How to make an electroscope (DIY)

[@RimstarOrg]

One other suggestion since you seem to have a deadline... I just rubbed an empty plastic Coke bottle, which is made of vinyl or some other plastic, against my jeans pants and the bottle became charged. I also rubbed it against my sweather and it became charged by that too. All kinds of things work.

[@DEMONSLAYER-8N9]

Yes

[@hehehe_hi]

Those who watched this video were all worried bout their projects like me 😊..

[@planespottingoliver7317]

True like me

[@mukeshprasadassistantvigil6021]

No

[@hemlatavashisth1123]

True

[@susanheffley5656]

9th grade right

[@musicianalikhan1904]

Hahahah

[@kunalbatra4166]

ty ..now thats going to be my physics project

[@billanton2935]

how are u today

[@fayazshawl7877]

for me chemistry project ?

[@katiedark9229]

Kunal Batra mine too

[@couto619]

Kunal Batra I did mine like this and it works. Thanks

[@djullanarea7202]

Me 2🌚

[@RimstarOrg]

Regarding the what happens with a positive charge, you're right. Regarding the humidity, the issue is with the charging and not the electroscope at all. So I guess the electroscope can be in a humid room as long as you rubbed the two objects together in a dry room, or charged the object in some way that didn't have a problem with humidity, like an electronic high voltage power supply. Glad to hear you like the videos! Thanks for letting me know.

[@achachm]

I have lots of problems with humidity in my town, like you say charging an object even with a HV power supply charge does not stay a lot.

[@RimstarOrg]

Wow! I'm so happy to hear that. I remember participating in science fairs myself. Congradulations!

[@ivantv7572]

Oh my god thats an old comment

[@shahiq9974]

very very very very very old comment

[@ivantv7572]

@@shahiq9974 yes yes

[@lofistudent2263]

Incredibly old....

[@uttammenezes3090]

I was reading these comments....and when I read these replies and I checked....its a 12 year old comment!!! The person whoever wrote this...wrote this in the year I was born...this is written before I was born 😭

[@enricgarrigasanchez260]

oh man, I had to do a project in the school about this, and this video was perfect to show me how to build an elctroscope and how does it work. It helped me a lot!! you have won a subscriber!! :D (sorry for the bad English, I'm catalan xd)

[@emelinedizon6702]

How to explain?

[@couto619]

Enric Garriga Sànchez I might also subscribe

[@RimstarOrg]

In this case it's not the size that's important since the area of the disk and blinds that faces the electroscope terminal are the same, although the disk has grooves in it so it actually does have more area. The material is also matters. They're both vinyl but they may also have coatings on them since they're different colors. If you look at my triboelectric effect video (see link in the description below the video) you'll see some materials become more charged than others too.

[@yosefkap]

Wonderful presentation. Thank you very much. I just made one to show our children... We appreciate your time and effort!

[@ianhoff7686]

Nice and clear simple and quick to make. 2 notes If the leaves touch the glass they transfer a charge you can see this at the end of the video the last few frames the leaf magically jumps to the jar wall and back in to equalize charge as it bleeds off the curly end into the air. This is why the scope appear less sensitive as you use it in the video. You can ground the leaves by touching the probe with your hand. you may need to ground the glass where it touched which is why on some versions you see rods between the leaves and the sides. and with very high voltages sharp corners/edges/points bleed voltage which is why on most of those old machines everything is tube and ball looking

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, as long as it is lightweight and can move freely. The force causing the foils to separate isn't usually very strong, depending on your charged object. There are other metal foils at hobby and craft stores (brass, copper, steel), some candy wrappers, aluminum from soda cans. The foil must be electrically conductive metal and make sure the place where the foils contact the hook that they hang from is electrically conductive - no coating of any kind.

[@shinley1235]

Thank you

[@RimstarOrg]

1st question... All electroscopes measure the charge on an object by moving it close to something that will show a physical effect e.g. the two foils move away from each other. But the devices can be different; search for pith ball electroscope. 2nd question... The electroscope can have a NET negative charge, i.e. more negative electrons than positive protons. But you can't get rid of the protons. Only electrons move.

[@RimstarOrg]

Check the foil leafs in the jar to make sure they can move freely. It's also possible the problem is not with the electroscope but with the charged objects. If the air is too humid then it's harder to charge them. Maybe the air was drier the first time you did it. Also, try many different objects. Also, if I use a drinking glass as the object, it works only the first time and then I have to clean it thoroughly with soap and hot water because my hands put grease on it, stopping the charging.

