Lab 1

TA: Keslo Estil SEC#: Name:

Lab1. Electrostatics

Electric charge, like mass, is a fundamental property of the particles that make up matter. However, unlike mass, charge comes in two forms that we label positive (e.g. the charge of a proton) and negative (e.g. the charge of an electron). Normal matter is made up of "neutral" atoms having equal numbers of protons and electrons but, for example, can become negatively charged by gaining electrons, or positively charged by losing electrons. Charged objects of the same sign repel each other whereas those of opposite sign attract each other. In the first part of this experiment, an "electroscope" will be used to demonstrate the existence of the two types of charge and a few of their basic properties. In the second part, the attractive and repulsive forces that charges can exert on each other will be investigated. In the third part, a "Faraday pail" and charge sensor will be used to determine the sign of the charge resulting from rubbing objects together.

Preliminary Questions (1 - 4)

Procedure Part 3 (6)

Analysis (1 - 7)