SNS ACADEMY

Physics Investigatory Project

2024 – 2025

TO ESTIMATE THE CHARGE INDUCED ON EACH OF

THE TWO IDENTICAL STRYO FOAM (OR PITH) BALLS
SUSPENDED IN A VERTICAL PLANE BY MAKING USE
OF COULOMB’S LAW

Submitted by:
Name: HARISH M

Grade: XII-A
Registration No: 20665880
 CERTIFICATE:
This is to certify that HARISH, a diligent student of Class XII-A,
SNS Academy, Coimbatore, has successfully completed the Physics
Practical Project titled “TO ESTIMATE THE CHARGE
INDUCED ON EACH OF THE TWO IDENTICAL STRYO
FOAM (OR PITH) BALLS SUSPENDED IN A VERTICAL
PLANE BY MAKING USE OF COULOMB’S LAW” as part
of the AISSCE curriculum, prescribed
by the CBSE, for the academic year 2024-2025.

The work has been assessed and found to meet the standards
and guidelines established by CBSE.

Internal Examiner External Examiner

Principal
SNS Academy,Coimbatore
 ACKNOWLEDGEME:
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my Physics
teacher, Mrs. Sathya Natarajan, for her invaluable guidance
and support throughout this project. Her deep understanding
and constant encouragement were crucial to the successful
completion of this work.

I am also deeply thankful to our Principal, Mrs. Srividhya

Prince, for her encouragement and inspiration. Her dedication
to academic excellence has always motivated me to push my
boundaries and give my best. Her approachable nature and
insightful advice have had a lasting impact on my academic
journey.

My sincere appreciation goes to my parents for their

unwavering support and belief in my abilities, which has helped
me persevere through challenges. I would also like to thank my
peers and friends for their collaborative spirit, which has greatly
enhanced my understanding of the subject. Lastly, I am
profoundly grateful to the Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE) for giving me the opportunity to undertake this
enriching project.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1) About Coloumb
2) Coulomb’s Law
3) Objective

4) Materials Required

5) Theory
Procedure, Observations, Calculations,
6) Result & Sources of Errors
7) Conclusion

8) Bibliography
ABOUT COULOMB
Charles-Augustin de
Coulomb, a prominent figure
in French Engineering and
physics, was born in
Angoulême, France, in 1736.
He demonstrated a strong
aptitude for mathematics and
physics from a young age. His
formal education at the
prestigious École royale du
génie de Mézières provided
him with a solid foundation in engineering principles. His
early assignments included postings in Brest and Martinique,
where he oversaw the construction of Fort Bourbon. Upon

his return to France, he began to delve deeper into

theoretical mechanics, presenting his initial work to the
Académie des Sciences in Paris in 1773.
 During his service at Rochefort, Coulomb conducted
extensive research into mechanics, utilizing the shipyards as
experimental laboratories. This period proved to be pivotal
in
his scientific journey. He employed a meticulously designed
torsion balance to measure the forces between electric
charges, leading to his groundbreaking discovery: the
inverse
square law of electrostatic attraction and repulsion, now
famously known as Coulomb's Law. This fundamental law
has
profoundly shaped our understanding of electromagnetism.
Coulomb's contributions extended beyond electrostatics. He
made significant advancements in the fields of mechanics,
particularly in the areas of friction and the strength of
materials. His work on the resistance of materials has
enduring practical applications in various engineering
disciplines.
Recognized for his exceptional scientific achievements,
Coulomb was elected to the Académie des Sciences in 1781
and became a founding member of the Bureau des
Longitudes.
His legacy continues to inspire and influence scientists and
engineers to this day.
COULOMB’S LAW
In 1785 Augustine de Coulomb investigated the attractive and
repulsive forces between charged objects, experimentally
formulating what is now referred to as Coulomb’s Law: “The
magnitude of the electric force that a particle exerts on
another is directly proportional to the product of their
charges
and inversely proportional to the square of the distance
between them.” Mathematically, this electrostatic F acting on
two charged particles (q1, q2) are expressed as

where r is the separation distance between the objects and k

is
a constant of proportionality, called the Coulomb constant,
k = 9.0 × 109 N · m2/C2. This formula gives us the
magnitude
of the force as well as direction by noting a positive force as
attractive and a negative force as repulsive. Noting that like
charges repel each other and opposite charges attracting each
 other, Coulomb measured the force between the objects,
small
metal coated balls, by using a torsion balance similar to the
balance used to measure gravitational forces.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the charge induced on each of the two identical
styro foam (or pith) balls suspended in a vertical plane by
making use of coulomb’s law.
MATERIALS REQUIRED
Small size identical balls (pitch or soft plastic)
Physical balance or electronic balance
Half meter Scale
Cotton thread
Stand
Glass rod (or plastic rod)
Silk cloth (or woolen cloth)
THEORY
The fundamental concept in electrostatics is electrical
charge.
We are all familiar with the fact that rubbing two materials
together — for example, a rubber comb on cat fur —
produces a “static” charge. This process is called charging
by friction. Surprisingly, the exact physics of the process of
charging by friction is poorly understood. However, it is
known that the making and breaking of contact between the
two materials transfers the charge.

