The Electrostatic Series

  • The electrostatic series was created to show how strong or weak a substance has on electrons
  • The higher up on the series an object is, the weaker its hold on electrons, and the lower down on the series an object is, the stronger its hold on electrons
  • By looking at the electrostatic series, we can predict what charge each object will obtain if they are rubbed together
  • Human skin
  • Rabbit fur
  • Acetate
  • Glass
  • Human hair
  • Nylon
  • Wool
  • Cat fur
  • Silk
  • Paper
  • Cotton
  • Wood
  • Amber
  • Rubber balloon
  • Vinyl
  • Polyester
  • Ebonite

Example: Combing your hair with a plastic comb

  • Hair is higher on the electrostatic series than plastic. Therefore, it will give up some of its electrons to the comb, becoming positively charged. The comb will thus become negatively charged.

Electroscope:

  • A device that is used to detect and identify a static charge.
  • We will use the metal leaf electroscope, it has two strips of metal that bend easily and the leaves are attached to a central metal rod with a metal sphere at the top. Charges moves freely within the metal (conductor).
  • Electroscopes can be charged by contact or by induction
  • When an electroscope is charged by contact, the object will end up with the same charge as the charging object

Discharging:

  • When electrons are added or removed from an charged object to restore a neutral charge
  • Also known as neutralizing
  • If a charged object is connected to the earth, the object will be discharged, or grounded
  • Grounding is essential for the safety of people who operate electrical equipment.
  • Charges can flow from the ground up or from the object to the ground during grounding.

Read Page 469 Answer Page 501 #17

Read Page 475 Answer Page 477 #1, 2, 6

SNC1DThe Electrostatic SeriesName:

Date:

You can use a list called the electrostatic series to determine the kind of electric charge produced on each substance when any two substances on the list are rubbed together. When charging by friction occurs, the substance higher on the list always loses electrons (it does not have as strong a hold on its electrons) and becomes positively charged and the substance lower in the list gains those electrons and becomes negatively charged.

  • Human skin
  • Rabbit fur
  • Acetate
  • Glass
  • Human hair
  • Nylon
  • Wool
  • Cat fur
  • Silk
  • Paper
  • Cotton
  • Wood
  • Amber
  • Rubber balloon
  • Vinyl
  • Polyester
  • Ebonite

Using the electrostatic series, answer the following questions.

  1. Predict what will happen when rubber is rubbed with cotton.
  1. Explain what happens when wool is moved over silk.
  1. What charge does ebonite have once it has been rubbed with fur?
  1. If you wanted a rubber balloon to have a positive charge what material could you rub against it?
  1. When plastic adhesive tape that is stuck to glass is quickly pulled away, it becomes negatively charged.
  1. Explain what happened to the glass in terms of electrons.
  1. Explain why clothes cling to each other after tumbling around in a clothes dryer.

Expectations: E2.2, E2.3