Tag Archives: electrons

Static charge (electrons, in this case) can be physically transferred from one object to another through friction. Students will use rubber, glass, fur and silk to create positive and negative charges, and investigate how these charges cause forces. An electroscope will be used to demonstrate charging by conduction and induction.

Electricity is the flow of electrons through a substance. Those materials permitting this flow are called conductors; those which do not are nonconductors (or insulators). Among those materials which are conductors, some are better at conducting electricity than others. In this exercise, we will study a number of materials to see whether or not they are conductors. In general, among solid substances, metals are conductors and nonmetals are not. Distilled water is not a conductor. Solutions containing ions (salt water, acids, tap water) are conductors.

Static charge (electrons, in this case) can be physically transferred from one object to another through friction. Students will use rubber, glass, fur and silk to create positive and negative charges, and investigate how these charges cause forces.

The electrical force is so pervasive that it is difficult to name many aspects of the physical world not affected by it. At the most fundamental level, the attractive electrical force between electrons and protons holds atoms together. On a bit larger scale, electrical interactions between atoms are responsible for the formation of molecules. On a much grander scale, a rapid discharge of atmospheric electricity manifests itself as a flash of lightning. All these phenomena are governed by the same basic principles.