Electrostatics Packet Worksheets

Static Electricity Name:
Charge
Read from Lesson 1 of the Static Electricity chapter at The Physics Classroom:
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MOP Connection: Static Electricity: sublevel 1
Introduction:
It all begins with atoms. An understanding of static electricity begins with an understanding of the atom.
Matter is made of atoms and if any sample of matter is charged, becomes charged or loses a charge, then
the explanation of what happened demands that one understand matter at the particle level.
1. In the space at the right, draw a picture of your Structure of the Atom
understanding of the structure of an atom. What does it
look like? What is inside of it? Express what you know
using a well-labeled diagram.
2. The charged parts of the atom are the _________________

and the ____________________. The __________________
are positively charged and the __________________ are
negatively charged. The _____________________ are not
charged and thus will not be of importance in this unit.
3. An electrically neutral atom is an atom which _____.

a. does not have any protons or electrons
b. has more neutrons than the sum of all its protons and electrons
c. has a balance of protons and electrons (the same number of each)
d. has a balance of neutrons and electrons (the same number of each)
e. has a balance of protons, electrons and neutrons (the same number of each)
4. An electrically charged atom (sometimes referred to as an ion) can be distinguished from an

electrically neutral atom in that the charged atom (ion) _______.
a. does not have any neutrons
b. has lost one or more of its neutrons
c. either has a proton or an electron present somewhere within it
d. has a different number of neutrons than the sum of its electrons and protons
e. has an imbalance of protons and electrons (unequal numbers of these)
Physics Fact:
Protons (and neutrons) are located in the interior of an atom - in the nucleus. They are tightly bound
and unable to leave the atom except through nuclear processes. On the other hand, electrons are on
the exterior of an atom. They are exposed to other atoms and to forces that are capable of ejecting
them or stripping them of the atom.
5. The diagram at the right depicts the eight electrons and eight protons in an
oxygen atom.
a. Explain what must happen in order for an oxygen atom to become
negatively charged.
b. Explain what must happen in order for an oxygen atom to become

positively charged.
© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 1

Static Electricity
6. What is true of atoms in terms of being neutral, negatively charged, and positively charged is also
true of objects. An object that is negatively charged must have _____________________ (more, less,
the same number of) electrons compared to its protons. An object that is positively charged must
have _____________________ (more, less, the same number of) electrons compared to its protons.
An object that is electrically neutral must have _____________________ (more, less, the same number
of) electrons compared to its protons.
Summarize these verbal statements by inserting >, < or = symbols into the blanks below:
Negatively Charged Positively Charged Electrically Neutral

# of e- _____ # of p+ # of e- _____ # of p+ # of e- _____ # of p+
7. An object becomes charged due to an excess or deficiency (shortage) of electrons. Knowing the exact
number of excess or deficient electrons in an object allows one to determine the object's charge. The
charge of one electron is 1.6x10-19 C. Use this to determine the charge of the following objects.
Quantity and Kind of Charge (Q) on
Object # of Excess or Deficient Electrons Object in Coulombs (C)
A 1.0 x 103 excess electrons
B 1.0 x 106 deficient electrons
C 2.0 x 109 excess electrons
D 2.5 x 108 deficient electrons
E 6.82 x 1012 excess electrons
8. During a physics lab, a plastic strip was rubbed with cotton and became positively charged. The
correct explanation for why the plastic strip becomes positively charged is that ...
a. the plastic strip acquired extra protons from the cotton.
b. the plastic strip acquired extra protons from the charging process.
c. protons were created as the result of the charging process.
d. the plastic strip lost electrons to the cotton during the charging process.
9. Miss Chiff, the seventh-grade science teacher, greets her students in an unusual manner. She stands
at the door of her classroom, scuffing her feet back and forth on the carpet. As she does so, electrons
move from the carpet to her shoes to her body. Miss Chiff is now charged with a _________________
(positive, negative) type of charge.
Then, Miss Chiff reaches out and touches her students on the nose as they enter the classroom. As
she does, some electrons leave Miss Chiff and move onto her students. Miss Chiff is now _________
(more, less) negatively charged than before the contact with the student. And the student is now
charged with a _________________ (positive, negative) type of charge.
10. In a lab report during the Static Electricity unit, Aaron Agin suggests that a sample of wool became
positively charged by gaining protons from the rubber balloon that it rubbed. Explain what is
wrong with Aaron's statement.

