Static Materials Experiment
1, What happens when you bring a charged strip near the pieces of paper or the coated pith ball? How is the interaction between strip and paper (insulator) different than that between the strip and the coated pith ball (conductor)?
2, Is the charge gained by each of the three strips the same (like) or opposite (unlike)? How do you know?
3, What initially happens as you bring the hanging pith ball near the charged strip?
4, How does the interaction between the pith ball and the strip change after the pith ball makes contact with the strip? Explain why this happens knowing the charge of the pith ball before and after it touches the strip. (Hint: think about whether the pith ball is a conductor or an insulator.)
5, Why do we use a wood base to support the charged acetate strip?