Physics
How will you show that like charges repel and unlike charges attract each other?
Answer
The following experiment demonstrates that like charges repel and unlike charges attract each other:
- Take a glass rod A1. Rub it with silk and suspend it with a thread. Take another glass rod B1. Rub it with silk and bring it near one end of the suspended rod A1. It is observed that the suspended glass rod A1 gets repelled.
- Take an ebonite rod A2. Rub it with fur and suspend it with thread. Take another ebonite rod B2. Rub it with fur and bring it near one end of the suspended rod A2. It is observed that the suspended ebonite rod A2 gets repelled.
- Suspend glass rod A1 rubbed with silk and bring ebonite rod B2 near one end of the suspended rod A1. It is observed that rod A1 gets attracted towards rod B2.
In step 1, both the rods A1 and B1 were rubbed with silk, so, they must have similar kind of charges. Similarly, in step 2 also rods A2 and B2 must have similar kind of charges. As A1 and A2 got repelled by B1 and B2, respectively hence, we conclude that like charges repel each other. In step 3, A1 got attracted to B2 hence, we conclude that A1 and B2 are oppositely charged and unlike charges attract each other.
Related Questions
Describe an experiment to demonstrate that there are two kinds of charges.
A glass rod rubbed with silk is suspended near an ebonite rod rubbed with fur. What will be your observation? Give a reason to your answer.
An ebonite rod rubbed with fur is suspended near another ebonite rod rubbed with fur. State your observation and give a reason to support your answer.
An ebonite rod is rubbed with fur. State the kind of charge acquired by each.