Name ______________________________________________ Date _________ Period ______

Atoms and Static Electricity

1. In the space below, draw a picture of your understanding of the structure of an atom.
What does it look like? What is inside of it? Express what you know using a well-
labeled diagram.

2. The basic law of electrostatics:

3. The atom is composed of three basic subatomic particles. List each particle and whether
the particle is positively, negatively or has a neutral charge.

4. What does it mean if an atom is electrically neutral?

5. Is an object’s net charge positive or negative if it loses electrons? Explain. How do you
know if an object is positively, negatively, or uncharged?

Fun Fact
Protons (and neutrons) are located in the interior of an atom - in the nucleus. They are tightly
bound and unable to leave the atom except through nuclear processes. On the other hand,
electrons are on the exterior of an atom. They are exposed to other atoms and to forces that are
capable of ejecting them or stripping them of the atom.

6. What causes static cling?

7. The charge of an object is a measurable quantity. What units is charge measured in?
8. Identify the following particles as being charged or uncharged. If charged, indicate
whether they are charged positively or negatively. (n=neutron, p=proton, e=electron)

9. Consider the graphic below of an oxygen atom. Explain what must happen in order for an
oxygen atom to become negatively charged.

10. Summarize these verbal statements by inserting >, <, or = symbols into the blanks below:
Negatively Charged Positively Charged Electrically Neutral
# of e- _____ # of p+ # of e- _____ # of p+ # of e- _____ # of p+

11. During a physics lab, a plastic strip was rubbed with cotton and became positively
charged. The correct explanation for why the plastic strip becomes positively charged is
that ...

12. Mrs. Menzella, the tenth-grade science teacher, greets her students in an unusual manner.
She stands at the door of her classroom, scuffing her feet back and forth on the carpet. As
she does so, electrons move from the carpet to her shoes to her body. Mrs. Menzella is
now charged with a _________________ (positive, negative) type of charge.

Then, Mrs. Menzella reaches out and touches her students on the nose as they enter the
classroom. As she does, some electrons leave Mrs. Menzella and move onto her students.
Mrs. Menzella is now _________ (more, less) negatively charged than before the contact
with the student. And the student is now charged with a _________________ (positive,
negative) type of charge.
For THE questions BELOW, circle the words that best complete the sentences.
1. If an object is missing 5 electrons, it will have a (positive/negative/neutral) charge. If a
second object is missing 3 electrons, it will have a (positive/negative/neutral) charge. The
force between the objects will be (attraction/repulsion/no effect).

2. If an object has gained 15 electrons, it will have a (positive/negative/neutral) charge. If a

second object is missing 21 electrons, it will have a (positive/negative/neutral) charge.
The force between the objects will be (attraction/repulsion/no effect).