Question

A glass rod is rubbed with a silk scarf producing a charge of +3.2 × 10^(-9) C. (Recall that the magnitude of the proton and electron charges is 1.6 × 10^(-19) C.) The glass rod has:

A. 5.1 × 10^11 protons added to it.
B. 5.1 × 10^11 electrons removed from it.
C. 2.0 × 10^10 protons added to it.
D. 2.0 × 10^10 electrons removed from it.

Answer 1

When a glass rod is rubbed against silk, electrons are transferred between the two materials. In this scenario, the glass rod loses electrons and has a deficit of negative charge. Therefore, the correct answer is option D, which states that electrons are removed from the glass rod.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a glass rod is rubbed against silk, electrons are transferred between the two materials. The glass rod becomes positively charged because it loses electrons, while the silk becomes negatively charged because it gains electrons. In this scenario, since the glass rod has a charge of +3.2 × 10^(-9) C, it means that the rod has lost electrons and has a deficit of negative charge. Each electron has a charge of 1.6 × 10^(-19) C, so to calculate the number of electrons lost or gained, we can divide the total charge by the charge of a single electron.

Therefore, the number of electrons lost by the glass rod is: (3.2 × 10^(-9) C) / (1.6 × 10^(-19) C) = 2.0 × 10^10 electrons.

Option D, which states that 2.0 × 10^10 electrons are removed from the glass rod, is the correct answer.