Question

If you have charged an electroscope by contact with a positively charged object, describe how you could use it to determine the charge of other objects. Specifically, what would the leaves of the electroscope do if other charged objects were brought near its knob?

a) Leaves diverge
b) Leaves converge
c) No effect on leaves
d) Leaves oscillate

Answer 1

If a positively charged object is brought near the knob of the electroscope, the leaves will diverge.

Step-by-step explanation:

An electroscope, which consists of gold foil leaves hung from a metal stem, can be used to determine the charge of other objects. If a positively charged object is brought near the knob of the electroscope, the leaves will diverge. This is because the positive charge on the object repels the positive charge induced in the leaves, causing them to separate.