Electrostatics Experiment

8/9/2019 Electrostatics Experiment

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Experiment 1

Electrostatics

by

Julio Francisco

PHY 2092 - E4

Experiment Performed: 8/22/2014

Report Submitted: 8/29/2014

Lab Partner:

Nigel Murillo

Instructor:

Darren Palcek

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Introduction:

This experiment was undertaken to study the phenomenon of electrostatics using a PASCO Basic

Electrostatics System. In this experiment, one would measure the amount of voltage generated

from rubbing magic wands together thats applied to the cages of a faraday ice pail. Since this

experiment was more oriented toward collecting data than statistically analyzing data, there would

be no discussion on the deviation

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Furthermore, the experiment required the investigator to touch the inner wall of the faraday

ice pail (also known as the pail). Table 1 show that zero voltage was recorded when touching the

pail with the magic wand. Having a recorded value of zero voltage can be best explained by the

process called induction. Induction is the phenomenon in which the distribution of electric charges

on an object is influenced by the electric charges on another object. Therefore, when placing an

negatively charged object close to a neutral charged object, the electrons are repelled away from

the negatively charged object, leaving a positively charged side to interact with the negatively

charged object. A similar phenomenon can occur when placing a positively charged object near a

neutrally charged object; except that electrons will be attracted to the positively charged object. In

this experiment, the wand possessed a negative charged, while the pail was neutrally charged.

When touching the pail with the wand, the electrons were repelled, allowing the negatively charged

wand to interact with the positively charged side of the pail. The positive and negative charged

objects cancel each other. As a result, a reading of zero voltage was recorded (see figure 1)

The procedure also ask the investigator to place the second wand into the pail. Initially, the first

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wand gave a reading of -75 volts; however, the second wand recorded +75 volts. One can assume

that during the of rubbing process of both wands electrons were transferred from to one wand to

the other. As a result of such transfer, one wand would generate a positive voltage value while the

other one would produce a negative voltage.

Furthermore, the procedure required the investigator to insert both wands into the pail at

the same time. Zero volt was recorded by the electrometer. Such result can be explained by the

same principle as previous trials in which one wand gained electrons while the other lose electrons

during the process of rubbing each other. In addition, when placing both into the pail, both charges

from the wands would cancel each other out leading to a recording of zero voltage.

In the next set of experiment, two conducting spheres were used to further investigate the

phenomenon of charging by induction. During the investigation, it was discovered that the polarity

charge was located near the second sphere and therefore the charge density was located at the far

side of the second sphere. In other words, when placing two conducting spheres near each other,

the electrons travel to the far side of the sphere due to repulsion, causing the far side of the second

sphere to gain charge density. As a consequence to the repulsion, the near side gains polarity

charge.

There are couple of errors that can occur in this experiment. One error was the design of

the experiment. Since this experiment was designed as an ideal scenario, one failed to account

factors such as the humidity and movement of air. The humidity and the movement of air provide

a way for charged particles to travel. In other word, electrons are carried away by air. In such

case, the movement of charged particles can lower the charge of the wands leading to to a lower

voltage than expected. In spite of such case, this systematic intrinsic error is negligible.

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Conclusion:

The following experiment was undertaken to study the phenomenon of electrostatic by

measuring the voltage generate from rubbing two magic wands which were applied contact to a

faraday ice pail. Overall, the experiment was a success due to consistent results with the expected

outcome.

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Electrostatics Experiment