Basic Electrostatics System
ES-9080B
10
®
To prevent stray charges from producing erroneous results, it is extremely important that the
Faraday Ice Pail be momentarily grounded prior to starting any experiment. The demonstrator
must also be continually grounded while performing an experiment.
The Charge Producers are used as charged objects to lower into the ice pail. The Proof Plane
is used to sample surface charge densities.
Conductive Spheres (ES-9059C)
The conductive spheres are used to store electrical
charge. The spheres are 13 centimeters (cm) in
diameter and are made of nickel-plated acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. Each is mounted
on a non-conductive rod of polycarbonate (about
10
14
ohms) and attached to a stable support base.
Each sphere has a thumbscrew terminal on the lower
half of the sphere for attaching a ground cable or a
lead from a voltage source
.
The sphere and
insulating rods should be kept free of dirt, grease,
and fingerprints to minimize charge leakage from
the sphere.
Conductive Shapes (ES-9061)
The conductive shapes are special objects upon
which to store electrical charges. Both shapes are
made of nickel-plated ABS plastic. The Conductive
Hollow Sphere is 13 centimeters (cm) in diameter
and has a 3.8 cm (1.5 inch) diameter hole at the top
that allows access to the inside of the sphere. The
Conductive Conical Shape is spherical on one side
and tapers to a bulbous shape on the other side. Each
is mounted on a non-conductive rod of
polycarbonate (about 10
14
ohms) and attached to a
stable support base. Each shape has a thumbscrew
terminal on the lower half of the shape for attaching
a ground cable or a lead from a voltage source.
The Conductive Hollow Sphere allows you to
measure the amount of charge on the
inside
of a
charged conductive sphere.
The Conductive Conical Shape allows you to
measure the difference in charge density from one
end to the other of the shape and compare the
distribution of charge density to that of a charged
conductive sphere.
Support base
Conductive sphere
Non-conductive rod
Thumbscrew
Conductive hollow sphere
Conductive
conical shape
Non-conductive rod
Support base
