Build a Charge Detector
In this hands-on activity, students make sense of the phenomenon of the electrical force that takes place between two objects. Each student builds an electroscope and, utilizing the science and engineering practices of asking questions and making observations, uses the device to draw conclusions about objects’ charge intensity. Students also determine what factors influence electric force. Throughout this activity, students explore the disciplinary core ideas of electric and magnet force and measurement and the crosscutting concepts of cause and effect and standard units.
In an illustration of static electricity, a girl's hair stands on end as she touches a Van de Graaff generator.Copyright Softpedia http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com/images/news2/What-is-a-Van-de-Graaff-Generator-2.JPG
In the case of electricity, what you cannot see could hurt you, so engineers use their understanding of electricity to develop devices that measure how much electrical charge is present. On a spacecraft orbiting Earth or traveling in space, the presence of excess electrical charge can cause the malfunction of delicate electronics and put astronauts' lives at risk. Electrical engineers design devices that enable astronauts to monitor the amount of charge on a spacecraft and safely scatter excess electrical charge to keep the spacecraft operational.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand why electrical force occurs between two objects.
- Determine what factors influence electric force
- Identify metal as a material that transmits electricity
- Understand that engineers use their understanding of electricity to develop devices that measure how much electrical charge is present.