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Static Electricity
Questions
Q1.

This question is about static electricity.

A student has a rubber balloon tied to a long piece of cotton thread.

The student gives the balloon an overall electrostatic charge.

(i) Describe one way that the student could give the balloon an overall electrostatic charge.
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(ii) The student gives the balloon an overall negative charge.

Which of these sentences explains why the overall charge on the balloon is negative?
(1)
A Negative charge has been removed from the balloon.
B Negative charge has been added to the balloon.
C Positive charge has been removed from the balloon.
D Positive charge has been added to the balloon.

(iii) The student charges another balloon on a long thread.

Explain how the student can show that the two balloons have the same type of charge.
(3)
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(Total for question = 6 marks)

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Q2.
Complete the following sentences using words from the box below.

(i) The force that keeps the Earth in orbit around the sun is
............................................................................. attraction.
(1)
(ii) The force that opposes motion between two surfaces is
............................................................................. .
(1)
(iii) The force that can move small pieces of paper towards a plastic comb
is ............................................................................. attraction.
(1)

(Total for question = 3 marks)

Q3.
A student gives a plastic strip an overall electric charge.

(i) Describe one way that the student can give the plastic strip an overall electric charge.
(1)
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(ii) Figure 1 shows a gold leaf electroscope that can be used to investigate static electricity.

The electroscope has no overall charge. The gold leaf has a very small mass and can
bend very easily. The student brings a negatively charged plastic strip near to the cap of
the electroscope.
The gold leaf bends away from the metal rod. Which diagram shows the way that electric
charge is now distributed?
(1)

(Total for question = 2 marks)

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Q4.
Figure 3 shows two charged metal plates.

The top plate has a negative electric charge. The bottom plate has a positive electric charge.

On Figure 3, draw the electric field lines between the two plates and show the direction of
this electric field.

(Total for question = 2 marks)

Q5.

Figure 15 shows two parallel metal plates.

The plates are charged using a very high voltage.

Draw on Figure 15 the shape and direction of the electric field between the plates.
(2)

(Total for question = 2 marks)

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Q6.

Two small objects, P and Q, are each given an electric charge.

Figure 3 represents the electric fields around the objects, P and Q.

(i) Use information from Figure 3 to give two differences between the charge on P and the
charge on Q.
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(ii) Object P and object Q are held near to each other so that their electric fields interact with
each other.
State the effect that the electric field of object Q has on object P.
(1)
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(Total for question = 3 marks)

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Q7.

Figure 2a shows another gold leaf electroscope that has been given an overall negative
charge.

A student connects the metal cap of the charged electroscope to earth with a piece of wire
as shown in Figure 2b.

Explain why the gold leaf has moved.

(2)
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(Total for question = 2 marks)

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Q8.

Figure 13 shows part of a cloud, above the ground.

The base of the cloud is negatively charged.

Explain how lightning is produced between the cloud and the Earth.
Your answer should refer to induced charges.
You may add to the diagram in Figure 13 to help your answer.
(3)
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(Total for question = 3 marks)

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Q9.

A student uses a cloth to give a plastic rod a positive charge.

(i) Explain how the rod becomes positively charged.

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(ii) Figure 12 shows four light balls, Q, R, S and T.

Each ball is suspended on a nylon string.
Balls Q, R and T are coated with a conducting material.
Ball S is an insulator.
Q and S have no charge, R is positively charged and T is negatively charged.

The student brings the positively charged rod near to each ball in turn.
Which ball is repelled by the positively charged rod?
(1)
A Q
B R
C S
D T

(Total for question = 4 marks)

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Q10.

* This question is about electrostatic charges and the forces between them.

Figure 16 shows some apparatus that can be used to show that like charges repel and
unlike charges attract.

An acetate strip can be charged positively.

A polythene strip can be charged negatively.

A coulombmeter can be used to measure charge and whether the charge is positive or
negative.

Explain how you would use the apparatus in Figure 16 to show that like charges repel and
unlike charges attract.
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(Total for question = 6 marks)
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Q11.

This question is about static electricity.

Figure 26 shows a plastic block and a metal disc with an insulating handle.

The top surface of the plastic block has a negative charge.

The metal disc has no overall electric charge.

A student uses the insulating handle to hold the metal disc above the plastic block.

(i) Which of these diagrams shows how the charge is distributed on the metal disc?
(1)

(ii) The student keeps holding the metal disc above the charged plastic block and taps the
metal disc with a finger.
This earths the metal disc for a short time.
Explain why the disc now has an overall positive charge.
(2)
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(iii) Figure 27 shows the charges on part of the metal disc and the plastic block.

On Figure 27, draw lines to show the shape and direction of the electric field between
the metal disc and the plastic block.
(2)

(Total for question = 5 marks)

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Q12.

* Figure 14 shows fuel being transferred to an aeroplane.

Explain why transferring fuel can be dangerous and how the use of metal wires makes the
process much safer.
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(Total for question = 6 marks)

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Q13.

Figure 20 shows two metal spheres.

Metal sphere A is fixed to a table.

Metal sphere B can be moved.

Metal sphere B is placed at a short distance from metal sphere A.

Figure 20

Both spheres are insulated from the table and given a negative charge.

The force between the charged spheres is measured.

(i) Explain, in terms of electric fields, why a force is exerted on sphere B.

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(ii) Sphere B is moved and the force between the spheres is measured at several different
distances.
Figure 21 is a graph of force on sphere B against distance between the centres of the
spheres.

Figure 21
Describe how the force on sphere B varies with the distance between the centres of the
spheres.
(2)
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(Total for question = 4 marks)

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Q14.
Figure 13 shows a negatively charged metal sphere, M.

(i) Sphere M is negatively charged because it has

(1)
A gained electrons
B lost electrons
C gained protons
D lost protons
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(ii) A metal sphere, N, is connected to earth by a wire.

N is moved near to M as shown in Figure 14.

A spark jumps between the spheres, discharging sphere M.

Describe what happens in the wire connecting sphere N to earth when the spark jumps
between M and N.
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(iii) Describe a use of earthing in everyday life.

Your answer should state the use and describe why earthing is needed.
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(Total for question = 5 marks)

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Q15.

A student rubs a plastic comb with a dry cloth to give the comb a positive electric charge.

Figure 19 shows the charged plastic comb picking up small pieces of paper.

Figure 19

(i) Explain how rubbing the comb with a dry cloth gives the comb a positive electric charge.
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(ii) Explain how the positively-charged plastic comb picks up the small pieces of paper.
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(Total for question = 6 marks)
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Q16.

Which of these diagrams shows the shape and direction of the electric field around a positive
point charge?
(1)

(Total for question = 1 mark)

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Q17.

Figure 1 shows a paint sprayer.

Some paint sprayers give the paint drops a positive charge as they leave the sprayer.

(i) The paint drops have a positive charge because the sprayer
(1)
A removes electrons from the paint drops
B adds electrons to the paint drops
C removes protons from the paint drops
D adds protons to the paint drops

(ii) Figure 2 shows the spray pattern from two different paint sprayers.

Sprayer X does not charge the paint drops. Sprayer Y gives the paint drops a positive
charge.
Explain how charging the paint drops changes the shape of the spray pattern.
(2)
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(iii) Sprayer Y is used in a factory to paint a metal object.

The object hangs by a metal wire that is connected to earth.
Explain why a metal wire is used to connect the object to earth.
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(Total for question = 5 marks)