Acknowledgement

I would like to express my immense

gratitude to my physic teacher
Mr. Mriganka Chatterjee for the help
and guidance she provided for
completing this project.
I also thank my parents who gave their
ideas and inputs in making this
project. Most of all I thank our school
management, for providing us the
facilities and opportunity to do this
project.
Lastly, I would like to thanks my
classmates who have helped me in this
project. Their support made this
project fruitful.

Student Name
 Certificate
This is to certify that

Sujoy Das

has successfully completed his

physics project titled
Electroscope
under the supervision and guidance of

in the partial fulfillment of the physics

practical
assessment conduct during the
acadamic year

2023-2024.

External's Sign Teacher's Sign

 Index
CONTENT PAGE NO

Introduction

Types of Electroscope

Uses of electroscope

Aim

Materials Requiored

Theory

Procedure

Observation

Conclusion

Precaution

Bibliography
 Topic

Electroscope Investigatory Project

 Introduction
What is Electroscope?
Electroscope, is an instrument used for detecting the
presence of an electric charge or of ionizing
radiation, usually consisting of a pair of thin gold
leaves suspended from an electrical conductor that
leads to the outside of an insulating container.
An electric charge brought near the conductor or in
contact with it causes the leaves to stand apart at an
angle because, according to Coulomb's law, the like
electric charge either induced in or transferred to
cach leaf causes them to repel cach other.
Radiation from radioactive materials introduced into
a charged electroscope ionizes the gas within,
permitting the charge on the leaves to leak off
gradually. The rate at which the leaves of a charged
electroscope converge to their parallel uncharged
position is proportional to the intensity of radiation
present.
 Types of Electroscope
In general,the electroscopes are classified into the
following three types:
1. Pitch-ball Electroscope:
As the name suggests, it consists of one
or two small balls that are made up of a
lightweight non-conductive substance
and known as pith. To determine
whether the object is charged or not by
using this electroscope, the object is
brought close to the uncharged pith-
ball. The force of attraction between the
ball and object shows that the object is
charged.
 2. Gold-leaf Electroscope:
It consists of a vertical conductive rod with a metal
ball on the top and two thin and parallel strips of
gold leaf attached at the bottom. Invented by
Abraham Bennet in 1787, this electroscope is
comparatively more sensitive than a pith-ball one.
To prevent the gold leaf from drafts of air, it is kept
in a glass bottle. The gold leaves, which are kept in a
glass flask to prevent them from the effect of air,
spread apart into inverted "V" whenever a charged
object is brought close to them.

3. Neddle Electroscope:
It consists of a plate connected to a support stand
and a pivoted free-swinging needle on either side of
the stand. If a charged object is brought near to the
plate, then the needle will gain the same charge and
will swivel away.
 Uses of Electroscope
Following are some common uses of an electroscope:

1. Detecting Electric Charges:

Electroscopes are primarily used to detect the presence of electric
charges. When an object with an electric charge (either positive or
negative) is brought near the conducting ball or plate of the
electroscope, the leaves will either repel or attract each other,
indicating the presence and type of charge.

2. Demonstrating Static Electricity:

Electroscopes are often used in educational settings to demonstrate
static electricity phenomena. For example, you can rub a balloon
against your hair to create static charge and then bring it close to
the electroscope to show the leaves diverge due to the charge
transfer.

3. Measuring Electric Potential:

Electrometers, which are more sensitive versions of electroscopes,
can be used to measure electric potential (voltage). By calibrating an
electrometer, you can determine the voltage of an electrical source.

4. Testing for Grounding:

An electroscope can be used to check if an object is grounded. If an
object is grounded, the electroscope's leaves will collapse because
the charge is dissipated into the Earth. If an object is not grounded,
the leaves will remain diverged.
5. Monitoring Radiation:

Some radiation detection devices use an electroscope or a similar

instrument to detect and measure ionizing radiation. When radiation
interacts with the air, it can create charged particles that affect the
electroscope's leaves.

6. Historical Experimentation:

Electroscopes have played a significant role in the history of

electricity and have been used in various experiments by scientists
such as Benjamin Franklin and Charles-Augustin de Coulomb to
explore the nature of electric charges and forces.

7. Atmospheric Electricity:

Electroscopes have been used in atmospheric research to study

atmospheric electricity and the behaviour of charges in the
atmosphere, especially during thunderstorms and other weather
phenomena.

8. Assessing Charge Distribution:

In some scientific experiments, electroscope measurements are used

to assess the distribution of charge on objects and to study
electrostatic phenomena.

