Introduction:

An electroscope is a scientific instrument used to

detect the presence and magnitude of an electric
charge on a body. It was invented by the British
Physician William Gilbert in the 1600s. He made the
first electroscope by using a pivoted needle.
An electroscope is generally used to detect the
presence of a charge over a body by using Coulomb’s
electrostatic force. This force is generated due to
the motion caused by a test charge. An electroscope
is also known as a crude voltmeter since the electric
charge over an object is always equal to its
capacitance.
Types:
There are mainly two types of
electroscopes which are mentioned as
well as explained below:

Electroscopes

Pith ball Gold Leaf

electroscope electroscope
Pith ball electroscope:
In 1731, Stephen Gray used a simple hanging
thread, which would be attracted to any nearby charged
object. This was the first improvement on
Gilbert's design from 1600.
It consists of one or two small balls of a
lightweight nonconductive substance, originally a
spongy plant material called pith, suspended
by silk or linen thread from the hook of
an insulated stand. Modern electroscopes usually use
balls made of plastic. In order to test the presence
of a charge on an object, the object is brought near
to the uncharged pith ball. If the object is charged,
the ball will be attracted to it and move toward it.
Gold leaf electroscope:
The gold leaf electroscope was developed in 1787
by British clergyman and physicist Abraham Bennet, as
a more sensitive instrument than pith ball then in
use. It consists of a vertical metal rod,
usually brass, from the end of which hang two parallel
strips of thin flexible gold leaf. A disk or ball
terminal is attached to the top of the rod, where the
charge to be tested is applied. To protect the gold
leaves from drafts of air they are enclosed in a glass
bottle, usually open at the bottom and mounted over
a conductive base.
Estimating the charge induced using
Coulomb’s Law:
In 1785 Augustine de Coulomb investigated the
attractive and repulsive forces between charged
objects, experimentally formulating what is now
referred to as Coulomb’s Law: “The magnitude of the
electric force that a particle exerts on another is
directly proportional to the product of their charges
and inversely proportional to the square of the
distance between them.” Mathematically, this
electrostatic F acting on two charged particles (q1,
q2) is expressed as

where r is the separation distance between the

objects and k is a constant of proportionality,
called the Coulomb constant, k = 9 × 109 Nm2/ C2. This
formula gives us the magnitude of the force as well
as direction by noting a positive force as
attractive and a negative force as repulsive. Noting
that like charges repel each other and opposite
charges attracting each other, Coulomb measured the
force between the objects, small metal coated balls,
by using a torsion balance similar to the balance
used to measure gravitational forces.

Objective:
To estimate the charge induced on each of the two
identical Styrofoam (or pith) balls suspended in a
vertical plane by making use of coulomb’s law.

Materials Required:
➢ Small size identical pith balls
➢ Physical balance or electronic balance
➢ Half meter Scale
➢ Cotton thread
➢ Stand
➢ Glass rod (or plastic rod)
➢ Silk cloth (or woollen cloth)

Theory:
The charged particles which make up the universe come in
three kinds: positive, negative, and neutral. Neutral
particles do not interact with electrical forces. Charged
particles exert electrical and magnetic forces on one
another, but if the charges are stationary, the mutual force
is very simple in form and is given by Coulomb's Law:
where F is the electrical force between any two stationary
charged particles with charges q1 and q2(measured in
coulombs), r is the separation between the charges (measured
in meters), and k is a constant of nature (equal to
9×109 Nm2/C2 in SI units).
The study of the Coulomb forces among arrangements of
stationary charged particles is called electrostatics.
Coulomb's Law describes three properties of the electrical
force:

1.The force is inversely proportional to the square of

the distance between the charges, and is directed
along the straight line that connects their centres.
2.The force is proportional to the product of the
magnitude of the charges.
3. Two particles of the same charge exert a repulsive
force on each other, and two particles of opposite
charge exert an attractive force on each other.
 Most of the common objects we deal with in the
macroscopic (human-sized) world are electrically neutral.
They are composed of atoms that consist of negatively charged
electrons moving in quantum motion around a positively
charged nucleus. The total negative charge of the electrons
is normally exactly equal to the total positive charge of
the nuclei, so the atoms (and therefore the entire object)
have no net electrical charge. When we charge a material by
friction, we are transferring some of the electrons from one
material to another.

