Notes By Asima Amjad Minhas Chapter#13 Electrostatics

Chapter#13

Electrostatics

Conceptual Questions
Question#1: Rub plastic ruler with the hair. Place it near running water from tab you see
that thin stream of water is deflected explain why?

Answer. Thin steam of water is deflected because of electrostatic induction when a charged
plastic ruler is brought near it. When a plastic ruler is rubbed with hair there is a transfer of
charge between two objects by means of friction. In this case the plastic ruler acquires negative
charge due to its tendency to acquire electrons. When this ruler is brought near a running tab of
water, opposite charges are created on it due to electrostatic induction. Since opposite charges
attract each other therefore the thin steam of water is attracted by the plastic ruler seeming that
the stream of water is deflected.

Question#2: Two identical spheres have same masses. Then we charge both spheres
oppositely charged. After charging, will there be both bodies have same masses or different
masses? Explain.

Answer. After charging both the bodies will have different masses The positive charge of the
body is due to absence of electrons while the negative charge is due to surplus of electrons.

Hence the mass of the negatively charged spheres will be slightly more than that of the positively
charged sphere. If both spheres are oppositely charged, then the one having positive charge will
have less electrons than the one having negative charge Hence the mass of the negatively
charged sphere will be slightly more than that of the positively charged spheres.

Question#3: You take your car to service station to get it policed after a while you observe
that your car attracts the dust why is this attracted by the car?

Answer: The dust is attracted by the car due to electrostatic conduction. Dust accumulation
occurs because of static electricity. Surface friction causes the buildup of a static electric charge
as electrons are exchanged between the surface of the plastic part and another object. The
negatively charged plastic then begins to attract positively charged dust particles.

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Notes By Asima Amjad Minhas Chapter#13 Electrostatics

Static electricity makes dust particles stick to car surface. Generally, car material
carries a negative charge that attracts positively charged dust particles.

Question#4: Take two oppositely charge rods place them separately near small pieces of
paper. Why do they both attract small pieces of paper? Is there any third type of charge on
papers which attracts both positive and negative charges?

Answer. When the positively charged rod is brought near the neutral paper, it induces a negative
charge on the side of the paper nearer to the rod. Since unlike charges attract each other, the
paper will be attracted to the rod. When the paper touches the rod it does not get discharged as it
is an insulator. The paper remains attracted to the rod if one negatively charged object is used to
charge a neutral object by induction then the neutral object will acquire a positive charge.
When the negatively charged rod is brought close to the neutral paper, positive charges
are attracted to it and negative charges are repelled away from it. Thus, there is again an
attractive force between them.
No there is not any third type of charge on papers which attracts both positive and
negative charges pieces of the neutral and can be electrostatically charged through electrostatic
induction where both positive and negative charges.
Question#6: A 100C charged body of mass 20kg repels 1C charged body of 10g with a force
of 2000N. Will smaller charged body apply force same/smaller/greater force on 20kg
charged body?

Answer. The smaller body will exert the same amount of force on the 20 kg charged body. The
forces between two-point charges are action and reaction forces and according to Newton's third
law of motion, action and reaction are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Therefore,
both the charged masses will exert the same forces on each other. However, the smaller mass will
accelerate more as compared to the heavy mass in accordance with Newton's second law of
motion.

Question#7: Why is it dangerous for construction workers to hold long steel pole upright
during lightning weather condition?

Answer. Metal is a great conductor of electricity. When lightning strikes a metal steel pole it
conducted away fast toward the ground or another nearby conductor. Metal is also a non-

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Notes By Asima Amjad Minhas Chapter#13 Electrostatics

combustible material. Lightning produces intense heat, and often this heat can cause fires on the
roof or inside the house. Because steel pool is a good conductor, and it is possible that lighting
hit the pole and electrocutes the construction workers.
People who work outdoors in open spaces with conductive materials such as metal have a
greater exposure to lighting risks.
Question#8: According to equation of capacitance of capacitor, capacitance is numerically
equal to ratio between charge store on one of its plates and potential difference between its
plates. Does its value depend upon amount of charge and potential difference?

Answer. The capacitance for a given capacitor will strictly be a constant. Capacitance does not
depend on the voltage of the charging source or the charges of the plates. Capacitance depends
only on the physical characteristics of the capacitor like the area of the plates and the distance
between two plates.

Q=CV

C=Q/V

When the potential difference V is increased, charge on capacitors also increases such that the
ratio Q/V remains constant i.e., capacitance C=Q/V remains constant.

Question 9: Do two capacitors of different plate area gain same or different amount of
charge if connected with the same battery?

Answer: Yes, magnitude of charge on both plates will be equal because all that electrons lost
from positive plate will go to negative plate if connected with the same battery.

Question 10: A device has capacitance of 250 nC. You are asked to decrease its capacitance
to 50 nC how can you get it by connecting another capacitor with it?

Answer: We will connect capacitors in a series combination. For capacitors connected in a series
combination, the reciprocal of the equivalent capacitance is the sum of the reciprocals of
individual capacitances.

1/Ceq= 1/C1+1/C2

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Notes By Asima Amjad Minhas Chapter#13 Electrostatics

From above equation in series combination the equivalent capacitance is always smaller than any
individual capacitance in combination. That's why series combination of capacitors is used when
we you when we need a smaller/decrease capacitance than the available.