Ateneo de Zamboanga University

The Jesuit University in Western Mindanao, Philippines

Since 1912
Senior High School
General Physics 2

Name/s: Group #: 5
Section: 12 STEM Lana-Terzi
Date Performed: Jan. 15, 2024

ACTIVITY # 1
Electrostatic Forces
I. OBJECTIVES

a. To explain and show how an object becomes electrically charged and how charged objects
interact.
b. To analyze the behavior of each object based on their charges.

II. INTRODUCTION

Have you ever pondered the phenomenon of our hair standing when our hands are in contact with a
static electricity ball? This occurrence can be attributed to the impact of electrostatic forces under methods of
charging which is a charge by conduction because the static electricity ball is negatively charged and our hair
follicles are also getting negatively charged, as a result for it to repel which makes our strands of hair stand.
According to Helmenstine (2020) Electrostatic forces are attractive or repulsive forces between particles that are
caused by their electric charges. This force is also called the Coulomb force or Coulomb interaction and is so
named for French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, who described the force in 1785. Like charges repel
because they push each other away, while opposite charges attract because they pull each other towards each
other. This is due to the nature of the electric force, which is a force that is exerted between two particles that
have either opposite charges or similar charges (Vaidyanathan, 2023). In this experiment the researchers of
Ateneo de Zamboanga University will observe and analyze the reaction of each paired object that will display
Coulomb interaction. In these experimental setups, aluminum foil is paired with a hard-rubber comb, and a
nylon is rubbed with a stirring rod. Afterwards both the aluminum foil and the hard-rubber comb are brought
closer to a piece of paper and to an aluminum foil. This process will allow for the exploration of electrostatic
interactions and the manifestation of charges between the materials involved.

III. DATA AND RESULTS

PART I:
Experiment #1: Neutral Foil and Negatively-charged Comb

Item Charge Item Charge

Neutral Negative

Figure 1.2
Source: adora.com
Figure 1.1
Comb
Source: allrecipes.com
Foil

Process & Observation:

 Initially, the foil had no charge. When the charged rubber comb touched the foil, the foil became
negatively charged.

Experiment #2: Negative-charged Foil and Negative-charged Comb

Item Charge Item Charge

Negative Negative

Figure 1.4
Source: adora.com
Figure 1.3
Comb
Source: allrecipes.com
Foil

Process & Observation:

When the rubber comb was brought close to the foil, they pushed away from each other, showing
repulsion.

PART II:
Experiment #3: Negatively-Charged Foil and Positively-Charged Paper

Item Charge Item Charge

Negative Positive

Figure 2.2
Source: collins.com
Figure 2.1 Paper
Source: allrecipes.com
Foil

Process & Observation:

The Negatively-Charged Foil and Positively-Charged Paper attract each other due to the principle of
opposite charges attracting each other. When an object becomes negatively charged, it has an excess of
electrons, while a positively charged object has a deficiency of electrons.

PART III:
Experiment #4: Negatively-Charged Paper and Positively-Charged Paper

Item Charge Item Charge

 Negative Positive

Figure 3.1
Source: collins.com
Figure 3.2
Paper Source: collins.com
Paper
Process & Observation:
The negative charge on the paper and the positive charge on the paper attract each other because the
electric field produced by the negative charge influences the positive charge, and vice versa. The
electric field lines between the charges act as a force, pulling the oppositely charged objects towards
one another.

IV. DISCUSSION

In the experiment, following another round of rubbing the rubber comb against the hair, it regained a
negative charge. Afterwards, when the rubber comb and the foil were brought closer, repulsion was
observed, indicating an aversion to being in close proximity to each other. Same charges repel each other.

In this experiment, when a comb is rubbed against hair, it gains excess electrons, giving it a negative charge.
When brought close to aluminum foil, the negative charge is transferred. When a stirring rod is rubbed
against nylon cloth, it loses electrons and becomes positively charged. Bringing a piece of paper close to the
positively charged rod causes the paper to acquire a positive charge. The negatively-charged aluminum foil
is attracted to the positively-charged paper due to the electrostatic forces between them. When brought close
together, the positive and negative charges on the paper and foil interact, causing them to attract each other.

