Names: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Laws of Static Electricity Lab

SNC1D
Part 1 (Warm-Up): How Charged and Neutral Objects Interact
Problem: How do neutral objects respond to charged objects?
Prediction: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Materials:

bits of paper from hole punch, ebonite rod, fur, acetate strip, silk, glass rod, polyethylene bag

Procedure:
1. Place several bits of paper from the hole punch on your lab bench top.
2. Rub the ebonite rod with fur.
3. Slowly move the ebonite rod close to the bits of paper. Record your observations in the table below.
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 with a acetate strip rubbed with silk.
5. Repeat steps 2 & 3 with a glass rod rubbed with polyethylene.
Observations:
Table 1: Interaction of charged objects and neutral objects
Charged object
Response of neutral pieces of
paper
ebonite rod
acetate strip
glass rod

Conclusion: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Discussion:

Could you tell which objects were negative and which were positive from the response of the neutral
pieces of paper? Explain.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

Show your table, conclusion, and discussion answer to your teacher and ask your teacher to initial here: _________

Part 2: How Two Charged Objects Interact

Problem: How do charged objects interact with each other?
Prediction: ____________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________

Materials:

same as in Part 1, balloon, fishing line or string, support stand

Procedure:
1. Use the fishing line or string to suspend the balloon from the support stand. Rub the balloon with fur to charge it.
2. Rub an ebonite rod with fur and hold the fur near the suspended balloon (without touching it). In the table below,
record the interaction.
3. Hold the ebonite rod near the suspended balloon (without touching it). In the table below, record the interaction.
4. Repeat the steps above for an acetate strip rubbed with silk, the silk, a glass rod rubbed with polyethylene, and
the polyethylene bag. (Recharge the balloon by rubbing it with fur as necessary.)
Observations:
Object

Fur

Table 2: Response of charged balloon to other charged objects

Ebonite
Acetate
Silk
Glass

Polyethlyene

Response

Show your table to your teacher and ask your teacher to initial here: _________
Analysis:
Use the electrostatic series (on page 473) to determine which objects were positive and which were negative:
Table 3: Charge of objects determined using the electrostatic series
Balloon rubbed Fur rubbed with Ebonite rubbed Acetate rubbed Silk rubbed
Glass rubbed
with fur
ebonite
with fur
with silk
with acetate
with
polyethlyene

Polyethlyene
rubbed with
glass

Show your table to your teacher and ask your teacher to initial here: _________
Conclusion: ___________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Show your conclusion to your teacher and ask your teacher to initial here: __________
Discussion:

When two objects are rubbed together, if one object becomes negatively charged, what happens to the
other object? Explain why.
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What property do all the materials in this lab have in common?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

Show your discussion answer to your teacher and ask your teacher to initial here: __________