I apologize, but as a text-based AI language model, I'm unable to generate diagrams or visual representations directly. However, I can try my best to describe each step of the process for you:
1. Diagram 1: The electroscope consists of a metal sphere at the top, connected to two leaves. Initially, the electroscope has no charge, and the leaves hang straight down due to gravity.
2. Diagram 2: Introduce a negatively charged rod near the metal sphere without making contact. As the negatively charged rod approaches, the electrons within the metal sphere experience repulsion. The electrons move away from the negatively charged rod, causing the leaves to slightly diverge.
3. Diagram 3: Due to the repulsion of electrons within the metal sphere, the negative charges become concentrated on the side of the leaves closest to the negatively charged rod. At the same time, the top part of the metal sphere becomes positively charged due to the movement of electrons away from that region.
4. Diagram 4: The leaves of the electroscope move further apart due to the repulsion between the like charges (negative charges) on the leaves. The negative charges on the leaves repel each other, causing the leaves to spread out even more.
By observing the divergence of the leaves, you can infer that the electroscope has gained a net charge. If the rod was positively charged, the process would be similar, but the charges would be redistributed differently.