Question

1. A negatively charged electroscope has separated leaves. a. Suppose you bring a negatively charged rod close to the top of the electroscope, but not touching. How will the leaves respond? Use both charge diagrams and words to explain. b. How will the leaves respond if you bring a positively charged rod close to the top of the electroscope, but not touching? Use both charge diagrams and words to explain.

Answer 1

Answer:

The image of the leaves of the electroscope in both of the cases described above is presented in the image attached to this solution.

The Explanation is presented below.

a) The leaves repel further.

b) The leaves move closer together.

Explanation:

The phenomenon responsible for what will happen in both cases is that of electrostatic induction.

Normally, all neutral materials have equal amount of positive and negative charges spread over their surfaces.

A positively charged material has more positive charges on its surface than negative charges, and this goes for the case of negatively charged materials too (more negative charges than positive charges).

So, when a charged material is brought close to a neutral one, it causes charges (in the neutral material) opposite to the one the charged material carries, to come towards the direction of the charged material and like charges move toward the opposite direction.

In short, it actualizes the theory that like charges attract and unlike charges repel.

a) When a negatively charged rod is brought close to a negatively charged electroscope, it causes most of the negative charges to move from the sphere of the electroscope to the leaves of the electroscope, thereby making the leaves contain more unlike charges, thereby they repel further, as shown in the attached image.

b) When a positively charged rod is brought close to a negatively charged electroscope, it causes most of the negative charges to move towards the sphere of the electroscope from the leaves of the electroscope, thereby making the leaves contain less unlike charges, thereby making them move closer together, as shown in the attached image.

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