An electroscope is an instrument used to detect electric charge. You can tell whether an electroscope has been charged by observing certain visual and physical indicators:
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Deflection of the Leaves: In a typical electroscope, two thin metal leaves or gold leaves hang from a metal rod inside a glass container. When the electroscope is charged (either positively or negatively), the leaves will repel each other and move apart. If they are hanging straight down when uncharged, a clear separation indicates that the electroscope is charged.
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Movement Upon Contact: If you bring a charged object close to the electroscope (but do not touch it), you may see the leaves move. If you touch the electroscope with a charged object, the leaves will spread apart when the charge transfers to the electroscope.
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Influence of a Nearby Charged Object: Bringing a charged object near the electroscope will also cause the leaves to diverge due to induction, even if the electroscope is not initially charged. This means that if you see movement in response to a nearby charged object, the electroscope is affected by external charge.
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Neutralization: If you touch a charged electroscope with a conductive object (like a finger), it may become neutralized, and the leaves will collapse back together.
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Comparison with Known Charged Object: You can check the charge of the electroscope by bringing it close to another charged object. If the other object has the same type of charge, the leaves will repel, whereas if it has an opposite charge, the leaves will come together.
In summary, the primary indicator of a change in the charge of an electroscope is the deflection (separation) of the leaves.
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