Question 1. Does the electroscope tell you what kind of charge (positive or negative) you have on your rod? Explain your answer.
Question 2. Describe in your own words why the leaves separate when you bring a charged rod close to the electroscope's metal ball. Make sure you also explain why charges accumulate on the leaves.
Question 3. Why do the rods become charged when you rub them with the fur, cloth, or bag? What happens to the electrons?
Question 4. Explain why the fur (or whatever) is oppositely charged to the rod after you rub the fur (or whatever) with the rod.
Question 5. Why should the weather affect how this experiment works? Hint: think humidity.
Question 6. Why did you have to repeat the charging process so many times before the leaves remained apart?
Question 7. Explain how dragging the rod makes a difference in leaving more charge. Why didn't all the charge on the rod transfer to the ball when you tapped it? What is special about the rod?
Question 8. Explain what happened to the leaves when you brought whatever you charged the rod with nearby the ball. If there was no reaction [and this is highly possible] then explain what you think should have happened.
Question 9. Why did the leaves remain separated after you removed your finger and the rod? Use the idea of ground in your description.
Question 10. Explain your procedure to determine positive or negative charge.
Question 11. Explain why the cup is making the leaves separate more than the ball.