10th grade

Simple
Electroscope ( GA )
Group: Shivank, Smriti, Vanshika, Arham
Class: 10 B
Table of contents

01. 02. 03.

Principle Construction Working
Principles of an Construction of an Working of an
electroscope electroscope electroscope

04. 05.
Comparing Our Model
Comparing different Our implementation of
implementations of the electroscope
electroscopes
01.
Principles
Principles of
electroscopes and
electrostatics
Principles of Electroscope and Electrostatics
An electroscope works on the principle of electrostatics, where it detects and
demonstrates the presence of electric charges by showing visible movement of lightweight
conductors such as foil leaves or wires; when a charged object is brought near or touches
the electroscope conductor, electrons are either repelled or attracted, causing the leaves
to diverge due to the fundamental law that like charges repel and unlike charges attract,
thus making invisible electrostatic forces observable in a simple, visual way.

Electroscopes are among the earliest instruments used to study electricity, invented in the
1600s, and they remain valuable because they embody the core principles of
electrostatics: charge induction, charge transfer, and repulsion between like charges
02.
Construction
Construction of an
electroscope
Construction of An Electroscope
The most common construction of an electroscope is the gold-leaf electroscope, which consists
of a vertical conducting rod that passes through an insulating stopper at the top of a glass
container, with a metal knob or plate attached at the upper end to receive charge and two thin
gold or aluminum foil leaves attached at the lower end inside the container. When a charged
object touches or comes near the knob, the charge flows down the rod to the leaves, and
because they acquire like charges, the leaves repel each other and diverge, making the presence
of electric charge visible. The glass container protects the delicate leaves from air currents and
humidity, while the insulating stopper prevents charge leakage, ensuring the electroscope
remains sensitive to even small amounts of static electricity.
 03.
Working
Working of an electroscope
Working of an electroscope
The working of an electroscope is based on the principle of electrostatics, where charges either transfer
or redistribute when a charged body is brought near its conducting knob. The metal rod carries this
charge down to the thin foil leaves attached at its lower end. Since both leaves acquire the same type of
charge, they repel each other and diverge, making the invisible presence of electric charge visible. The
extent of divergence gives a relative measure of the amount of charge present, though not its exact
quantity.

In addition to direct charging, an electroscope also demonstrates electrostatic induction. When a

charged body is brought close to the knob without touching, opposite charges are induced in the leaves,
causing them to move apart. This shows that electroscopes can detect both the presence and polarity of
charges. Thus, the electroscope serves as a simple yet powerful instrument to visualize fundamental
laws of electrostatics, like charges repel, unlike charges attract, and charges can be transferred or
induced through conductors.
 04.
Comparisons
Comparing different
implementations of
electroscopes
Comparing Different Implementations Of An
Electroscope
Implementation Construction Sensitivity Ease of Build

Gold-Leaf Metal rod with knob, thin Very high (thin leaves Moderate (requires glass
gold/aluminum leaves respond to small charges) jar, stopper, delicate
Electroscope inside a glass jar leaves)

Pith-Ball Lightweight pith balls Medium (balls move apart Easy (simple materials like
suspended by threads but less sensitive than foil) thread and balls)
Electroscope from a conductor

Foil-Leaf DIY Plastic container, tape, Good (foil strips respond Very easy (household
aluminum foil strips visibly to static) materials, no special tools)
Electroscope hanging inside
 05.
Our Model
Our implementation of the
electroscope
Our Model
Implementation chosen: Foil-Leaf DIY Electroscope

Our Execution:

● We used a thin metal wire shaped like a spring to check if the shape of the wire affects the
behaviour of the aluminium foil leaf.
● We used a long, plastic container to give the foils enough space to move around so that
we can observe the effects of static electricity as accurately as possible while only using
household materials.
● We tried to keep the project as simple as possible by using household materials and the
basic functioning of an electroscope to ensure that it can be easily replicated by those who
wish to check the behaviour of static electricity.

*This is the execution of the model that has been refined after analysing different videos regarding the construction of an
electroscope and recognising that the initial model that we had in mind wasn’t properly insulated, post which we added a
proper to seal the chamber and make it a vacuum.*
Working Of The Model
Attached below is a video of our simple electroscope model in action:
*Click on the video to view it*
Outcomes and Observations
Listed below are outcomes and observations we noted during the trial:

● The wire sticking out of the box was able to conduct the static electricity being
transmitted the comb which had been previously rubbed on wool and transfer it to
the aluminium kitchen foils hanging on the end of the wire
● Once the static electricity was transmitted via the wire, the foils reacted to the
electricity by moving/repelling each other
● Even if the charge built up on the comb was small, it was still enough to make the foils
move/repel each other, indicating that the wire transmitting the electricity had a small
enough resistance to allow for the flow of small charges.
● The shape of the wire transmitting the electricity had no effects on amount of charge
transferred.
THANK YOU