Scribd
Upload
39 views

Physics Investigatory Project

Uploaded by

annathinmathews
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
39 views

Physics Investigatory Project

Uploaded by

annathinmathews
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 11

PHYSICS

INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First, I would like to express my gratitude to God
Almighty for showering me with blessings throughout the
journey. I would like to extend my gratitude to our
respected principal Fr.Karikkal Chacko Vincent and our
Bursar Rev.Fr.Koshy Chirakkarottu for their
wholehearted support. I would also like to express my
heartfelt thanks to my Physics teacher Mrs.Priyanka S
Nair who gave me the golden opportunity to do this
wonderful project on the topic, "To estimate the charge
induced on each one of the two identical Styrofoam (or
pith) balls suspended in the vertical plane by making use
of Coulomb’s Law" which helped me in doing a lot of
research through which I came to know about so many
new things. I also extend my gratitude to all my teachers
for their support and guidance. I would also like to thank
my parents and friends who helped me a lot in finalising
this project within the limited time frame.
INDEX

Content Page no.


1. Introduction..........................................................1
2. Aim......................................................................2
3. Apparatus Required..............................................2
4. Theory..................................................................3
5. Procedure.............................................................5
6. Observations.........................................................6
7. Result...................................................................7
8. Precautions...........................................................7
9. Sources of Error...................................................7
10. Bibliography.........................................................8
INTRODUCTION
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (14 June 1736 – 23 August 1806) was a
French military engineer and physicist. He is best known for
developing what is now known as Coulomb's law, the description of
the electrostatic force of attraction and repulsion. The SI unit of
electric charge, the coulomb, was named in his honour in 1908.
Coulomb explained the laws of attraction and repulsion between
electric charges and magnetic poles, although he did not find any
relationship between the two phenomena.

Coulomb's law, or Coulomb's inverse-square law, is a law of physics


for quantifying Coulomb's force, or electrostatic force. Electrostatic
force is the amount of force with which stationary, electrically
charged particles either repel, or attract each other. This force and the
law for quantifying it, is one of the most basic forms of force used in
the physical sciences, and were an essential basis to the study and
development of the theory and field of classical electromagnetism.

In its scalar form, the law is:

where k is Coulomb's constant (k ≈ 9×10⁹ Nm² C²), q1 and q2 are the


signed magnitudes of the charges, and r is the distance between the
charges. Being an inverse-square law, the law is analogous to Isaac
Newton's inverse-square law of universal gravitation. Coulomb's law
can be used to derive Gauss's law, and vice versa.

1
AIM
To estimate the charge induced on each one of the two identical
Styrofoam (or pith) balls suspended in the vertical plane by making
use of Coulomb’s Law”

APPARATUS REQUIRED
Small sized identical Styrofoam balls
Physical balance or electronic balance
Metra scale
Teflon thread
Stand
Glass rod (or plastic rod)
Silk cloth ( or wool cloth)

2
THEORY
The fundamental concept in electrostatics is electrical charge.
Rubbing two materials together, like a rubber comb on cat fur,
produces a “static” charge through a process called charging by
friction.

Most everyday objects are electrically neutral. They are made up of


atoms with negatively charged electrons moving around a positively
charged nucleus. Typically, the total negative charge of the electrons
balances the positive charge of their nuclei, resulting in no net
electrical charge. When we charge an object by friction, some
electrons transfer from one material to another.

A neutral object isn’t directly affected by electrical forces, but a


charged object can attract a neutral one through electrical
polarization. For example, if a negatively charged rod is brought
near an isolated, neutral insulator, the insulator’s electrons are
pushed slightly away, while its positive nuclei are drawn slightly
closer. This induced polarization keeps the insulator’s net charge at
zero.

If we connect a conducting material from this polarized conductor to


the ground, electrons move through this path to the ground. When
the path is disconnected, the conductor is left with a net positive
charge, opposite to that of the rod. This process, called charging by
induction, allows the conductor to be charged without direct contact
with the charged rod.

3
Let the force between two stationary charges be F.

4
PROCEDURE
1. Weigh each identical pith ball using a balance and record their
mass.

2. Tie each ball with a silk or cotton thread and suspend them from a
single point on a stand or rigid support. Measure the length of each
thread using a meter scale, ensuring the threads are of equal length.
Record the length.

3. Rub a glass rod with a silk cloth and touch it to both balls
simultaneously so they acquire an equal charge.

4. Allow the balls to hang freely; they will repel each other and settle
at a certain distance apart. Once they become stationary, record this
distance.

5. Touch one of the suspended balls with an uncharged third ball,


then remove the third ball and repeat step 4.

6. Touch the other suspended ball with an uncharged fourth ball, then
remove the fourth ball and repeat step 4.

5
OBSERVATION

Mass of each ball (m) = 0.1 g


Radius of each ball (r) = 10 mm
Length of each thread (l) = 150 cm

Calculation:-
By using the relation,
q = [mgx³/2kl]½

Calculate the charge induced in each case.

6
RESULT

The charge on ball =

PRECAUTIONS
1. The suspended balls should not be touched by any conducting
body.
2. Rub the glass rod properly with the silk cloth to produce more
charge.
3. Weigh the mass of the balls accurately.

SOURCES OF ERROR
1. The balls may not be of equal size and mass.
2. The distance between the balls may not be measured accurately.

7
BIBLIOGRAPHY
NCERT Class 12 Physics
https://www.scribd.com/document/434287272/Class-XII-
Physics-Project-Pith-Ball
https://www.academia.edu/38220117/To_estimate_charge_on_p
ith_ball_Class_XII_CBSE_physics_Investigatory_Project_

You might also like