When you rub a nylon cloth against a stirring rod, you are engaging in a method known as charging by
friction. The nylon cloth gains electrons and becomes negatively charged. Consequently, the stirring rod
becomes positively charged as it loses electrons, and if the stirring comes into contact with uncharged paper,
there will be a transfer of electric charge. The negatively charged stirring rod will induce a positive charge
on the side of the paper that is closest to it.The paper will become polarized due to electrostatic induction
and have a positive charge. This method is known as charging by conduction. When you rub a comb
through your hair, it causes the transfer of electrons between the comb and your hair. So, after rubbing a
comb with your hair, the comb is likely to be negatively charged, and your hair will be positively charged,
and if the comb comes into contact with the other neutral paper, the neutral paper will have a negative
charge. When a positive charge paper is brought closer to a negative charge paper since it's an unlike charge,
both papers attract each other; this is known as electrostatic attraction (Helmenstine, 2020).

IV. PROCESSING QUESTIONS -

1. What charge, if any, was on the polystyrene foam, the foil, and the tiny pieces of paper before
electrical charges were brought near them? Justify your answer.

Objects are neutral when they have an equal number of positive and negative charges. This
balance between positive and negative charges results in a neutral overall charge for the object. In
the absence of an external influence, such as bringing electric charges near the objects, they remain
neutral. So, before any electric charges were introduced, the foil and two pieces of paper had an
equal distribution of positive and negative charges, making them neutral.

2. What is the interaction between each pair of materials you used?

The initial object is a comb, rubbed against hair to transfer charges to the foil. In their first interaction,
the comb imparts negative charges to the foil. The following interactions involve both the foil and comb
carrying negative charges, resulting in repulsion. The second pair of objects includes the negatively charged foil
and Paper A, which becomes positively charged when rubbed against a nylon cloth. When they interact,
attraction occurs. The final pair of objects consists of Paper A with a positive charge and Paper B, which has
been rubbed with a negatively charged comb. They attract each other due to their opposite charges.

3. If your materials did not react as predicted, why do you think this may be? What could you do
differently?

If the materials did not react as predicted, this could be due to errors in the experimental setup or
unforeseen interactions between the materials. To address this, one could carefully review the experimental
procedures, adjusting the experimental conditions to see if the predictions can be achieved.

4. What is the interaction of (a) like charges? (b) unlike charges?

Like charges repel one another, negative charges repel each other, and so positive charges repel each
other while unlike charges attract each other. Positive charges attract negative charges, and negative charges
attract positive charges.

V. CONCLUSION

The experiment explored triboelectric charging and electrostatic interactions. Rubbing a rubber comb
against hair or a stirring rod against nylon cloth demonstrated the transfer of electric charge, resulting in objects
acquiring positive or negative charges. Electrostatic induction was observed when a neutral paper polarized near
a charged stirring rod. The repulsion between a negatively charged rubber comb and aluminum foil, as well as
the attraction between a positively charged paper and negatively charged foil, illustrated the principles that like
charges repel and unlike charges attract. The experiment provided practical insights into electrostatics,
emphasizing the significance of triboelectric series and contributing to a better understanding of static electricity
phenomena.
VI. REFERENCE/S

Helmenstine, A. M., PhD. (2020, January 17). Chemistry Definitions: What are Electrostatic Forces?

ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-electrostatic-forces-60445.com

Mort, J. (2003). Polymers, Electronic properties. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 645–657).

https://doi.org/10.1016/b0-12-227410-5/00597-4

Vaidyanathan, V. (2023b, October 19). Why do like charges repel and opposite charges attract? Science ABC.

https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/like-charges-repel-opposite-charges-attract.html#.com