9. Qualitative Charge Detection:

Electrometers can be used to determine the qualitative distribution

of electric charge on different objects or materials.
 AIM
To make an Electroscope using Glass bottle,
Aluminium foil, Plastic straw and Copper wire

Materials Required:

✔ Glass Jar with A Lid

✓ Awl

✔2 inches of Plastic Straw

✓ 10 inches of 14 Gauge Copper Wire ✔ Glass Jar with A Lid
✓ Hot Glue

✔ Pliers
✓ Balloon

✔ Two 2-inch Square Pieces of Aluminium Foil

 THEORY
The principle of an electroscope is based on the
atomic structure of elements, the internal structure
of metal elements, charge induction and the idea that
like charges repel and opposite charges attract.

All elements are composed of electrons, protons and

neutrons- with the electrons surrounding the nucleus.
In metals these outer electrons are loosely held by the
nuclei and are relatively free to move within the
material.

An electroscope has a metal detector knob on top

which is connected to a pair of metal leaves hanging
from the bottom of the connecting rod.

When no charge is present the metal leaves hang

loosely downward. However, if an object with a
charge is brought near the electroscope one of the
two things can happen.
If the charge is positive electrons in the metal of the
electroscope are attracted to the charge, and move upwards
out of the leaves. This causes a temporary positive charge
and because like charges repel, the leaves separate.

When the charge is removed, the electrons return to their

original positions and leaves relax.

So, an electroscope reacts to the presence of a charge

through the movements of electrons either into or away
from the leaves.

In either case the leaves separate but the electroscope

cannot tell if the charge or a negative charge- it is only
responding to the presence of an electrical charge.
 PROCEDURE
Start by punching a hole in the jar lid large enough for the straw and
the copper wire to fit through.

Insert the straw into the hole and centre it, leave a couple of inches of
space from the bottom of the jar. Use the hot glue to secure the straw
in place.

Next, insert the copper wire into the straw, with about 2 inches
protruding from the straw inside the jar.

Use the pliers to bend 1 inch of the copper wire into a hook to hold the
aluminium foil later.

Use the pliers to bend the remaining copper on top of the lid into a coil
to provide more surface area.

Next, cut a small slit in the aluminium foil and slide them onto the
copper hook.

Attach the lid to the jar.YCLE

Now, rub the balloon on your head.

Place the balloon next to the copper coils. Observe what happens to
the metal inside the jar.

Move the material away and touch your hand to the coiled wire.
Observe what happens.

Repeat steps 8 to 10 with any other materials you would like to test
 OBSERVATION
As the charged comb approaches the metal rod, the leaves
inside the container start to separate and repel each other.
This is a clear indication that they have acquired a similar
charge and are trying to move away from each other.

When the charged comb is removed, the leaves return to

their original position, indicating that the charge has
dissipated, and the leaves have neutralized.

If you touch the metal rod with a charged object (e.g., the
charged comb), the leaves will diverge even more due to the
transfer of charge. However, if the charge is opposite in
nature, the leaves will collapse, showing an attraction
between them.
 CONCLUSION
Electroscope is an effective tool for detecting and studying
electric charges. By constructing a working model of this
device and conducting the experiment, we observed how the
leaves respond to the presence of electric charges. The
leaves diverged when exposed to a like charge and collapsed
when exposed to an opposite charge. This experiment helps
to illustrate the basic principles of electrostatics and
provides a simple yet insightful way to visualize electric
charge interactions.
 PRECAUTION
✓ Be cautious when handling scissors or any sharp
objects used to cut the aluminium foil. Ensure that you
cut the foil carefully to avoid any accidental cuts or
injuries.

✓ Before working with the aluminium foil, make sure

your hands are clean to prevent transferring oils or dirt
onto the foil. Contaminants on the foil can affect its
performance.

✓ Aluminium foil is delicate, so handle it gently to avoid

tearing or damaging it.

✓ Be aware of static electricity, as it can cause the foil

to stick to surfaces or become difficult to work with.
Ground yourself by touching a grounded object before
handling the foil to minimize the risk of static
interference.

✓ Ensure that the aluminium foil is thin enough to be

sensitive to electric charge but thick enough to be
workable.

✓ Before and after each experiment, discharge the

electroscope by touching the metal rod with your hand
or a grounded object to reset it and prevent any
residual charge build-up.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

• https://en.wikipedia.org

• www.YouTube.com

• www.Study.com

• https://www.education.com

• https://www.instructables.com