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Static electricity

Free AQA GCSE Physics practice questions on Static electricity. Sample questions below with detailed mark schemes — sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.

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Define — 4 marks

A student is preparing an experiment to investigate the properties of charged objects. She rubs a polythene rod with a cloth and observes that the rod becomes negatively charged. She then brings the charged rod near to some small pieces of paper without touching them, and the paper pieces jump towards the rod.

  1. Define what is meant by static electricity. [1 mark]
  2. Define the term 'electric field' in the context of the charged rod. [1 mark]
  3. The paper pieces are attracted to the negatively charged rod. Define what happens when a neutral object becomes polarised and explain why the paper is attracted to the rod. [2 marks]
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State — 4 marks

A student rubs a polythene rod with a duster. The rod becomes negatively charged and is then brought near to small pieces of paper on a desk. The paper pieces are attracted to the rod even though they are initially uncharged.

  1. State what happens to electrons in the polythene rod during the rubbing process. [1 mark]
  2. State the type of charge induced on the surface of the paper pieces that face the negatively charged rod. [1 mark]
  3. State two reasons why the paper pieces are attracted to the rod despite being initially uncharged. [2 marks]
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Explain — 2 marks

A student rubs a balloon on their hair and then holds it near some small pieces of paper. The pieces of paper are attracted to the balloon and stick to it.

  1. Explain why the balloon becomes negatively charged when rubbed on hair. [1 mark]
  2. Explain why the pieces of paper are attracted to the negatively charged balloon. [1 mark]
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Describe — 2 marks

A student rubs a polythene rod with a cloth. The rod becomes negatively charged and can attract small pieces of paper. The student then touches the charged rod with their finger and notices the paper pieces fall away.

  1. Describe what happens to the electrons when the polythene rod is rubbed with the cloth. [1 mark]
  2. Describe why the pieces of paper no longer stick to the rod after the student touches it with their finger. [1 mark]
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Calculate — 2 marks

A student rubs a polythene rod with a cloth. The rod becomes negatively charged and attracts small pieces of paper. The student then uses the charged rod to pick up 8 pieces of paper in 4 seconds.

  1. Calculate the rate at which the student picks up pieces of paper in pieces per second. [2 marks]
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  • {'mark': 1, 'description': 'Correct substitution into formula: rate = 8 ÷ 4 or equivalent working shown'}
  • {'mark': 1, 'description': 'Correct final answer: 2 pieces per second (or 2 pieces/s)'}

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