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GCSE Questions: Static Electricity

Q1. A child's slide is made of a plastic material.

(a) Explain why the child becomes electrically charged when he goes down the slide.

There is a transfer of charge (electrons)between the child (or child's clothing) and the slide resulting in the child and slide each gaining an equal but opposite net charge. This happens when the two bodies rub together (friction).

Note that you would lose all of the marks if you talk of proton or ion movement! Only electrons (which are negative) move between the bodies.

[2 marks]

(b) Going down the slide causes the child's hair to stand on end. What conclusion about the electrical charge on the child's hair can be made from this observation? (Give a reason for your answer).

All the hairs on the child's head must gain the same type of charge. Like charges repel so the strands of hair experience a force that pushes them away from each other.

[2 marks]

(c) Why would the child not become electrically charged if the slide was made from metal?

Any charge gained by a strand of hair would pass through the metal (to earth) because metal is a good conductor of charge, therefore no build up of charge would happen.

For a static charge build-up to occur the charge must collect within a barrier formed by an insulator.

[1 mark]

[Total 5 marks]