Tag: static electricity

In both the methods, i.e, charging by friction and electrostatic conduction, the two bodies are brought in contact and sharing of electrons occurs at the point of contact. So, charging by friction can be explained by electrostatic conduction. 

When a piece of ebonite is rubbed with a piece of animal fur, frictional charging process results in a transfer of electrons between the two objects. Since ebonite has much greater attraction for electrons than animal fur (electron affinity). As a result, atoms of ebonite pull electrons from atoms of animal fur, and as a result, ebonite becomes negatively charged  and animal fur becomes positively charged. 

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. So, this is the definition of static electricity. 

When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, both gets electrified due to charging by function by rubbing. One of the body acquires negative charge and other positive charge due to shifting of electrons from one body to other. Since silk has greater electron affinity (ability to attract electrons) as compared to glass. So, silk acquires slight negative charge and glass acquires slight positive charge.

A balloon gets negatively charged by rubbing ceilings of wall. But this does not imply that the wall is positively charged. The balloon induces a charge of opposite sign in the ceilings of the wall, causing the ceiling and the balloon to be attracted to each other. The balloon eventually falls because its charge slowly diminishes as it leaks to ground. Some of the charge on the balloon could also be lost due to the presence of positive ions in the surrounding atmosphere, which would tend to neutralize the negative charges on the balloon.

Comb gets electrically charged by friction when even through dry hair. It attracts small bits of paper because paper gets polarized in the presence if charged comb resulting in a net force of attraction. When hair is wet, the friction between comb and hair decreases and comb does not get charged. Hence, it may not attract small bits of paper.

The balloon is negatively charged on rubbing with the wall means that on rubbing, the balloon collects electrons from the wall and making it negative in respect to the wall and therefore it clings to the wall, while clinging to the wall, the electrons on the balloon leaks off the balloon and eventually leaves. The balloon at the same potential as the wall, thus when the attraction between the balloon and wall is less than the weight of the balloon, the balloon eventually falls off. 

When a charge $Q$ is brought near (but not touching) an uncharged conductor, the charge $Q$ induces a charge of opposite polarity on the facing surface of the conductor and the same polarity on the rearer surface. This process of inducing a charge on the conductor without touching is known as charging induction.

When silk is rubbed with glass, glass happens to lose electrons easily, and silk grabs them away from the glass atoms. So, after rubbing the glass becomes positively charged and the silk becomes negatively charged. 

The part of the body nearer to the source charge gets induced charges, opposite in nature to the source charge while the other part gets those of similar nature.Thus no loss of charge.