Static Electricity

Question 1

What is static electricity?

Answer 1

charges which are NOT free to move - causes them to build up in one place and often ends in a spark or shock

Question 2

What is build up of static charges caused by?

Answer 2

friction;
- whenelectrons are scrapes off of oneinsultating material and dumped onto the other
-leave the materials electrically charges, with positive static charge on one and an equal negatice static charge on the other

Question 3

what does the way the electrons are transferred depend on>

Answer 3

the two materials involved

Question 4

Polythene rod - cloth
Which way do the elctrons get transferred?

Answer 4

from the cloth to the polythene rod

Question 5

Acetate rod - cloth
Which way do the elctrons transfer?

Answer 5

Acetate rod to the cloth

Question 6

How is a spark made?

Answer 6

AS electric charge builds on an object, the potential difference between the object + the earth increases
-if the pd gets large enough, electrons can jump across the gap between the charged object and the earth - tthe spark
-can also jump to any earthed conductor that is nearby (us)

Question 7

what is the pd of the earth

Answer 7

0V

Question 8

What is an electric field?

Answer 8

the region around a charged object where another charged object eexperiences a force

Question 9

which way do elextric field lines go?

Answer 9

positiv to negative

Question 10

What is the repulsive/attractive forcee caused by?

Answer 10

The electric fields of each charged opject interacting with each other

Question 11

What is the force linked to?

Answer 11

The strentgh of the electric fields it is in

Question 12

Explain sparks using electric fields

Answer 12

-when there is a high enough potential difference between a charged object and the earth(or an earthed object)
-high pd causes a strong electric field between the charged object and the earthed object
-the strong electric field causes electrons in the air particles to be remomved (this is ionisation)
-air is normnally an isnulator, but when it is ionised it is much more conduction, so a current can flow through it: this is the spark

Question 13

what is ionisation

Answer 13

when electrons in the air particles are removeed (dure to a strong electric field)

Question 14

How does distance to a charged object affect the force?

Answer 14

Closer = stronger