How Can You Determine the Charge on Ebonite and Acetate Rods?

[princevisram]

Homework Statement

There was an experiment an here is the purpose: to determine re charge that is induced on a metal leaf electroscope when it is approvhed by known charges.

Homework Equations

I've answered all my analyisis questions except for this one: explain how you were able to determine the charge on the ebonite rod and the acetate rods.

The Attempt at a Solution

I knew that If I rubbed fur on the ebonite rod, it would become negative and if I rub silk on the acetate rod, it will become positive, but I have no clue why. It's worth 2 marks that I really need. Thanks for your help inadvamced!

 

[anathema]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your experiment and purpose. It sounds like you have a good understanding of how to charge the ebonite and acetate rods, but you are unsure of why they become charged in the first place.

The reason for this is due to a concept called triboelectricity. When two different materials come into contact and then separate, electrons can transfer from one material to the other. This results in one material becoming positively charged and the other becoming negatively charged. The specific materials and their positions in the triboelectric series determine the direction and magnitude of the charge transfer.

In your experiment, rubbing fur on the ebonite rod causes electrons to transfer from the fur to the ebonite, making the ebonite negatively charged. Similarly, rubbing silk on the acetate rod causes electrons to transfer from the silk to the acetate, making the acetate positively charged.

To determine the charge on the ebonite and acetate rods, you can use a device called a gold-leaf electroscope. When a charged object is brought near the electroscope, the charge on the object will induce a charge on the electroscope, causing the gold leaves to either repel or attract each other. By measuring the distance between the gold leaves, you can determine the magnitude of the induced charge on the electroscope, which is equal to the charge on the ebonite or acetate rod.

I hope this helps to answer your question and good luck with your analysis! Keep up the good work in your scientific endeavors.

 

[nlightner]

I can provide an explanation for how the charge on the ebonite and acetate rods were determined in this experiment.

Firstly, it is important to understand that when two materials come into contact and then separate, they can become electrically charged. This is due to the transfer of electrons between the two materials. In this case, when fur is rubbed on the ebonite rod, some of the electrons from the fur are transferred onto the rod, giving it a negative charge. Similarly, when silk is rubbed on the acetate rod, some of the electrons from the rod are transferred onto the silk, giving it a positive charge.

The type of material and the amount of friction used during rubbing can also affect the amount of charge transferred. In this experiment, known charges were approached to the metal leaf electroscope, which is a device used to detect electric charge. The electroscope would then show a deflection, indicating the presence of an electric charge. By comparing the known charges to the deflection on the electroscope, the charge on the ebonite and acetate rods can be determined.

In summary, the charge on the ebonite and acetate rods were determined by the transfer of electrons through friction, and the use of a metal leaf electroscope to detect and compare the known charges. This demonstrates the concept of induction, where a charged object can influence the charge of another object without direct contact.