[@djcreation8185]

I am watching in 2020. And this is an useful video

[@masratjaan1808]

I am waiting in 2024😅

[@RimstarOrg]

Cool! I'm always delighted to hear when it works out!

[@줄리아-s6c]

I am a student from Greece. Great job! I'll try to make this!...

[@RimstarOrg]

@swordswordswords The vinyl is non-electrically conductive so the charge won't conduct away to your hand in that direction, regardless of your skin conductivity. Good suggestion re the dryer.

[@armyluvieexol6302]

thank u fr this video i had one activity and its very useful thank u again

[@armyluvieexol6302]

+Fantage Candy (Mithra Madhu) instead of plastic pipe can we use a straw ?

[@RimstarOrg]

Fantage Candy Yes, you can use a straw instead. It is there only to hold the wire in place. If you have any other way of holding the wire in place then that will be fine too.

[@armyluvieexol6302]

+RimstarOrg ok sir thank u

[@rachanam804]

plsss replay for me

[@RimstarOrg]

School science project. Learning tool for learning about electrostatics. Useful tool. I do a lot of work with high voltages and I use this to detect if something is charged and even to test whether something is positively or negatively charged.

[@RimstarOrg]

You're welcome. I love hearing when it's used in real life, so thanks for letting me know.

[@SAM0R]

this guy is a legend answering your comments 15 years later is crazy

[@RimstarOrg]

You mean like this? :-) Thanks. This video is special; I made it before KZbin even had ads, was fun to make and has helped a lot of young students over the years, Hopefully it'll keep doing that for another 15!

[@rayyankhurram8374]

Thank you sooooo much this helped me alot as i needed this for a physics project

[@RimstarOrg]

@5MrPurple It's optional. It's there only to hold the wire in place as it goes through the cover. You can use tape, glue, a tight fit, or whatever you can come up with in order to support the wire. Heck, the wire can even go through the hole in the cover and then be bent flat sitting on top of the cover, in which case you don't need to support it at all. Maybe just tape it flat to the cover so it doesn't move around.

[@RimstarOrg]

Yay! It almost always is the charging that's the problem. Super glad to hear you're project worked out.

[@RimstarOrg]

Oh. When I searched for "BSA Nuclear Science Merit Badge", the only mention of electroscope in the requirements was this: "Build an electroscope. Show how it works. Place a radiation source inside and explain any difference seen." Americium-241 is a radiation source, which I happen to have because I took some from some ionizing type home smoke detectors. Oh, well. This is a super cool experiment anyway so I'm glad for my misunderstanding! Good luck getting your badge. Looks like lots of fun!

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks for the feedback folks! Making it helpful was what I was after. This is definately encouraging me to make a complete Wimshurst machine explanation video I've been planning on.

[@jatinmali9310]

I'm really thankful for choosing me as your beta tester for KZbin recommendations

[@RimstarOrg]

I agree. A lot of people have used it for science projects and got it working just fine. For other charged objects you can rub a plastic coke bottle or rubber balloon against your hair and bring the bottle or balloon near the electroscope terminal.

[@miniblad3321]

I used this for a 5'th Grade PI and i got a 100!Thank you for making this video!:D

[@RimstarOrg]

@SquishyRhinoes A paperclip would work. Any bare, uninsulated wire, will work.

[@Rahul030202]

Thank you so much RimstarOrg. Because of you my project is completed and now my leaves are also repeling. Don't know how to thank you

[@RimstarOrg]

Rahul030202 You're welcome. And hearing that it worked out for you is thanks enough for me.

[@9marbella]

RimstarOrg thank you so much

[@RimstarOrg]

@msdomy1998 You're welcome! Croatia seems to be the place for electrostatics! Another video should be ready in a day or two. Thanks for the thumbs up.

[@clairefruge8302]

omg this is a life saver because i have extra credit in science and i really need it and she told us to make this and write a paragraph of how it works and this video is perfectttt!!!! omg thank you so much!! :)

[@RimstarOrg]

@ThePunchClock You're welcome, my friend.

[@KattulapalliManidweepika-gq1fp]

This video helps a lot to my project thanks

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks! It's probably good because this is a tool I actually use in my experiments.

[@RimstarOrg]

Any type of wire will do. Just make sure that the collecting area, the place where I made a spiral, is not insulated otherwise it won't be able to collect or give up electrons. Also, you don't want the wire to be too thin. Wire the thickness of a hair may leak or collect electrons along its length, decreasing the amount that the foil leafs will move.

[@Gigi_B10]

Um I had a question I don't have aluminium foil can I use the medicine wrap aluminium instead?

[@travisyoutube1319]

doing this for the nuclear science merit badge for boy scouts!

