Unit 2 Physcis Edexcel Topic 1:Electrostatics

• Electrostatic induction is a redistrubution of electrical charge in an object caused by another charged object.

Examples of induction:

• Small pieces of paper are attracted to a chaged ruler or a comb.
• Dust sticks to the negatively charged screen of a television.
• A stream of water from a tap can be bent towards a charged insulator.

• Electrostatic paint sprayers- Used to give metal objects(car bodies,bicycle frames e.t.c) an even coating of paint.
• The object that is being sprayed is connected to a negative supply, and the nozzle of the sprayer is charged positive, which makes the droplets emerging from the spray positively charged.
• The postitively charged droplets of paint repel eachother, and form a dispersed cloud.
• The droplets are attracted to the object being sprayed.
• The same technique is used to spray plants with insecticides. The insecticide is given a postive charge whilst the plant aquires a negative charge by induction.