Experiment E1

Static Charges
Introduction
This exercise is designed to familiarize the rudimentary electrostatic apparatuses and techniques used to
explore static charge distributions, to investigate the properties of electric charge, such as insulators,
conductors, conduction, induction, and charge conservation, and to introduce electrostatic charge
distribution on conductors. Electric charge is either positive or negative, has the same value (e = 1.6 x 10
C), is conserved, and charged objects exert an electric force on each other. This force is given by
Coulombs Law, F = (1/4)(q q /r ), where = 8.85 x 10 C /Nm . Conductors, such as metals, contain freely
moving electrons, and insulators, such as glass and plastics, contain nonmoving charges. Because the Earth
contains an infinite reservoir of charge, connecting an object via conductor to the earths surface is known
as grounding. Grounding a conductor sets the electric potential, which is the difference in potential
between two points that causes charge to flow, to zero. Charge density can be calculated by = Q/V, where
Q is the net charge and V is the volume. Gausss Law states that excess charge remains on the surface of
conductors and that there is no charge in the cavity of a hollow object. The surface charge density is =
Q/A, where A is the surface area.
Data & Analysis
Part I Charging by Conduction
1. We began the investigation by first discharging the pail, the shield, the proof plane, and the charge
producer. The proof plane was charged by rubbing it against the blue charge producer. The proof plane was
inserted into the pail and touched the pail. Once the proof plane was removed, the electrometer reading was
recorded. The pail was discharged, and the pail was touched by the proof plane once again. The
electrometer reading was recorded.
Was there any charge left on the proof plane? There was charge still on the proof plane because after the
pail was discharged, the proof plane touched the discharged pail, and a reading was produced on the
electrometer, (-21 V).
Why does most, but not all of the charge migrate from the proof plane to the pail? Most but not all of the
charge migrates from the proof plane to the pail due to the difference in electric potential.
Was the charge on the proof plane positive or negative? The charge on the proof plane was positive, (+2.1
V).
2. The procedure in item 1 was repeated with the white charge producer.
Was the charge imparted to the proof plane of the opposite sign or the same sign as before? The charge was
the opposite sign as before, (-65 V).
3. This procedure was repeated and varied the intensity and time of rubbing the proof plane against the blue
and white charge producers.
Can you control the amount of charge imparted to the proof plane? Yes, rubbing the proof plane longer and
harder creates a larger charge. White: (+21 V) Blue: (+12 V).
-19

-12

What happens if, after rubbing, you touch the pail with the charge producer rather than with the proof
plane? For both instances (rubbing the white and blue charge producers), touching the pail with the charge
producers rather than the proof plane resulted in 0 V.
4. Can you explain why? The electrometer in Part I indicated non-zero voltage as soon as the charge proof
plane was inserted into the pail, even before it touched the pail because the proof plane retained a charge
from the charge producers; therefore, even though the proof plane did not touch the pail, a non-zero voltage
was felt. It indicates that the proof plane induces a charge in the pail by electrostatic induction.

This was used using the white charge producer and the proof plane. Based on the results, the middle of the
pail induced more of a charge by electrostatic induction. The top and the bottom of the pail (not touching
the pail) had induced less of a charge. The bottom of the plane had the lowest electrometer reading, (+12).
Nonetheless, using the white charge producer induced a positive charge on the pail.
5. The system was discharged. After rubbing the two charge producers together, the white one was inserted
into the pail. Because the directions called for inserting the charge producer deeply into the pail to measure
the charge accurately, the white charge producer was inserted deep into the pail. The voltage read, (-1 V).
Using the charge conservation principle, we predicted the reading of the electrometer when the other charge
producer is inserted into the pail to be +1 V. However, when we tested this experimentally, the charge
induced was -2 V. When both charge producers were inserted into the pail, the electrometer read -7 V.
Does the reading agree with what you expect?
No, we expected that if the white charge producer induced a charge of -1 V, then the blue charge producer
would induce a charge of +1 V. We expected that when both charge producers are inserted into the pail, the
electrometer would read 0 V.
6. The white charged proof plane was inserted deeply inside the pail to induce a charge on the pail without
touching the pail. The voltage was recorded to be +9 V for being charged with the white charge producer.
Once the pail was grounded, the voltage was 0 V. The proof plane was removed from inside the pail and the
voltage read -9 V.
Explain all three readings of the electrometer. When the charged proof plane was first inserted into the pail,
the electrometer read +9 V, indicating that the proof plane induced a charge in the pail by electrostatic
induction. ONce the pail was grounded, the net charge was 0 V; however, there was still charge on the
proof plane. Thus, once the proof plane was removed, which had a charge of +9 V, the net charge of the pail
became -9 V, which made sense.
We then charged the pail by induction with a charge of the opposite sign to the one we induced earlier. The
blue charge producer induces negative charges. The blue charged proof plane was inserted deeply inside
the pail to induce a charge on the pail without touching the pail. The voltage was recorded to be -6 V for
being charged with the blue charge producer. Once the pail was grounded, the voltage was 0 V. The proof
plane was removed from inside the pail and the voltage read +6 V.
Part III - Gausss Law
7. The power supply was set to the 30 V range and the black terminal was connected to the shield. The pail
was charged by connecting it to the red terminal of the power supply. The electrometer reading, Vo = +30 V.
The proof plane was then discharged. The pail was discharged and the voltage associated with the sample
charge on the proof plane, Vp = 0.5 V. The ratio Vp/Vo = 60. The procedure was performed once more,
touching the proof plane a different location on the pail. Vo = +30 V, and Vp = 0.5 V; therefore, the ratio
Vp/Vo = 60, which is the same magnitude as before.