Charge Interactions
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1. Review: Fill in the following blanks with the words electrons or protons.
____________________ are negatively charged and ____________________ are
positively charged. As an object begins to gain or lose electrons from its atoms, it
becomes positively or negatively charged. A negatively charged object has more
____________________ than ____________________ . A positively charged object has
more ____________________ than ____________________ .
2. Charged objects interact with one another. One can observe the interactions and infer information
about the type of charge present on an object. Complete the following statements to illustrate your
understanding of the three types of charge interactions:
a. Oppositely-charged objects .
b. Like-charged objects .
c. A charged object and a neutral object will .
3. Your physics teacher has prepared the room for the class's entry by
suspending several inflated balloons from the ceiling. Upon entering the
physics room, you observe two balloons being drawn towards each other
as shown at the right. The attraction of these balloons for one another
provides evidence that ______.
a. both balloons are charged with the same type of charge
b. both balloons are charged with the opposite type of charge
c. both balloons are charged - either with the same type or opposite type
of charge
d. only one of the balloons is charged; the other is neutral
e. at least one of the balloons is charged; the other is either charged or
neutral
4. As you look around the room, you observe two other balloons being
pushed away from each other as shown at the right. The repulsion of
these balloons from one another provides evidence that ______.
a. both balloons are charged with the same type of charge
b. both balloons are charged with the opposite type of charge
c. both balloons are charged - either with the same type or opposite type
of charge
d. only one of the balloons is charged; the other is neutral
e. at least one of the balloons is charged; the other is either charged or
neutral
5. In one part of the room, there are two balloons - one hanging straight
down and the other being attracted to it. This is evidence that _____.
a. balloon A is charged and balloon B is neutral
b. balloon B is charged and balloon A is neutral
c. balloon A is neutral and balloon B is negative
d. balloon A is neutral and balloon B is positive
e. … nonsense! This would never happen if the balloons are identical
and simply suspended by strings. They will attract each other and both
be deflected from a vertical orientation.

Static Electricity
6. Anna Litical is performing a physics lab in which she charges a variety of materials and tests to
determine their charge by bringing them near a negatively charged balloon and near some neutral
paper bits at rest on the table. Help Anna draw conclusions from her observations by entering +, -,
neutral (or a combination of these if absolute conclusiveness is not possible).
a. Object A is observed to attract the paper bits; object A must be ________________.
b. Object B is observed to attract the balloon; object B must be ________________.
c. Object C is observed to repel the balloon; object C must be ________________.
d. Object D is observed to attract both the paper bits and the balloon; object D must be
________________.
e. Object E is observed to attract the paper bits and repel the balloon; object E must be
________________.
7. On three occasions, the following charge interactions between balloons A, B and C are observed. In
each case, it is known that balloon B is charged negatively. Based on these observations, what can
you conclusively confirm about the charge on balloon A and C for each situation.
Conclusive evidence to conclude that

Balloon the charge is +, -, neutral
A
B negative

A
B negative

A
B negative
8. Jean Yuss is investigating the charge on several objects and makes the following findings.
Object C Object D Object E Object F
attracts B repels C attracts D attracts A
repels F
Jean knows that object A is negatively charged and object B is electrically neutral. What can Jean
Yuss definitively conclude about the charge on objects C, D, E, and F? Explain.

Charging by Friction
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Review:
1. Fill in the following blanks with the words electrons or protons.
positively charged. The ____________________ reside in the nucleus of atoms and are
tightly bound; they will never leave an atom as a result of electrostatic procedures.
On the other hand, ____________________ are located outside the nucleus and are
easily removed from or added to atoms. As an object begins to gain or lose
____________________ from its atoms, it becomes positively or negatively charged. A
negatively charged object has more ___________________ than ___________________.
A positively charged object has more __________________ than __________________.
2. During a physics lab, a plastic strip was rubbed with cotton and became positively charged. The
correct explanation for why the plastic strip becomes positively charged is that ...
a. the plastic strip acquired extra protons from the cotton.
b. the plastic strip acquired extra protons from the charging process.
c. protons were created as the result of the charging process.
d. the plastic strip lost electrons to the cotton during the charging process.
3. Objects differ from one another in terms of their relative tendency

