Purpose:
1. To explore the charging of objects by friction and by contact.
2. To explore the charging of objects by electrostatic induction.
3. To explore the concept of electrostatic shielding.
Procedure:
Part 1: Determine Sign of Charge on Metal Ball
Here you will lower the metal ball into the center of the pail (the inner cylinder) and determine which producer is positively charged and which is negatively charged
Part 2: Charging by Contact
You will now rub one of the charge producers against the inner surface of the pail and see if the charge is transferred to it.
Part 3: Charging by Induction
In this part you will not let the charge producer touch the pail, but will instead briefly ground the pail by connecting it to the shield (the outer cylinder) while the charge producer is inside. Then you will remove the charge producer and observe the induced charge on the pail.
Part 4: Electrostatic Shielding
In this part you will measure the effects of placing a charge producer outside of the grounded shield
Data:
Results:
A charged metal object suspended inside a neutral metal container induces an equal but opposite charge on the inside of the container. When the charged metal object is touched to the inside of the of the container, the induced charge exactly neutralizes the excess charge on the object. When a charged object is placed within a metal container, an equal charge of the same sign is forced to the outer surface of the container. All of the charge on
