Physics: Charge Transfer

Objectives

• Students will explore relationships among distance, charge, and time.
• Students will measure and describe charge transfer by induction and by contact.

Vocabulary

• charge polarity
• dielectric material
• electric conductor
• static electricity

About the Lesson

In this activity, students explore and compare various processes of charge transfer by induction and by contact.
As a result, students will:

• Explore how the magnitude of an induced charge depends on the distance between the charged object and metal.
• Investigate the process of discharging or "leakage" of charge over time. Model each of these relationships mathematically.