[@wadecollins9444]

Same here

[@williamvandergrift9741]

same

[@colesmith6874]

Same

[@RimstarOrg]

Any stiff wire will do, as long as the part that the foils are touching is bare wire and not coated with anything. It has to be foil touching metal. You could take apart a metal coat hanger but make sure to sand off the area that the foils touch since I think coat hangers have a coating on them. A metal paper clip is another choice. Look around and see what you can find.

[@cohenpinko]

thank you for making this video! im planning to make this for a science assignment at school and i was wondering if there was anything else i could use for the coper wire and also is there any object you could suggest to use to charge the electroscope? thanks

[@RimstarOrg]

@amarben123 I'm not sure I understand your question? The wire I used was 14 gauge (AWG). I took it from some household electrical wire that I had lying around, the kind used in our walls here in Canada. Thicker wire does exist. If you have a Home Depot nearby, they would also have 12 gauge (smaller number means thicker wire in the American Wire Gauge system) and probably all the way to 8 gauge. If this doesn't answer your question, please ask again.

[@claaadera]

Yes! It finally worked, thank you so much for this video! My problem was just really the charged object. :) Do you have any suggestions for other objects that I could use ? I am currently just rubbing plastic cover on my hair because unfortunately I don't have any vinyl fabric around.

[@denisg2719]

I think this would also work with a simple ruler. I just noticed this was 8 years ago

[@RimstarOrg]

Glad to hear it worked. Thanks for letting me know what fixed it.

[@Fenixx97]

Just to anyone watching it in the future: you get a huge charge if you rub the vinyl against your hair.

[@letg7339]

SO DOING IT

[@8bplegend447]

Hover Myr ty bro

[@evanro2396]

Thank you - from the future

[@jood.b6905]

Its 2018 and you're still saving lives

[@nzy_bis]

Thanks-2019

[@santoshshinde-si1bp]

Too good ....For my project

[@RimstarOrg]

@vestprend1993 The ends of my wire were sharp so I put a little round bit of solder on them using a soldering iron. I could just have easily sanded the ends round. I probably didn't need to do this anyway, just a habit from working with high voltage a lot, so I don't think that's your problem. Can you give more details of how yours is made.

[@RimstarOrg]

Oh! Cool idea! I just tried it and it works. The leafs separate. I also did a test using the electroscope and induction to see if the screen is positively or negatively charged. The screen is positively charged. I sense a video in the making :). Thanks!

[@RimstarOrg]

@akosijabo06 Yes, you can.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks! I'm glad so many people like it.

[@Lancy0.0]

Hey u still on?

[@RimstarOrg]

@semih007gmailcom Done already :). See my triboelectric effect video, there's a link to it at the end of this video and in the description.

[@imranakhan9272]

Thank you soo much brother It was my science project and I have to make working model of electroscope and by seeing this it is too easy for me to make electroscope ....😊 Thank you soo much

[@RimstarOrg]

You're welcome. I'm glad it helped.

[@razajani8975]

thanks its so help full for me nice

[@miriamanan9745]

YOU SAVED A STUDENT LIFE.THANK YOU SOO MUCH.God I was on the edge of throwing myself out of the window.thanks again🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@justabhinav2503]

Anyone 2024

[@gcartsandedits8105]

me

[@lubos1998]

Thank you from Slovakia :)

[@esthernhindanhinda8211]

wow,I'm impressed 😄😯😙

[@sampritmandal3305]

No body cares btw very late response

[@arjetaavdiu2372]

Thanks for sharing it It was so helpful because my son on the 4th grade has a science homework to do a simple electroscope Thank you

[@RimstarOrg]

You're welcome. A tip is that the problem most people run into is in charging an object. I have another video to help with that in case you run into problems kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKmZdaSGgZZnr7c Have fun!

[@kupembona956]

Positive charges are the ones that makes the foils to repel Just kidding

[@RimstarOrg]

I got it from household wiring, the wire in our walls here in North America. I have a roll of it since it's nice and thick and I find it useful for projects. Find out where your electricians buy their wire. Here we can find it at Home Depot as well as specialty stores. A metal wire coat hanger will also work. Just make sure you scrape off any coating where it will be in contact with the two foil leafs.

[@grabitgo2724]

Awesome phenomena.

[@amazonicscircuitri3762]

This project is good for science fair! Awesome

[@deeman-6]

cant it be of other steel instead of copper

[@RimstarOrg]

+abiral saurab Yes, it can be steel, or any conductive metal.

[@kyledieter5086]

+RimstarOrg that answers my question kind of, will and old wire hangar work

[@abhisheknv1765]

Any metal will do.

