields which you need to learn:

positively charged sphere

unlike, equally charged spheres

unlike, equally charged spheres

unlike,equally charged spheres

Neutral points.
Some electric fields contain neutral points (N). Neutral points exist at positions
where a charged particle experiences two forces which are equal in size and
opposite in direction.

particle

The forces cancel each other out. Neutral points are found at the mid points between identically charged spheres
equal, unlike parallel plates
Worked Example: The diagram shows the electric field pattern around
two charged spheres.
Important points about field lines:

Field lines always point away from positive and towards negative
If the field lines are converging the field is getting stronger.
If the field lines are diverging then the field is getting weaker.
If the field lines are parallel then the field has the same strength everywhere!

(a) What are the charges

on each sphere?
(b) Which sphere has the
greatest charge?

Answers:
(a) A is positive and B is
negtative since arrows point
from + to (b) B has the greatest charge, since it has more field lines.

Discharging
Charging

Charged conductors can be neutralized by connecting to earth or grounding

Neutral objects become charged by gaining

or losing electrons

Electrically charged insulators cannot be discharged by grounding

Grounding involves the transfer of free electrons between the earth and a charged object

Conductors and insulators

Conductors contain electrons which are free
to move through the material
The electrons in insulators are not free to
move.

Neutral objects can be charged by friction or

induction

Electric Field lines

Show the direction of the force acting on a
positive particle placed near a charged object
Point away from positive and towards
negative

Distribution of charge on a conductor

Attraction and repulsion
Like charges attract, unlike
charges repel
Neutral objects can be attracted
to charged objects by induction

Charge is distributed evenly across a conductor which is far removed

from other electrical influences
The presence of a charged object near to an electrical conductor can
causes charges to separate and become unevenly distributed.