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Add to favourites LO: Investigating the effects of applying different forces to familiar object
Electrostatic forces
Electrostatic forces are seen when positive and negatively charged objects attract each other without having to directly touch each other. You can see this when you pick up a piece of paper or someone’s hair with a charged balloon.
Have you ever had a static shock? When you drag your feet on the ground you build up a positive charge and when you go close to someone the charge jumps to the other object.
If you rub a balloon on your head, you might find your hair clings to the balloon. This is called electrostatic force. When 2 objects rub against each other, an electric charge builds up. Eventually one object becomes positively changed and the other becomes negatively charged. The positively charged object will attract the negatively charged object.
Van De Gradd generators rely on electrostatic forces to work. They work much like rubbing a balloon on your head. 2 long belts rub against each other, making the rounded dome at the top positively charged. When something comes close to the dome, the negative charge jumps through the air. If something is positively charged, it’ll be attracted to the dome.
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