[@piotrekm96]

THANKS MAN, YOU SAVED MY LIFE IN SCHOOL!

[@teresavera36]

is this gd for 4 spirits of family that have passed away

[@shresthasharma8791]

Teresa Vera no omg

[@lsbrother]

for 4 ?

[@mansisharma2797]

Thank you so much for uploading this video.....tomorrow is my project and I was really worried abt it

[@9marbella]

Could you also use cardboard for the lid

[@RimstarOrg]

9marbella Yes. You can even use the original lid that came with the container if you want to.

[@9marbella]

RimstarOrg could we us cardboard for the lid

[@9marbella]

RimstarOrg thank you very much

[@9marbella]

RimstarOrg how many inches does the copper wire have to be

[@9marbella]

RimstarOrg HOW LONG DOES THE COPPER WIRE HAVE TO BE

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks again! I glad your enjoying these videos.

[@tarektv9496]

hey man please can you list all the ingrediants again

[@RimstarOrg]

I'm puzzled by your request. In the video I show all the parts one by one. Is that not clear enough? I'd really like to know since I get asked this every now and then.

[@Luckier8]

You could just replay the video...

[@Lasangredemios]

No, I think I was just wondering if anyone else here was working on the Nuclear Science MB too. It's pretty fun stuff! One of the requirements was that I had to build an electroscope. But I don't think I know anything advanced like the stuff you just explained! You're quite knowledgeable!

[@yts2652]

who's watching this video in 2022 😂

[@snehal8857]

It's very help full to me thanks Thank a lot

[@RimstarOrg]

It's an insulator because it doesn't conduct electricity. E.g. copper is a conductor - electrons travel through or along its surface easily. But electrons don't travel easily through or along the surface of cotton. But due to the triboelectric effect electrons can be removed from the surface of cotton if rubbed with vinyl. And electrons can be deposited on the surface of cotton if rubbed with glass. In both cases it's not conducting electrons, just collecting or losing them from its surface.

[@sumahash2762]

Thanks alot! This really helped me at the last moment when i couldnt figure out what to make for my physics assignment.

[@RimstarOrg]

You're welcome! I can certainly sympathize with that!

[@meghalavijayakumar5712]

Superb sir this concept helped me to explain in my school

[@blace5635]

Thank you very much for this video,it was my homework to make an electroscope and I am really thankful 👌👌👌

[@RimstarOrg]

@ComboSmasher Instulated means there's a coating on the wire the doesn't conduct electricity. Example: a plastic coating on a wire prevents electrons from going onto the wire. The only parts of the wire that really have to be uninsulated are where the aluminium foil leaves touch the wire. It's optional, but it's handy if the terminal part of the wire (where I made a spiral) is also uninsulated. That's good if you want to touch it with something to put or take off electrons.

[@RimstarOrg]

Thanks for clarifying. Sounds simple enough, I'll give it a try. -Steve

[@niranjannag4494]

So that's an aluminium-leaf electroscope. Simple and easy. Great for demonstrations.

[@Computertechlighthouse]

the electrons from our hand transfered to the vinyl. And, then (you get near the vinyl and the copper wire) the electrons from that vinyl transfered again to the alumuniom foils. The two alumium foils now become like charged and they repel each other. My question is: the force between both alumunium foil, how long this force of repelling happen?

[@RimstarOrg]

Your explanation is partly right. The electrons don't get transferred to the aluminum foils. The electrons on the vinyl simply repel electrons that are already on the electroscope's terminal down to the aluminum foils. In answer to your question, the force between both aluminum foils remains until you move the vinyl away. When you move the vinyl away, there will no longer be a repelling force and the electrons will move back up to the terminal. Another possibility is that the vinyl will lose its charge over time. That's because the extra electrons on the vinyl will attract positive ions in the air and those ions will take the electrons from the vinyl, making it no longer charged. At that point the vinyl will no longer have a repelling effect on the electrons in the electroscope. I don't know how long that will take though. Sounds like it wold be a good experiment to do. :)

[@zachdoestech8989]

Thank you for KZbining so much you thought me more about electricity than I new before. I now read books and you have inspired me to read more.... I am now making a payout rate on my raspberry pi for my arcade claw machine and using zanier diodes and 12 volt voltage regulators to make it easier for it to control

[@Katiethehappycat]

these using a glass jar, a metal lid with a hole punched through and a pen shaft to insert the copper wire (not even very high gauge). Worked really well even with the high humidity in my house. Could even charge by induction by grounding it with my hand. Thanks, will uses as a demo in my class.

[@RimstarOrg]

Sounds good. Have fun demoing it!

