Gauss's Law describes the distribution of electric charges and the electric field flux generated.
Gauss's Law is used to solve electrostatic problems that can use basic geometrical surfaces with a high degree of symmetry.
COULOMB'S LAW
⚜ What is Coulomb's Law? ⚜
Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two point electric charges. The charges can be positive or negative, resulting in attractive or repulsive forces.
The electrostatic force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
ELECTROSTATIC GENERATOR
⚜ What is an Electrostatic Generator? ⚜
An electrostatic generator is a scientific apparatus that moves electrons on the surfaces of the generator to create a 'separation of charge' of positive and negative in order to produce a strong electric field that generates high voltages with low currents.
The Topler and Wimshurt machines are two examples of nineteenth century electrostatic generators that used rotating disks to transfer electrons from brushes to conducting pads on the disks. These electrostatic generators produced high voltages of over 10000 volts but with only a small electric current.
TRIVIA
🔔 QUESTION : What famous electrostatic generator uses a charged belt and a conducting sphere to generate static electricity?
💡 Hover or Tap for the ANSWER! 💡
The Van de Graaf electrostatic generator is the famous electrostatic generator. A demonstration used two giant Van de Graaf generators to produce a giant spark that jumped between the spheres.
TRIBOELECTRIFICATION
⚜ What is Triboelectrification? ⚜
Triboelectrification is basically stripping electrons from one surface by rubbing it with different surface. The friction of the rubbing causes one material to give up electrons, creating an electrostatic charge on both.
Wool rubbed against a balloon will cause the balloon to become charged and attract other balloons and small bits of paper.
ELECTRIC SPARK
⚜ What is a Electric Spark? ⚜
An electric spark is an oscillation of an electric field within an air gap that has experienced electrostatic breakdown.
The oscillations of a spark such as lightning can be heared on a radio as a burst of static, as the oscillations generate electromagnetic waves.
A spark is bright because air molecules are ionized and emit visible light as a result.
LIGHTNING
⚜ What is Lightning? ⚜
Lightning is basically a giant spark in Earth's atmosphere.
Lightning can jump from cloud to cloud, from the ground to a cloud, or from a cloud to the ground or an object on the ground. Whether a cloud is charged positively on negatively determines the direction of the lightning bolt.
TRIVIA
🔔 QUESTION : What famous scientist used a kite to prove that lightning was electricity?
💡 Hover or Tap for the ANSWER! 💡
Benjamin Franklin in 1752 flew a kite during a thunderstorm and a bolt of lightning struck the kite and travelled along the string, proving that lightning was a form of electricity.
ELECTROSCOPE
⚜ What is an Electroscope? ⚜
An electroscope is an instrument used to indicate the presence of an electric field and the polarity of an electrostatically charged object.
An electroscope is usually made with a metal rod within an insulating glass jar with foil leaves attached to the end of the rod. The leaves spread apart when an electric charge is near the far end of the rod.
ELECTROSTATICS VIDEO
Click the Image below to watch Electrostatic Hammer Bell.
ELECTRET
⚜ What is an Electret? ⚜
An electret is a dielectric material that has been polarized and so possesses an electric field. An electret can maintain this polarization for years making it essentially an electrostatic permanent magnet.
One use of an electret is with certain microphones which need no electric power to operate.
Electrets can be made from wax and resins and modern electrets are made from polymers such as polypropylene.