to draw electrons towards themselves. Some materials are more Triboelectric Series
electron-greedy than others. A triboelectric series is a listing of a Celluloid
variety of materials in order of their relative attraction for the Sulfur
electrons of another material. The listing at the right is an example Rubber
of a triboelectric series. Materials listed near the top of the table Copper, Brass
have a stronger affinity for electrons than those located below them. Amber
When two materials are rubbed together, electrons are transferred Wood
from the material that has the lesser affinity for electrons to the Cotton
material that has the greater affinity for electrons. The object that Human Skin
gains the electrons acquires a ___________________ (+ or -) charge Silk
and the object that loses the electrons acquires a Cat Fur
___________________ (+ or -) . Wool
Glass
Use the triboelectric series to answer the following questions: Rabbit Fur
4. When you pull a cotton sweater off your skin, electrons are
transferred from the ___________________ (cotton, skin) to the __________________ (cotton, skin).
As a result, your body acquires a ___________ (+ , -) charge and the cotton sweater acquires a
___________ (+ , -) charge.
5. When you rub a glass rod with a silk cloth, electrons are transferred from the ___________________
(glass, silk) to the __________________ (glass, silk). As a result, the glass rod acquires a ___________
(+ , -) charge and the silk cloth acquires a ___________ (+ , -) charge.
6. Suppose you rub a rubber rod with a silk cloth and a second rubber rod with a wool sweater. The
silk cloth will acquire a __________ (+ , -) charge; the wool sweater will acquire a __________ (+ , -
) charge. The sweater and the cloth will then be observed to ______________________ (attract, repel,
not interact with) each other.
7. Suppose you rub a glass rod with a silk cloth and a second glass rod with rabbit fur. The silk cloth
will acquire a __________ (+ , -) charge; the rabbit fur will acquire a __________ (+ , -) charge. The
rabbit fur and the silk cloth will then be observed to ______________________ (attract, repel, not
interact with) each other.

Static Electricity
8. Consider the statements below. Identify them as being either True or False.
T or F? Statement
a. When two objects made of different materials are rubbed together, they each
acquire a charge.
b. When two objects made of different materials are rubbed together, they will
either be both charged positively or both charged negatively.
c. When two objects made of different materials are rubbed together, they will
attract each other after the charging process.
d. When two objects made of different materials are rubbed together, one object
gains electrons and the other objects gains protons.
e. When two objects made of different materials are rubbed together, the total
amount of charge among the two objects remains unchanged.
9. Saran Wrap has a larger electron affinity than Nylon. If Nylon is rubbed against Saran Wrap, which
would end up with the excess negative charge? ____________ Explain.
10. Object A is rubbed with object B. Object C is rubbed with

object D. Objects A and D are observed to repel each other.
Object B is observed to repel a negatively charged balloon.
This is conclusive evidence that …
… object A acquired a __________ (+ , -) charge.
… object B acquired a __________ (+ , -) charge.
… object C acquired a __________ (+ , -) charge.
… object D acquired a __________ (+ , -) charge.
11. A teacher rubs a glass object and a felt cloth together and the glass becomes positively charged.
Which of the following statements are true? Circle all that apply.
a. The glass gained protons during the rubbing process.
b. The felt became charged negatively during this rubbing process.
c. Charge is created during the rubbing process; it is grabbed by the more charge-hungry object.
d. If the glass acquired a charge of +5 units, then the felt acquires a charge of -5 units.
e. This event violates the law of conservation of charge.
f. Electrons are transferred from glass to felt; protons are transferred from felt to glass.
g. Once charged in this manner, the glass object and the felt cloth should attract each other.
h. In general, glass materials must have a greater affinity for electrons than felt materials.
12. Balloons A and B are suspended from the ceiling by light threads; each
balloon is made of rubber. Balloon A was rubbed with animal fur. Balloon
B was rubbed with animal fur. If a negatively charged plastic tube were
inserted between the two balloons, then one would observe that the two
balloons _____. (Refer to the triboelectric series.)
a. would deflect even more from a vertical orientation
b. would relax to a more vertical orientation
c. would not be effected at all by the presence of the plastic tube.

Insulators, Conductors and Polarization

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MOP Connection: Static Electricity: preface to sublevels 5 - 7
1. Insulators are different than conductors in that insulators ____.

