UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS

Integrated Senior High School

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS
Group
number 1
GENERAL PHYSICS II
Electric Charge and Electric Field: The Improvised Electroscope

Name of Student Evaluation Score Signature of Teacher’s remarks

Write your names in alphabetical order Rate your groupmate from 1-100 Student Individual score
1.Agpad, Ailbert 90
2.Batalier, Niel Jansen 80
3.Florida, Frans Matthew 90
4.Gumiran, Miguel 100
5.Lardizabal, Peter 90
6.Navarro, Aaron 90
7.Paciteng, Janna 100
8.Quinones, Calvin 80

Group Score
Performance Task
Written Work

I. Introduction

An electroscope is an early scientific instrument that is used to detect the presence and
magnitude of electric charge on a body. It was the first electrical measuring instrument.
The first electroscope, a pivoted needle called the versorium, was invented by British
physician William Gilbert around 1600. The pith-ball electroscope and the gold-leaf
electroscope are two classical types of electroscope that are still used to demonstrate
electrostatics.

The electroscope is an instrument that detects the presence of charge on an object,

either through actual contact (conduction) or through induction. When the electroscope
itself is charged, its two conductive components (which vary from electroscope to
electroscope) will acquire like charge and deflect from the vertical position of gravitational
equilibrium. Thus a rod is proven to possess a charge when contact between the rod and
the electroscope transfers charge to the previously neutral electroscope. A charged
object brought in the vicinity of the charged electroscope will change the angle of
deflection, indicating the presence of charge via induction (or induced polarization).

Learning Objectives:
After Completing the module, the students should be able to:
 explain the role of electron transfer in electrostatic charging by rubbing
 state that there are positive and negative charges, and that charge is
measured in coulombs calculate the net electric force on a point charge
exerted by a system of point charges

Materials (Most of these can be found in your home

• 14 gauge copper wire (10-12 inches)

(For this, you may extract copper wire from your electronics which are no longer
functional)

General Physics II
Second Trimester, S.Y. 2022-2023
Laboratory Report
  Aluminum foil (1 inch x 5 inches)

• drinking straw

• Electrical tape

• Clear plastic/glass jar

• Cardboard OR thick paper (size of the jar’s mouth)

• Scissors

• Ruler

• Balloon

• Plastic comb

• Pliers

II. Procedure

PART A. MAKING THE ELECTROSCOPE

1. Prepare the needed materials.
2. Trace the mouth of the jar onto a cardboard/illustration board. Cut the pattern
using a scissor.This will serve as the lid of the jar.
3. Punch a hole at the center of the cardboard big enough to fit the straw through.
4. Use the scissors to cut a two-inch long piece of straw.
5. Insert the straw into the hole for your lid. Glue the straw so it is securely fastened to
the lid or you may use a small amount of modeling clay to secure the straw.
6. Cut a 10-inch piece of copper wire. Twist the top 4 inches into a circle or spiral to create
some surface area.
7. Insert the straight end of the wire through the straw and create a hook about 1 inch
long.
8. Hang two small pieces of aluminum foil on the hook. Make sure they are in contact.
9. Place the hooked end of the metal into the jar and tape the lid to the jar. Make sure
that the aluminum foils are not touching the bottom part of the jar.
10. Test the electroscope.

PART B. TESTING THE ELECTROSCOPE

1. Rub a balloon against your hair to give it a strong negative charge. Touch the balloon
to the twisted wire on top of your Electroscope. ***Make sure you do not touch the
balloon or any other object you’re testing to anything before you touch it to the
electroscope.*** Record what you see in the chart and answer question
2. Discharge the electroscope by touching the twisted wire with your finger for a little
while.
3. Rub a plastic pen on a piece of silk to get a strong positive charge. Touch the pen to
the twisted wire on top of your electroscope. Record what you see.
4. Discharge the electroscope by touching the twisted wire with your finger for a little
while.
5. Comb your hair with the comb. Touch the comb to the twisted wire. Record what you
see.
6. Repeat steps 1 and 3 again without discharging the electroscope in between the steps.
What happens?

General Physics II
Second Trimester, S.Y. 2022-2023
Laboratory Report
 7. What would happen if you touched the twisted wire two times in a row with a
“charged” pen? Try it. Remember to “recharge” the pen each time by rubbing it with
the silk cloth. What happened?
8. Experiment to figure out how to get the leaves as far apart as possible. What did you
do?
9. Find two (2) other objects in the classroom to test with the electroscope. Add these
materials in your record sheet.

