STATIC ELECTRICITY

Chapter 9
9.1 STATIC ELECTRICITY
9.1.1 Electrification by Friction
9.1.2 Positive and Negative Charges
9.1.3 The Electroscope
Learning Objectives :
1. To know about the phenomenon of
electrification by friction
2. To know what static electricity is.
3. To know the law of charge interactions
 9.1.1 Electrification by Friction
Activity 1
1. Rub a plastic ruler with a piece of silk cloth.
2. Put it near some pieces of paper.
Observation : The paper pieces attracted by the rubbed ruler.
 9.1.1 Electrification by Friction
Activity 1
1. Rub a balloon with a piece of fur.
2. Bring the balloon near the paper pieces.
Observation : The paper pieces
attracted by the balloon.

Conclusion : The rubbed ruler and

balloon carry charges.
Other Examples of Static Electricity
• The kind of motionless
charges that gathers on an
object is called static
electricity.
• The process of producing
static electricity by rubbing is
called electrification by
friction.
Think About It !
Turn on the tap so that the water flows in a
thin stream. Bring a balloon rubbed with a
piece of fur cloth to the stream of water. The
water stream is found curve away from its
straight path. Why is this so?

The water stream and the balloon has

opposite charges that attract each other.
Activity 2 9.1.2 Positive and Negative Charges
1. Rub two glass rods separately with silk.
Hang one of them on a plastic hook. Bring
another rod near it.
Observation : The two rods repel.
2. Rub two glass rods separately with fur. Hang
one of them on a plastic hook. Bring another
tod near it.
Observation : The two rods repel
3. Hang one glass rod rubbed with silk on a
plastic hook. Bring another rod rubbed with
ebonite rod near it.
Observation : The two rods attract Glass rod + silk , glass rod : +
one another. Ebonite rod + fur , ebonite rod : -
Activity 2

Conclusion : Like Charges Repel , Unlike Charges Attract Each Other

From the experiment, we know that :
(a) The charges produced in a glass rod rubbed with silk are defined to be
positive charges.
(b) The charges produced in an ebonite rod rubbed with fur are defined to
be negative charges.
(c) There are only two types of charges in nature.
 Activity 3
Tie a 40-cm long plastic string at one end. Tear
the other end into thin, fibrous strips. Hold the
fibrous strips at the knot, and rub at the strips
and spread them out. Can you explain the
phenomenon?

The reason why all the fibrous strips spread out

is that they have the same charges when being
rubbed with the same materials ( hand ), same
charges will repel from each other.
Fig.9.8 Hair Spread out while touching a
Van de Graaff Generator

Your hairs will spread out

and stand erect when
your hand touches a
metal body with static
electricity in a science and
technology museum.
 9.1.3 The Electroscope
• An electroscope is a device that is capable of
detecting the presence of a charged object.
• There are three types of electroscope.
• When a charged object touches the metal plate or
knob of an electroscope, some charges will be
conducted down to the needles or leaves of the
electroscope.
• The needles/leaves will diverge since they have
the same charges that repel one another. A bigger
magnitude will produce a greater divergence.
Three Types of Electroscope
Gold-Leaf Electroscope
How to charge an Electroscope ?
Working Principles of an Gold-Leaf Electroscope
 9.2 CAUSES OF
ELECTRIFICATION BY
FRICTION
Learning Objective :
Be able to explain the cause of electrification by friction
Why do objects get charged after they are being rubbed?

