Figure showed how an electroscope becomes negatively charged. The leaves will also repel each other if you touch the electroscope with a positively charged glass rod. Use a series of charge diagrams to explain what happens and why the leaves repel each other.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The negative charge transfer from the sphere to the rod and the electroscope become positively charge and the leaves repels each other.

Step by step solution

01

Positively charged rod.

The electroscope's metal sphere contains free electrons that can travel about freely.

Because the plastic rod is positively charged, electrons from the metal sphere are transferred to it. The metal sphere gets positively charged in this situation. As a result, the following are the steps involved in the transfer:

(1) The rod is initially positively charged, while the electroscope leaves are neutral.

02

Reaction in a metal sphere.

(2) The metal sphere's negative charges are transferred to the plastic rod, and the metal sphere becomes positively charged.

(3) Because the metal sphere is a conductor, the charge travels swiftly throughout the electroscope.

(4) The two leaves have the same charges, and because like charges resist each other, the positive charges on the leaves repel each other, causing the leaves to be far apart.

03

Explanation by a diagram.

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  1. The average distance between ionizing collisions is 2.0μm. (The electron’s mean free path is less than this, but most collisions are elastic collisions in which the electron bounces with no loss of energy.) What acceleration must an electron have to gain of kinetic energy in this distance?
  2. What force must act on an electron to give it the acceleration found in part a?
  3. What strength electric field will exert this much force on an electron? This is the breakdown field strength. Note: The measured breakdown field strength is a little less than your calculated value because our model of the process is a bit too simple. Even so, your calculated value is close.
  4. Suppose a free electron in air is 1.0 cm away from a point charge. What minimum charge is needed to cause a breakdown and create a spark as the electron moves toward the point charge?

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