[@Katiethehappycat]

RimstarOrg My students really enjoyed. Thanks worked really well.

[@RimstarOrg]

Interesting question. If the clouds are charged one way before a lightning strike, is the air near the ground charged the other way? However, that would mean the air surrounding the foil leafs is also charged. So even though the leafs have a net charge that would normally cause them to repel each other, the surrounding air has the same net charge and so nothing would happen. That's my guess. But I'm also guessing the air won't be charged enough to begin with. Try it and see, but do it indoors.

[@BueBass80085]

I remember watching this video 6 years ago back in grade 7, it’s funny to see how many students are still watching and learning from this video after so long

[@RimstarOrg]

Instead of copper wire you could try a paper clip or a metal clothes hanger. Just make sure you scrape off any coating where whatever you use makes contact with the two foils in the jar. The contact there must be bare metal to bare metal. Regarding an object for charging, rub a plastic coke bottle against your hair or a rubber balloon against your hair and then bring the part of the bottle or balloon that you rubbed near the terminal of the electroscope.

[@RimstarOrg]

Your wire sounds okay. The usual problem is with the charged object not being charged. Try rubbing a plastic coke bottle against your hair (no gel, your hair must be clean), or a balloon against you hair. Then bring the bottle or balloon near the electroscope's terminal. You could also run a plastic comb through your hair a bunch of times and use the comb. Also, the air must not be too humid.

[@magnaozi]

i got it to work, it was all humidity, thanks for this awesome project

[@RimstarOrg]

I don't think it would matter. More likely the problem is with your charged object. If the air is very humid then it's hard to charge things. Or, try different things such as rubbing a plastic coke bottle or a balloon against your hair and putting the balloon or coke bottle near the electroscope's terminal. For more on charging objects see my "Triboelectric effect/series or triboelectricity" video. There's a link in the description below this video or you can find it on my channel page.

[@RimstarOrg]

Your protractor approach is the only one I know. I sometimes see it done by having one fixed leaf and one leaf that's free to move. The fixed one is a vertical, metal plate. The other leaf repels from that one. Then a potractor is permanently fixed in place behind them. Of course that's a lot of effort to make if you're going to use it only a few times.

[@justinclorenzana]

Exactly, RimstarOrg. You can use a marker or highlighter to color half of the strip (or color both halves, red/white, red/black, whatever). Place a charged object near to the glass without touching it and watch the paper react. The trick is to poke the center of the strip onto the needle in a balanced way. Careful as too strong a charge can push the paper off the needle. Also glue the eraser to the bottom of the glass to make it portable. Although I have not tested this portable version myself.

[@RimstarOrg]

@IRmShaDe You're welcome. It is a surprisingly useful tool. I used it again just last week.

[@yessir6345]

Hello! What are the effects if I use another type of foil, such as tin foil? Will at affect the distance the foil deflects from the centre? I hope you can help me, thank you!

[@RimstarOrg]

The type of foil doesn't matter but the foils should be as light as possible so they they'll move easily.

[@RimstarOrg]

A frequent problem is not with the electroscope but with the charged object. If your air is damp then it's harder to charge things. Bring the charged object near your hair; does it attract you hair? It should. I rub a clean plastic coke bottle against a woolen face cloth or my hair. Rubbing a balloon against your hair works too. See my video "Triboelectric effect/series or triboelectricity" for more tips. There's a link in the description below this video or you can find it on my channel.

[@oniseokriashvili]

Oh God Thats Great. I am going to make it and show to my physics teacher. he will be proud :D many thanks for such a great work :)

[@RimstarOrg]

@meliknida You don't have to. I used it because it was an easy way to hold the wire in place.

[@RimstarOrg]

@NGUpremier You're welcome. I'm sure you'll have no problem with it. Cheers.

[@RimstarOrg]

Yay! It works! :) Thanks, I'll keep the videos coming.

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes, aluminium wire is okay. Some other charged objects would be to rub a rubber balloon or a plastic coke bottle against your hair to charge the balloon or bottle. See my Triboelectric Effect video for more on this (a link is at the end of this video and in the description below.)

[@satvinderkaur8007]

Thanks bro

[@RimstarOrg]

Yes and wire, metal rod, electrically conductive material will work. The important thing is that the wire must be bare, no insulation, where it comes in contact with the foil leafs.

[@RimstarOrg]

@shortsr4triangles The only measure you can make is how far apart the foils spread apart. You can't assign a numerical value to it, like a quantity of charge. That means you can only tell if one object is more (or less) charged than another object, but you can't say how much charge an object has.

[@ajbwbd]

Thanks so much I'm glad you helped me after all these years !