The charged particles which make up the universe come in

three kinds: positive, negative, and neutral. Neutral particles
do not interact with electrical forces. Charged particles exert
electrical and magnetic forces on one another, but if the
charges are stationary, the mutual force is very simple in
form and is given by Coulomb's Law:
where F is the electrical force between any two stationary charged
particles with charges q1 and q2(measured in coulombs), r is the
separation between the charges (measured in meters), and k is a
constant of nature (equal to 9×109 Nm2/C2 in SI units). The study of
the Coulomb forces among arrangements of stationary charged
particles is called electrostatics. Coulomb's Law describes three
properties of the electrical force:
The force is inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between the charges, and is directed along the
straight line that connects their centers.

The force is proportional to the product of the magnitude of

the charges.

Two particles of the same charge exert a repulsive force on

each other, and two particles of opposite charge exert an
attractive force on each other.
 Most of the common objects we deal with in the macroscopic
(human-sized) world are electrically neutral. They are composed of
atoms that consist of negatively charged electrons moving in
quantum motion around a positively charged nucleus. The total
negative charge of the electrons is normally exactly equal to the
total positive charge of the nuclei, so the atoms (and therefore the
entire object) have no net electrical charge. When we charge a
material by friction, we are transferring some of the electrons from
one material to another.

Materials such as metals are conductors. Each metal atom

contributes one or two electrons that can move relatively freely
through the material. A conductor will carry an electrical current.
Other materials such as glass are insulators. Their electrons are
bound tightly and cannot move. Charge sticks on an insulator, but
does not move freely through it.
A neutral particle is not affected by electrical forces. Nevertheless, a
charged object will attract a neutral macroscopic object by the process
of electrical polarization. For example, if
a negatively charged rod is brought close
to an isolated, neutral insulator, the
electrons in the atoms of the insulator
will be pushed slightly away from the
negative rod, and the positive nuclei will
be attracted slightly toward the negative
rod. We say that the rod
has induced polarization in the insulator,
but its net charge is still zero.

The polarization of charge in the insulator is small, but now it’s positive
charge is a bit closer to the negative rod, and its negative charge is a bit
farther away. Thus, the positive charge is attracted to the rod more strongly
than the negative charge is repelled, and there is an overall net attraction.

If the negative rod is brought near an isolated, neutral conductor, the

conductor will also be polarized. In the conductor, electrons are free to
move through the material, and some of them are repelled over to the
opposite surface of the conductor, leaving the surface near the negative rod
with a net positive charge. The conductor has been polarized, and will now
be attracted to the charged rod.
 Now if we connect a conducting wire or any other conducting
material from the polarized conductor to the ground, we provide a “path”
through which the electrons can move. Electrons will actually move along this
path to the ground. If the wire or path is subsequently disconnected, the
conductor as a whole is left with a net positive charge. The conductor has
been charged without actually being touched with the charged rod, and its

charge is

opposite that of the rod. This procedure is called charging by induction.

Let the force between two stationary charges be F

The Weight of the ball

W=mg

The restoring force on each ball

=mgsin θ
From the diagram in the right
triangle ACB
x
sin θ=¿ ¿
2l

Let the charge on each ball is

q1=q2=q
Then at equilibrium
kq × q
mgsin θ= x
2

x kq 2
=mg 2l = x 2
3

 g= mgx
2lk
PROCEDURE: -

Weight the mass of each identical pitch balls by balance and

note down it.
Tie the balls with two silk or cotton threads and suspend at a
point on a stand or a rigid support. Measure the length of
threads by half meter scale. The length of threads should be
equal. Note down the length.
Rub the glass rod with silk cloth and touch with both balls
together so that the balls acquired equal charge.
Suspend the balls freely and the balls stay away a certain
distance between the balls when they become stationary.
Note down the distance.
Touch any one suspended ball with other uncharged third ball
and takes the third ball away and repeat the step 4.
Touch other suspended ball with other uncharged fourth ball
and takes the fourth ball away and repeat the step 4.
1)
OBSERVATION: -

1. Mass of each ball, (m) = 01 g.

2. Radius of each ball, (r) = 10 mm.
3. Length of each thread, (l) = 150 cm.

S.NO CHARGE ON CHARGE ON DISTANCE

BALL A (q ) 1 BALL B (q ) 2 BETWEEN THE
BALLS (x cm)

1. 0.00 NC 0.00 NC 0.4 CM

2. 1.00 NC 1.00 NC 33.0 CM

3. 1.00 NC 1.00 NC 26.2 CM

4. 1.00 NC 1.00 NC 20.8 CM

CALCULATIONS
By using the relation

g=
3
mgx
2lk

RESULTS: -
The charge on each ball = 2.64 * 10^-9 C
PRECAUTIONS: -
The suspended balls should not be touched by any
conducting body.
Rub the glass rod properly with the silk cloth to produce more charge.
Weight the mass of the balls accurately.

SOURCES OF ERROR: -
The balls may not be of equal size and mass.
The distance between the balls may be measured
accurately.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: -
NCERT Physics Part-1
Encyclopedia
Britannica-
https://www.britannica.com/biography/C
harles-Augustin-de-Coulomb
Khan Academy