What happens in electrophorus lab?

The electrophorus simply separates positive and negative charges. A positive or negative charge ends up on the metal plate (or other storage conductor), and the opposite charge is stored in another object after grounding (in the earth or the person touching the metal plate).

What happens when you rub wool and Styrofoam together?

If the Styrofoam plate is rubbed with wool or animal fur, then the Styrofoam acquires a negative charge. Having a greater electron affinity than the wool (or animal fur), the Styrofoam will attract electrons away from the atoms of the wool. Thus, the Styrofoam becomes negatively charged.

What happens when you rub a Styrofoam plate with a cloth?

When you rub the foam plate with a wool cloth, you charge it negatively. That’s because the foam attracts electrons from the cloth. Often, a plate fresh from the package will start with a positive charge. When you place the pie pan on the foam plate, the electrons on the foam repel the electrons on the pan.

What is the historical significance of the Electrophorus?

A very primitive capacitor, this early device allowed scientists to give discs of metal specific charge. A groundbreaking instrument, the electrophorus can be used to produce a considerable amount of electric charge over and over again. Swedish physicist Johannes Wilcke invented the device in the 1760s.

What was the purpose of touching the uncharged Electrophorus?

Touching the Electrophorus allows the like charge (positive) to be repelled from the positively charged Electrophorus to the ground.

What happens to the two balloons after rubbing it to your hair and placing them close to each other?

As explained in the tutorial below, rubbing the balloons against hair or wool causes the balloons to become electrically charged. They have the same charge, and like charges repel, so the balloons move apart. Then the balloons are no longer charged, and they move closer together.

How does a Electrophorus work?

In the electrophorus, the disk acts as an electrode by allowing current to pass through to a nonmetallic medium. The metal disk of an electrophorus attaches to an insulating handle and the cake stands alone. Two basic processes — triboelectrification and induction — underlie the functioning of the electrophorus.

What is an Electrophorus in physics?

: a device for producing electric charges consisting of a disk that is negatively electrified by friction and a metal plate that becomes charged by induction when placed on the disk.

What happens when you rubbed the two styrofoam against each other?

When two objects – such as your hair and the balloon – rub together, one loses some of its electrons to the other. When you put it near a neutral object (paper, Styrofoam or puffed rice cereal), the electrons in the object repel away from the balloon and the protons are attracted to the balloon.

How did Volta improve the Electrophorus?

Alessandro Volta’s battery was a simple and reliable source of electric current, which allowed scientists to study electricity better than they could with previous sources, such as the Leyden jar, and allowed the development of new technology powered by electricity.

Was the Electrophorus charged How did this happen discuss electron transfer in your explanation?

How did this happen? Discuss electron transfer in your explanation. Yes, the electrons were ripped away from the Electrophorus (pie tin) by the Styrofoam plate. The plate is negatively charge, while the Electrophorus is positively charged.

How is an electrophorus used in a lithograph?

Many old natural philosophy texts contain lithographs of the electrophorus. A hand-held electrophorus can produce significant amounts of charge conveniently and repeatedly. It is operated by first frictionally charging a flat insulating plate called a “cake”.

What happens to the charge of an electrophorus when lifted up?

The electroscope is operated in the same way as before, but now the electroscope reveals information about the charge and its distribution on the electrode. In particular, it should be noted that, as the electrophorus is lifted up, its charge does not change.

How big is an attachment for an electrophorus?

The attachment is a metal rod of diameter 1/16″ or greater with one end sharpened to a point. When the charged electrode is lifted, the electric field at the sharpened tip exceeds the corona limit and a local discharge starts, dissipating the charge on the electrophorus.

How does an electrophorus plate work on a grounded plane?

The electrophorus works most reliably if the charged insulating plate rests atop a grounded plane, such as a metal sheet, foil, or conductive plastic. [See Bakken Museum booklet, pp. 78-80.] The ground plane limits the potential as the electrode is first lifted from the plate, thus preventing a premature brush discharge.