Materials such as metals are conductors. Each metal

atom contributes one or two electrons that can move
relatively freely through the material. A conductor will
carry an electrical current. Other materials such as glass
are insulators. Their electrons are bound tightly and
cannot move. Charge sticks on an insulator, but does not
move freely through it.
 A neutral particle is not affected by electrical
forces. Nevertheless, a charged object will attract a
neutral macroscopic object by
the process of electrical
polarization. For example, if
a negatively charged rod is
brought close to an isolated,
neutral insulator, the
electrons in the atoms of the
insulator will be pushed
slightly away from the
negative rod, and the positive
nuclei will be attracted
slightly toward the negative
rod. We say that the rod has induced polarization in the
insulator, but its net charge is still zero.

The polarization of charge in the insulator is small,

but now its positive charge is a bit closer to the negative
rod, and its negative charge is a bit farther away. Thus,
the positive charge is attracted to the rod more strongly
than the negative charge is repelled, and there is an
overall net attraction.

If the negative rod is brought near an isolated,

neutral conductor, the conductor will also be polarized. In
the conductor, electrons are free to move through the
material, and some of them are repelled over to the
opposite surface of the conductor, leaving the surface near
the negative rod with a net positive charge. The conductor
has been polarized, and will now be attracted to the
charged rod.

Now if we connect a conducting wire or any other

conducting material from the polarized conductor to the
ground, we provide a “path” through which the electrons can
move. Electrons will actually move along this path to the
ground. If the wire or path is subsequently disconnected,
the conductor as a whole is left with a net positive
charge. The conductor has been charged without actually
being touched with the charged rod, and its charge is
opposite that of the rod. This procedure is called charging
by induction.

Let the force between two stationary charges be F.

The Weight of the ball:

W=mg
The restoring force on each ball:
=mgsin 𝜃
From the diagram in the right triangle ACB:
𝑥
sin 𝜃=2𝑙

Let the charge on each ball ;

q1=q2=q

Then at
equilibrium;

𝑘𝑞×𝑞
mgsin 𝜃= 𝑥2

𝑥 𝑘𝑞 2
=mg2𝑙 = 𝑥 2

𝑚𝑔𝑥 3
 q= √ 2𝑙𝑘

Procedure:
1) Weight the mass of each identical pitch balls by balance and
note down it.
2) Tie the balls with two silk or cotton threads and suspend at a
point on a stand or a rigid support. Measure the length of
threads by half meter scale. The length of threads should be
equal. Note down the length.
3) Rub the glass rod with silk cloth and touch with both balls
together so that the balls acquired equal charge.
4) Suspend the balls freely and the balls stay away a certain
distance between the balls when they become stationary. Note
down the distance.
 5) Touch any one suspended ball with other uncharged third ball
and takes the third ball away and repeat the step 4.
6) Touch other suspended ball with other uncharged fourth ball
and takes the fourth ball away and repeat the step 4.

Observation:
1. Mass of each ball, (m) = 10 g.
2. Radius of each ball, (r) = 10 mm.
3. Length of each thread, (l) = 5 cm.
S.NO CHARGE ON BALL CHARGE ON BALL DISTANCE BETWEEN
A B THE BALLS
(𝒒𝟏 ) (𝒒𝟐 ) (x cm)

1.

2.

3.

4.
Calculations:
By using the relation,

𝑚𝑔𝑥 3
 q= √ 2𝑙𝑘

We can calculate the charge in each case:

Result:
The charge on each ball = _______C

Precautions:
1. The suspended balls should not be touched by any conducting body.
2. Rub the glass rod properly with the silk cloth to produce more
charge.
3. Weight the mass of the balls accurately.

Sources Of Error:
1. The balls may not be of equal size and mass.
2. The distance between the balls may be measured accurately.
Bibliography:
 www.wikipedia.com
 https://ncert.nic.in
 www.youtube.com