8th Class Science Some Natural Phenomena Electric Charge Electroscope

      Electric Charge

Electric charge is a property of certain subatomic particles like electrons and protons that allows them to attract or repel other charged particles by electric force. This is the force which binds nucleus and electrons of an atom together.

Charges are of two kinds

(i) Negative charge           

(ii) Positive charge

Like charged particles repels each other whereas unlike charged particles attract each other. Electrons are negatively charged particles whereas protons are positively charged particles. That is why between two electrons force of repulsion is experienced whereas between an electron and a proton, force of attraction is experienced. In other word electric force between two electrons is same as electric force between two protons kept at same distance apart i.e., both set repel each other but electric force between an electron and a proton placed at same distance apart is not repulsive but attractive in nature.

Charging by conduction and induction:

An object can be charged by the following ways:

(i) Charging by rubbing (friction)

(ii) Charging by induction

(iii) Charging by conduction

          Electroscope

An electroscope is an instrument for detecting the presence of electric charge on an object. It consists of two thin metal leaves suspended from a metal hook. When the hook is brought near a source of electric charge, some of the electrons in the hook are pushed to the leaves (if the source is negative) or pulled up to the hook from the leaves (if the source is positive)..