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GL442 Make It Guide a Simple Electroscope

This guide provides instructions for creating a simple electroscope using a glass jar, 3D printed parts, and aluminium foil. The electroscope demonstrates electrostatic principles by showing how like charges repel, allowing for qualitative measurement of electric charge. It can be used in experiments such as demonstrating the photoelectric effect.

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8 views

GL442 Make It Guide a Simple Electroscope

This guide provides instructions for creating a simple electroscope using a glass jar, 3D printed parts, and aluminium foil. The electroscope demonstrates electrostatic principles by showing how like charges repel, allowing for qualitative measurement of electric charge. It can be used in experiments such as demonstrating the photoelectric effect.

Uploaded by

byron.aram7
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
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Supporting Practical Science, D&T and Art

- in schools and colleges

Make-it guide – A simple electroscope


Introduction
This guide demonstrates how a simple electroscope can be made with a glass jar, two 3d printed parts and
some aluminium foil. The electroscope can be used in a variety of experiments, including demonstrating
the photoelectric effect.

Parts/materials
• A glass jar with a screw top lid – approximately 300-600ml in volume
• Stiff bare wire (we used 0.71mm diameter nichrome)
• 3D printed parts (electroscopeTop and electroscopeLid) found in GL442.zip
• Aluminium foil
Instructions
From the CLEAPSS website, find, download and extract the zip file “GL442.zip”. Import the files into your
slicer.
You will need to ensure the correct orientation as shown below.
Print the two parts and fit them together.

Drill an 8mm hole in the lid of a glass jar. Insert the 3d printed part into the hole as shown below. Use hot
glue to attach the printed part to the inside of the lid.

GL442 – 08/24 ©CLEAPSS


Page 1 of 2 [email protected]; www.cleapss.org.uk
Make one end of a piece of bare metal wire (we used nichrome) into a flat coil. Thread the other end
through the hole in the top plate so that it emerges below the lid and is not too long for the jar.

Turn the end of the straight wire back on itself to form a hook.
Cut out two tear-drop shaped pieces of aluminium foil, each about 20mm long. Thread these onto the end
of the wire as shown below.

Using the electroscope


The electroscope works on the principle of electrostatic forces.
When a charge is introduced, either by contact or induction, it
causes the leaves to repel each other (like charges repel). This
movement of the leaves is used to detect, and give a qualitative
measure of, the electric charge.
For an activity which uses this electroscope, see PP146 – The
Photoelectric Effect.

GL442 – 08/24 ©CLEAPSS


Page 2 of 2 [email protected]; www.cleapss.org.uk

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