a. do not contain electrons or protons b. do not contain any charge
c. have a weaker affinity for electrons d. do not allow charge to freely move
2. Materials through which electrons can move readily are classified as _____.
a. conductors b. insulators c. semi-conductors
3. The diagram at the right shows a metal sphere attached to the top of an insulating stand. The metal
sphere contains an excess of electrons and is thus charged. A student holds various objects in her
hand and touches the object to the sphere. Which of the following objects below would allow charge
to throw it when the student touches the object to the sphere?
a. a plastic straw b. a piece of paper
c. a steel house key d. a metal paper clip
e. a strip of aluminum foil
4. Consider these two spheres. They have both

been charged. In one case the charge is isolated
in three distinct locations; in the other case, the
excess charge is even distributed about the
surface of the sphere. Which one of these spheres
is made of an insulating material and which is
made of a conducting material? Label which is
which and support your answer with an
explanation.
5. TRUE or FALSE:
Conductors cannot be charged by frictional rubbing.
Explain your answer.
6. A balloon is charged by rubbing it with animal fur. It is then pressed against a

wooden cabinet. The balloon and cabinet attract, seeming to defy the force of
gravity. This attraction is best explained by ____.
a. induction charging of the wood b. frictional charging of the wood
c. polarization of wood molecules d. polarization of balloon molecules
7. The above effect (in question #6) is most often noticed of ____.
a. conductors b. insulators c. charged objects

Static Electricity
8. A negatively charged balloon is brought near a neutral conducting

sphere as shown in the diagram at the right. The presence of the
charged balloon will cause something to happen in the sphere.
Which of the following would you expect to occur? Select all that
apply.
a. Electrons in the sphere will move to the balloon.
b. Protons in the sphere will move to the balloon.
c. Electrons in the sphere will move to the left side.
d. Electrons in the sphere will move to the right side.
e. Protons in the sphere will move to the left side.
f. Protons in the sphere will move to the right side.
9. The process of inducing the movement of charge within the sphere (referring to question #8) causes
positive and negative charge to be separated. This is known as ____.
a. grounding b. charging c. polarization d. induction
10. Charged rubber rods are placed near a neutral conducting sphere, causing a redistribution of charge
on the spheres. Which of the diagrams below depict the proper distribution of charge on the
spheres? List all that apply.
11. In the above situation (question #10), the conducting sphere is ____. List all that apply.
a. charged b. polarized c. uncharged (neutral)
12. A physics teacher fills a buret with water and opens the valve,
producing a steady stream of water falling vertically to the sink.
Then the teacher rubs a rubber balloon with animal fur and holds
it near the stream. The stream is observed to deflect from its usual
vertical flow towards the balloon. Explain what is causing the
deflection of the water stream.
13. A physics teacher charges a balloon negatively

by rubbing it with animal fur. The balloon is
then placed next to a wooden cabinet and
adheres to the cabinet. Explain what is
happening at the particle level to cause such a
gravity-defying phenomenon. Add to the blown-
up view of the diagram to assist in your
explanation.

Charging by Conduction and Grounding

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Review:
2. A metal sphere is resting upon an insulating stand. A teacher holds a metal bar (with an insulating
handle). The teacher uses the metal bar to charge the metal sphere by conduction. Which one of the
processes describes what the teacher likely did to charge the sphere by conduction?
a. The teacher rubbed the bar and the sphere together.
b. The teacher held the bar near the sphere and then touched the sphere with her hand.
c. The teacher charged the bar and then contacted it to the sphere.
Consider the conduction charging process described below:
A: A teacher holds a negatively charged metal bar by its insulating handle and touches it to a
metal sphere (attached to an insulating stand).
B: The teacher pulls the metal bar away and the metal sphere acquires a charge.
C: The excess negative charge spreads uniformly about the surface of the metal sphere.
3. Diagram A is the charging step. How does the sphere become charged?
a. Electrons move from the insulating stand into the sphere.
b. Electrons move from the charged metal bar into the sphere.
c. Protons move from the sphere into the negatively charged bar.
4. When the metal bar is pulled away in Diagram B, the metal bar is _____.
a. positively charged b. electrically neutral
c. still negatively charged, but has fewer excess electrons than it previously did.
5. Diagram C shows the excess negative charge distributed differently than it is in Diagram B. Explain
why the excess negative charge would distribute itself as it does in Diagram C.

Static Electricity
Now consider the conduction charging of the sphere using a positively charged metal bar:
A: A teacher holds a positively charged metal bar by its insulating handle and touches it to a
metal sphere (attached to an insulating stand).
B: The teacher pulls the metal bar away and the metal sphere acquires a charge.
C: The excess positive charge is spread uniformly about the surface of the metal sphere.
6. Diagram A is the charging step. How does the sphere become charged?
a. Protons move from the insulating stand into the sphere.
b. Protons move from the charged metal bar into the sphere.
c. Electrons move from the sphere into the positively charged bar.
7. When the metal bar is pulled away in Diagram B, the metal bar is _____.
a. negatively charged b. electrically neutral
c. still positively charged, but has fewer excess protons than it previously did.
Two different processes are shown in the diagrams below:
A: A negatively charged metal sphere is touched.

