Basic Electrostatics System
Model No. ES-9080
15
!
compared to charging it by induction, and to demonstrate the
conservation of charge.
Before beginning any experiment using the ice pail, the pail must be
momentarily grounded. When the ice pail is connected to the
electrometer, and the electrometer is connected to an earth-ground,
simply press the ZERO button whenever you need to discharge both
the pail and the electrometer. While conducting an experiment, it is
convenient to keep yourself grounded, by continuously resting one
hand on the upper edge of the shield, or by direct contact with the
earth-ground connector.
WARNING
: Make sure the electrometer is connected to an
earth ground, or the pail will not be properly grounded. Performing
tests or experiments with an ungrounded pail could cause possible
electrical shock or injury.
Procedure 1A: Charging by Induction vs. Charging by Contact
1.
Connect the electrometer to the Faraday Ice Pail as shown in Figure
1.1. Make sure to ground the electrometer and the ice pail. The
electrometer should read zero when grounded, indicating there is no
charge in the ice pail. Press the
Zero
button to completely remove all
charge from the electrometer and the ice pail.
2.
Always start with the voltage range in the higher setting (100 V)
and adjust down if needed. Analog meters are typically most
accurate in the range of 1/3 to 2/3 of full scale.
3.
The charge producers will be used as charged objects. Here is a
general procedure to follow when charging the producers:
Figure 1.2: Grounding the ice pail
touch both the pail
and the shield at the
same time
lift finger from pail,
then from shield
pail
shield
shield
pail