Electric Charge Lab free essay sample

Electric Charge Lab John Doe Physics 1130 Oct 26th, 2010 Objective In this lab we will investigate some properties of electric charge, conductors, and insulators using everyday objects. Theory A charged object is any object that has an excess of negative or positive charge. Most objects are neutrally charged and we don’t normally experience their charge properties. Rubbing objects together and transferring some charge from one to the other is one way to create charged objects. Like charges repel each other and unlike charges attract each other.The charge in a conductor is free to move around, while the charge in an insulator stays where it is. When two conductors come in contact, they share their charge with each other. Procedure Pie Plate: Clear a space on your work bench to make it easier for the following steps. Vigorously rub one side of the Styrofoam piece provided with a piece of fur. We will write a custom essay sample on Electric Charge Lab or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Do not touch this side; instead place it immediately down on the cleared work bench. Pick up the pie plate using the Styrofoam cup as a handle and place it on the Styrofoam. Do not directly touch the pie plate when doing this.Slowly the pie plate with your index finger. Using the Styrofoam cup as a handle, pick up the pie plate and touch the metal side with your index finger again. Repeat these steps a few more times, all results should be identical. Electroscope: Make sure the electroscope needle is nearly vertical. Hold the charging plate with your fingers if it doesn’t appear vertical. This nearly vertical position is called the â€Å"charge neutral† position. Rub a rod provided for you with fur and bring the rod near the top of the electroscope without touching it. The electroscope needle should move. Keeping the rod in place, hold the charging plate with your thumb and fingers. Remove the rod and your hand. The needle should be in the same position as when you had only the rod there. This is called â€Å"permanently charged†. Touch your fingers to the plate one more time. Observe and write down everything that happens through this experiment. Data Styrofoam: Shock when you touch the plate on Styrofoam. Shock when you pick up the pie plate and touch it. No shock when you charge the plate then pick it up then touch it with your finger. Electroscope: Black Plastic – Fur, felt, silk = chargedClear Plastic – Fur, felt, silk = charged Glass – Fur, felt, silk = no charge Wood – Fur, felt, silk = no charge Results and Sources of Error Pie Plate: The pie plate was the conductor and the Styrofoam was an insulator. Rubbing the fur on the Styrofoam passed the charge into the foam and passing it into the pie plate. You have to charge the plate on the Styrofoam every time to get the charge. Once you lift the pie plate the charge should be in the metal still causing a shock. Electroscope: For this lab, it was a bit confusing which materials were insulators and which were conductors. At first I thought that both plastics were conductors but later found out that all rods we were rubbing were actually insulators. It appeared to me that the plastics were better insulators because they held a better charge than the wood and the glass rods. I found that with the Electroscope portion and the Styrofoam portion that you had to vigorously rub the fur, felt, and silk in order to get a charge. Sometimes we thought we were rubbing hard enough but actually weren’t since every other group was getting different results. I also think that it depended on how good your materials were affected your results.