B: The hand is pulled away and the sphere is then electrically neutral.
A: A positively charged metal sphere is touched.
B: The hand is pulled away and the sphere is then electrically neutral.
8. The process of neutralizing the charged spheres as depicted above is known as _____.
a. charging b. polarization c. induction d. grounding
9. When the negatively charged sphere is touched, ______ move from the _______ to the _______.
a. electrons, sphere, hand b. electrons, hand, sphere
c. protons, sphere, hand d. protons, hand, sphere
10. When the positively charged sphere is touched, ______ move from the _______ to the _______.
a. electrons, sphere, hand b. electrons, hand, sphere
c. protons, sphere, hand d. protons, hand, sphere

Charging by Induction
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MOP Connection: Static Electricity: sublevels 5, 6, and 7
Review:
Consider the following process:

An uncharged metal pop can is attached to a Styrofoam cup (which acts as an insulating stand). A
negatively charged balloon is brought near the pop can. While the balloon is held near, the can is
touched. When the can is pulled away, the pop can is charged.
2. This process is known as _____.

a. charging by conduction b. charging by induction
c. polarization d. grounding
3. When the balloon is held near to the pop can (and before being touched by the hand), the
distribution of charge on the pop can is best depicted by diagram _____.
4. When the pop can is touched by the hand, ______ move from the ______ to the _______.
a. protons, hand, can b. protons, can, hand
c. electrons, hand, can d. electrons, can, hand
5. This process causes the can to acquire a _____ charge.
a. negative b. positive c. neutral
6. When the induction charging process is complete, the balloon is _____.
a. positively charged b. electrically neutral
c. still negatively charged, only having fewer excess electrons as before the process began
d. still negatively charged, having the same amount of negative charge as it previously had
7. In general, the use of a negatively charged object to charge another object by induction causes the
other object to acquire a _____ charge.
a. positive b. negative

Static Electricity
Now consider a similar process:

An uncharged metal pop can is attached to a Styrofoam cup (which acts as an insulating stand). A
positively charged balloon is brought near the pop can. While the balloon is held near, the can is
touched. When the can is pulled away, the pop can is charged.
8. When the balloon is held near to the pop can (and before being touched by the hand), the
distribution of charge on the pop can is best depicted by diagram _____.
9. When the pop can is touched by the hand, ______ move from the ______ to the _______.
a. protons, hand, can b. protons, can, hand
c. electrons, hand, can d. electrons, can, hand
10. This process causes the can to acquire a _____ charge.
a. negative b. positive c. neutral
In the above induction charging processes, there are two basic steps: a polarization step and a charging
step. In the charging step, the hand serves as a ground - an object that serves as a seemingly infinite
source of or sink for electrons. During the charging step, electrons move into or out of the ground (hand)
in order to charge the pop can. Another means of charging the pop can involves the use of another
conducting object. For instance, another pop can could be used. The diagrams below depict the
induction charging process using a second pop can in place of the hand.
11. In terms of electron movement, explain what is happening in Diagrams B and C above. Finally, state
the charge acquired by the left and the right can as a result of this process.

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Static Electricity Name:

2. The charged parts of the atom are the _________________

3. An electrically neutral atom is an atom which _____.

4. An electrically charged atom (sometimes referred to as an ion) can be distinguished from an

b. Explain what must happen in order for an oxygen atom to become

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 1

Negatively Charged Positively Charged Electrically Neutral

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 2

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 3

Conclusive evidence to conclude that

Conclusive evidence to conclude that

Conclusive evidence to conclude that

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 4

3. Objects differ from one another in terms of their relative tendency

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 5

10. Object A is rubbed with object B. Object C is rubbed with

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 6

Insulators, Conductors and Polarization

1. Insulators are different than conductors in that insulators ____.

4. Consider these two spheres. They have both

6. A balloon is charged by rubbing it with animal fur. It is then pressed against a

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 7

8. A negatively charged balloon is brought near a neutral conducting

13. A physics teacher charges a balloon negatively

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 8

Charging by Conduction and Grounding

Consider the conduction charging process described below:

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 9

Two different processes are shown in the diagrams below:

A: A negatively charged metal sphere is touched.

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 10

Consider the following process:

2. This process is known as _____.

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 11

Now consider a similar process:

© The Physics Classroom, 2009 Page 12

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