III. Data and Results

Electroscope Chart

Object Electroscope’s reaction

Balloon There was repulsion when the balloon touched
Probable charge= Negative the electroscope.
Pen There was attraction when the pen touched the
Probable charge= Positive electroscope.
Plastic comb There was attraction when the plastic comb
Probable charge= Positive touched the electroscope.
Object: Straw There was repulsion when the straw touched the
Probable charge= Negative electroscope.
Object: Ruler There was attraction when the ruler touched the
Probable charge= Positive electroscope.

IV. Questions for analysis

PART A: True or False Write TRUE if the statement is correct, otherwise write FALSE

False 1. Before testing the electroscope, the foil strip is positively charged.
False 2. Before testing the electroscope, the foil strip is negatively charged.
True 3. Before testing the electroscope, the foil strip is neutrally charged.
False 4. The foil strips repel when it is discharged.
True 5. When you touch the twisted wire with the positively charged pen, the electrons
travel from the foil to the pen leaving the foil strips with positive charge.
True 6. The distance between the foil strips will increase when we touch the twisted wire
with a charged object more than once.
True 7. The foil strips spread apart due to same charge received.
False 8. The greater the charge the lesser the distance that will be created between the foil
strip.
True 9. We can determine the charge present in the foil strip of the electroscope.
False 10. When the twisted war is touched with a charged object, the foil strip will be
discharged and returned to its original position.

PART B: PROBLEM SOLVING

1. Two point charges are located on the x-axis oof a coordinate system. q_1=1.0 nC is
at x= +2.0 cm, and q_2= -3.0 nC is at x= +4.0 cm. What is the total electric force
exerted by q_1 and q_2 on a charge q_3= 5.0 nC at x=0?

Given: 𝑞1 = 1.0 × 10−9 𝐶 𝑟1 = 2 𝑐𝑚 > 0.02 𝑚

𝑞2 = −3.0 × 10−9 𝐶 𝑟2 = 4 𝑐𝑚 > 0.04 𝑚
−9
𝑞3 = 5.0 × 10 𝐶
Unknown:𝐹1 → 𝐹3 =?, 𝐹2 → 𝐹3 =?, 𝐹3 =?
⃑⃑⃑⃑ = 𝑘|𝑞12𝑞2 |
Formula: 𝐹𝑒 𝑟
𝑘|𝑞1 𝑞3 |
Solution: 𝐹1 → 𝐹3 = 𝑟2
𝑁𝑚2
(8.99×109 2 )(1.0×10−9 𝐶)(5.0×10−9 𝐶)
𝑐
=
(0.02 𝑚)2

General Physics II
Second Trimester, S.Y. 2022-2023
Laboratory Report
 𝐹1 → 𝐹3 = 1.12 × 10−4 𝑁 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡

𝑘|𝑞2 𝑞3 |
𝐹2 → 𝐹3 = 𝑟2

𝑁𝑚2
(8.99×109 2 )(−3.0×10−9 𝐶)(5.0×10−9 𝐶)
𝑐
=
(0.04 𝑚)2

𝐹2 → 𝐹3 = 8.43 × 10−5 𝑁 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡

𝐹3 = ( 𝐹1 → 𝐹3 ) − (𝐹2 → 𝐹3 )
𝐹3 = (1.12 × 10−4 𝑁) −(8.43 × 10−5 𝑁)
𝐹3 = 2.77 × 10−5 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡

11. Conclusion

In this Laboratory activity, we were able to further our knowledge in electric charge and
electric field by making an improvised electroscope and testing it on different materials.
When two objects are charged by friction, electrons are transferred between objects. The
object made of a material with the greatest electron affinity is the object which receives the
electrons while the other object loses electrons. We also learned about Protons being
positive and electrons are negative. Which is why when insulating materials rub against
each other, they may become electrically charged. Electrons, which are negatively
charged, may be ‘rubbed off’ one material and on to the other. The material that gains
electrons becomes negatively charged. The material that loses electrons is left with a
positive charge. We were also able to calculate the net electric force on a point charge exerted
by a system of point charges.

General Physics II
Second Trimester, S.Y. 2022-2023
Laboratory Report
 LAB REPORT DOCUMENTATION
MATERIALS:
14 Gauge Copper Wire Balloon Jar Drinking Straw
Ruler Clay Aluminum Foil Plastic Comb
Electrical Tape Scissors Pliers

PROCEDURES:

 Cut the cardboard to serve as a lid for the jar and cut a portion on it where the straw can fit into.
Use the clay to secure the straw on both sides.

 Cut a 10-inch piece of copper wire and twist the 4-inches to create some surface area. Insert the
straight end through the straw and make a hook about 1-inch long.

 Hang 2 pieces of aluminum foil into the hook. Make sure they are in contact and secure the lid
altogether without the foils touching the bottom of the jar, then test the electroscope by
applying static energy onto the upper end of the copper wire.

General Physics II
Second Trimester, S.Y. 2022-2023
Laboratory Report