A student rubbed an acrylic rod with a dry woollen cloth. The acrylic rod became negatively charged and the woollen cloth became positively charged.
Explain why the acrylic rod became negatively charged.
Figure 1 shows the negatively charged acrylic rod resting on an insulating polystyrene block on a laboratory balance.
Figure 2 shows a second charged rod being held stationary directly above the rod on the balance. The two rods do not touch each other.
Explain why the reading on the balance increases.
The balance had a zero error. This zero error does not affect the validity of the results in this experiment. Give the reason why.
The dome of a Van de Graaff generator is given a large negative charge and is positioned near a sharp, earthed conducting spike. Explain why a spark jumps between the dome and the earthed spike.
Static electricity (physics only) Questions
Practise AQA GCSE Physics Static electricity (physics only) with exam-style questions for Foundation and Higher tier. 18 questions covering Static charge and Electric fields, matched to the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.