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Neutral objects can be attracted to any charged object. The pieces of straw attracted to polished amber are neutral, for example. If you run a plastic comb through your hair, the charged comb can pick up neutral pieces of paper. [link] shows how the polarization of atoms and molecules in neutral objects results in their attraction to a charged object.

When a charged rod is brought near a neutral substance, an insulator in this case, the distribution of charge in atoms and molecules is shifted slightly. Opposite charge is attracted nearer the external charged rod, while like charge is repelled. Since the electrostatic force decreases with distance, the repulsion of like charges is weaker than the attraction of unlike charges, and so there is a net attraction. Thus a positively charged glass rod attracts neutral pieces of paper, as will a negatively charged rubber rod. Some molecules, like water, are polar molecules. Polar molecules have a natural or inherent separation of charge, although they are neutral overall. Polar molecules are particularly affected by other charged objects and show greater polarization effects than molecules with naturally uniform charge distributions.

Can you explain the attraction of water to the charged rod in the figure below?

Water flowing out of a glass pipette changes its course when a charged rod is brought close to it.

Answer

Water molecules are polarized, giving them slightly positive and slightly negative sides. This makes water even more susceptible to a charged rod’s attraction. As the water flows downward, due to the force of gravity, the charged conductor exerts a net attraction to the opposite charges in the stream of water, pulling it closer.

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Phet explorations: john travoltage

Make sparks fly with John Travoltage. Wiggle Johnnie's foot and he picks up charges from the carpet. Bring his hand close to the door knob and get rid of the excess charge.

John Travoltage

Section summary

  • Polarization is the separation of positive and negative charges in a neutral object.
  • A conductor is a substance that allows charge to flow freely through its atomic structure.
  • An insulator holds charge within its atomic structure.
  • Objects with like charges repel each other, while those with unlike charges attract each other.
  • A conducting object is said to be grounded if it is connected to the Earth through a conductor. Grounding allows transfer of charge to and from the earth’s large reservoir.
  • Objects can be charged by contact with another charged object and obtain the same sign charge.
  • If an object is temporarily grounded, it can be charged by induction, and obtains the opposite sign charge.
  • Polarized objects have their positive and negative charges concentrated in different areas, giving them a non-symmetrical charge.
  • Polar molecules have an inherent separation of charge.

Conceptual questions

An eccentric inventor attempts to levitate by first placing a large negative charge on himself and then putting a large positive charge on the ceiling of his workshop. Instead, while attempting to place a large negative charge on himself, his clothes fly off. Explain.

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If you have charged an electroscope by contact with a positively charged object, describe how you could use it to determine the charge of other objects. Specifically, what would the leaves of the electroscope do if other charged objects were brought near its knob?

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When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, it becomes positive and the silk becomes negative—yet both attract dust. Does the dust have a third type of charge that is attracted to both positive and negative? Explain.

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Why does a car always attract dust right after it is polished? (Note that car wax and car tires are insulators.)

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Describe how a positively charged object can be used to give another object a negative charge. What is the name of this process?

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What is grounding? What effect does it have on a charged conductor? On a charged insulator?

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Problems&Exercises

Suppose a speck of dust in an electrostatic precipitator has 1 . 0000 × 10 12 size 12{1 "." "0000" times "10" rSup { size 8{"12"} } } {} protons in it and has a net charge of –5.00 nC (a very large charge for a small speck). How many electrons does it have?

1.03 × 10 12

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An amoeba has 1.00 × 10 16 protons and a net charge of 0.300 pC. (a) How many fewer electrons are there than protons? (b) If you paired them up, what fraction of the protons would have no electrons?

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A 50.0 g ball of copper has a net charge of 2.00 µ C . What fraction of the copper’s electrons has been removed? (Each copper atom has 29 protons, and copper has an atomic mass of 63.5.)

9 . 09 × 10 13 size 12{9 "." "09" times "10" rSup { size 8{ - "13"} } } {}

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What net charge would you place on a 100 g piece of sulfur if you put an extra electron on 1 in 10 12 size 12{"10" rSup { size 8{"12"} } } {} of its atoms? (Sulfur has an atomic mass of 32.1.)

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How many coulombs of positive charge are there in 4.00 kg of plutonium, given its atomic mass is 244 and that each plutonium atom has 94 protons?

1 . 48 × 10 8 C size 12{1 "." "48" times "10" rSup { size 8{8} } } {}

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Questions & Answers

A golfer on a fairway is 70 m away from the green, which sits below the level of the fairway by 20 m. If the golfer hits the ball at an angle of 40° with an initial speed of 20 m/s, how close to the green does she come?
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cm
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Can you compute that for me. Ty
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what is chemistry
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what is inorganic
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Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with the study of matter,it composition,it structure and the changes it undergoes
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Adjanou
chemistry could also be understood like the sexual attraction/repulsion of the male and female elements. the reaction varies depending on the energy differences of each given gender. + masculine -female.
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can someone explain to me, an ignorant high school student, why the trend of the graph doesn't follow the fact that the higher frequency a sound wave is, the more power it is, hence, making me think the phons output would follow this general trend?
Joseph Reply
Nevermind i just realied that the graph is the phons output for a person with normal hearing and not just the phons output of the sound waves power, I should read the entire thing next time
Joseph
Follow up question, does anyone know where I can find a graph that accuretly depicts the actual relative "power" output of sound over its frequency instead of just humans hearing
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"Generation of electrical energy from sound energy | IEEE Conference Publication | IEEE Xplore" ***ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7150687?reload=true
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progressive wave
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A string is 3.00 m long with a mass of 5.00 g. The string is held taut with a tension of 500.00 N applied to the string. A pulse is sent down the string. How long does it take the pulse to travel the 3.00 m of the string?
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Source:  OpenStax, College physics. OpenStax CNX. Jul 27, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11406/1.9
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