• Matter is made up of atoms and

molecules.
• A molecule is made up of two or more (+)
atoms.
• An atom is made up of a positively
charged nucleus and negatively
charged electrons outside the nucleus.
(-)
• Attracted and restricted by the nucleus,
the electrons spin at high speeds
around the nucleus.
• Atom is neutral
No of proton = No of electrons

• Lost of electrons
No of proton > No of electrons
→Atom is positively charged

• Gain of electrons
No of electrons> No of proton
→Atom is negative charged
Why do objects get charged after they are being rubbed?
• Under normal conditions, the numbers of protons
and electrons in an atom are the same.
• The positive and negative charges cancel each
other, making the whole object neutral.
• When two objects are rubbed against one another,
the electrons will transferred from one object to
another.
• For example, when a piece of silk is rubbed against
a glass rod, the stronger attractive forces in the
nuclei of the silk will pull some of the electrons in
the glass rod towards them.
• In this way, the positive charges in the glass rod
become more than that of the negative charges.
• Therefore, the glass rod becomes positively
charged while the silk becomes negatively
charged.
Static Electricity is the result of electrons
transferred , not created during rubbing.

Gain
electrons
 Think About It!
1. What kind of changes will take place with a piece of fur and an ebonite rod after
they are rubbed against each other?
The piece of fur becomes positively charged while the ebonite rod becomes negatively
charged.
2. Of fur and ebonite, which matter has a better attractive force towards electrons?
Explain your conclusion.
Ebonite rod. Because the electrons are transferred from the piece of fur to the ebonite
rod after rubbing.
Activity 4
1. Use silk to rub a glass rod and a piece of polythene sheet ( or ebonite rod ) separately.
2. Then, bring the glass rod and polythene sheet together.
3. There will be attraction between the two, showing that the charges on the rubbed glass
rod and polythene sheet are ____.
4. Of silk, glass and polythene, the one that loses electrons most easily is ____, while the
one that catches electrons most easily is ___.
5. Arrange the three materials based on their strengths of attracting electrons.
Fact File

• Substances at the
top are weaker in
capturing electrons .

• Substances at the
bottom are stronger
in capturing
electrons to become
negatively charged.
9.3 THE APPLICATIONS AND
PREVENTIVE MEASURE
FOR STATIC ELECTRICITY
Learning Objective :
9.3.1 The Applications of Static Electricity
9.3.2 The Harm and Precautions for Static Electricity
 9.3.1 The Applications of Static Electricity
(A) Electrostatic Air Cleaner and Its Principles of Functioning
 9.3.1 The Applications of Static Electricity
(A) Electrostatic Air Cleaner and Its Principles of Functioning
• Pre-filter : To filter the bigger dust
particles in the air.
• Ionizer: To let the dust particles become
charged.
• Collector : To attracted the opposite
charged dust particles.
• After-filter : To filter the remaining dust
particles.
 9.3.1 The Applications of Static Electricity
(B) Electrostatic Spray Painting and Its Principles of Functioning

• The car body will be charged positive, while the paint will be charged negative.
• The sprayed paint particles will then be attracted by the positively charged car body
and adhered onto its surface.
 9.3.1 The Applications of Static Electricity
(C) Electrostatic Spraying of Pesticides by a Crop Duster

Crop duster with electrostatic nozzles with + charged. Plants are connected to the ground are
naturally – charged.
9.3.2 The Harm caused by Static Electricity
• It difficult to get rid of dirt on clothes made of blended fabrics as they are easily
charged with static electricity.
• The standard purity of drugs in drug manufacturing factories cannot be reached as
static electricity attracts dirt easily.(制药厂里因靜电吸引尘埃）
• Sparks of static electricity can cause explosion of anaesthetic （麻醉剂爆炸）on the
operation table.
• Sparks of static electricity can cause gas tank explosion.
• Radio transmission may be disturbed by the static electricity resulted from the friction
between tyres and the roads.
• In the process of weaving synthetic fibres, the friction between the fibres and machines
can result in loose weaving as the charged fibres repel each other.
• Static electricity can be formed in the paper due to friction in the printing process. The
pieces of paper cannot be arranged neatly and misprinting occurs.
 9.3.2 The Precaution for Static Electricity
• Gas station attendants wearing pure cotton clothes.
• Computer maintenance technicians wearing antistatic wrist straps.
• Plane tyres made of conducting rubber.
• Drag strips hanging at the backs of road oil tankers
How to charge a neutral body by using
electrification by friction method