Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
1. Which picture shows attraction [verb: “do attract”]?
a.
Balloons moving toward each other
b.
Balloons moving away from each other
c.
Balloons not moving
2. Which picture shows repulsion [verb: “do repel”]?
a.
Balloons moving toward each other
b.
Balloons moving away from each other
c.
Balloons not moving
3. What will happen to two objects with the same static
charge?
a. They will attract
b. They will repel
c. Nothing
4. What will happen to two objects with the opposite static charge?
a. They will repel
b. Nothing
c. They will attract
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
5. What are all substances made from?
a. Atoms
b. Electrons
c. Circles
6. What happens to an atom if it gains an electron?
a. It becomes positive
b. It becomes negative
c. It stays neutral
7. Fill in the blanks:
When an atom gains or loses electrons it is call an ion.
When there are more Electrons than Protons in an atom, the atom becomes a
Negative ion
When there are more Protons than Electrons in an atom, the atom becomes a
Positive ion
8. John Travoltage rubs the rubber soles of his shoes on the wool carpet (see
below). What charge moves, and in which direction does it move?
a. Positive charges move from John to the ground
b. Negative charges move from John to the ground
c. Positive charges move from the ground into John
d. Negative charges move from the ground into John
9. A rubber balloon is rubbed on a wool sweater. What charges move and in which
direction?
a. Negative charges move from the sweater to the balloon
b. Positive charges move from the sweater to the balloon
c. Negative charges move from the balloon to the sweater
d. Positive charges move from the balloon to the sweater
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
10. In this Van de Graaff generator, a rubber belt rubs against a plastic roller.
Assuming the rubber is going to do the same thing as the balloon and John’s shoes.
Explain what charge will move and where most of the charge will end up (between
the belt and the roller).
Electric charges will move from the plastic roller onto
the rubber belt
11. Label the particles in the figure (right):
a.
b.
c.
d.
A
Neutron
Protons
Nucleus
Electron
C
B
12. What charge are electrons?
a. Neutral
b. Positive
D
c. Negative
13. What do you think will happen when a negatively charged balloon is moved
closer to a neutral wall?
a. Some positive charges in the wall will move toward the balloon
b. Some negative charges in the wall will move toward the balloon
c. Some positive charges in the wall will go into the balloon
d. Some negative charges in the balloon will go into the wall
A
B
C
D
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
14. Which statement is correct?
a. All things on earth are made of elements, and Atoms are the smallest
piece of an element.
b. Multiple atoms bond together to make molecules
c. Molecules bond together to make objects
d. All of the above are true
15. Describe the following picture using the word “molecules”:
Molecules in the plastic block change from being neutral and randomly organized to
being ordered and organized so that the positive charges all face toward the negatively
charged rubber balloon.
16. What happens to John Travoltage when he touches the door
knob? [This is called discharging and grounding]
a. Most electrons will go into the knob and down to
earth
b. Some electrons will go from earth through the knob
and into John Travoltage
c. Most electrons will go into Johns finger and stay
there
d. Nothing will happen
17. Which is an example of the build-up of static electricity?
a. Lightning
b. Electromagnets
c. Friction
18. What happens to an atom if it loses an electron?
a. It becomes positive
b. It becomes negative
c. It stays neutral
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
19. Which part of atoms cause static electricity?
a. Neutrons
b. Electrons
c. Protons
20. In the Van de Graaff machine in question 10, if the charge being removed by the
rubber belt is being removed from the metal shell on the top of the machine (as
well as the plastic roller), what happens to the charged particles in the metal top
when the Van de Graff generator is turned on and the top starts to become
positive?
a. Electrons move off the metal
b. Protons move onto the metal
c. Electrons move off and protons move on
21. Ruben brings a small plastic ball with a negative charge close to the top of the
Van de Graaff generator.
The ball hangs on a string
Circle the arrow which shows the direction of the
electrostatic force on the ball:
E
F
G
H
22.
When a Van de Graff generator (or for
example John Travoltage) is earthed, it is not
charged. The metal on top of the Van de Graaff
generator should be earthed immediately after
use. Suggest why:
to prevent accidental discharge /
(electric) shock / sparks / fire risk
23. What happens to an atom if it loses an electron?
a. It becomes positive
b. It becomes negative
c. It stays neutral
24. Which part of atoms cause static electricity?
a. Neutrons
b. Electrons
c. Protons
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
25. Write the definition of current in a complete sentence.
The current refers to the amount of charge or electrons moving per second.
26. State the function of the ammeter.
To measure amperes (change in charge per second or current)
27. State the function of the “switch”
Switch is used to control the flow of electrons
28. What units do we measure current in?
a. Amperes
b. Volts
c. Meters per second
29. Which requires more current?
a. A light bulb
b. A switch
c. A buzzer
30. Which gives a higher current reading
a. 1 cell
b. 2 cells
c. 3 cells
d. 4 cells
31. True or False: Potential energy is the energy stored in a system because of its
state or position.
32. True or False: Atoms’ electrons have energy and the electrons want to flow from
an area of low energy to an area of high energy.
33. Electrons have the highest energy
a. The farther away from the nucleus it is
b. The closer to the nucleus it is
c. Inside the nucleus
Year 8 Quiz on Current and Static Electricity
Name:__________________________________ Date:_______________________________________
34. Bonus Question: Given this picture of a battery (below) in general, explain how
it works (I’m looking for words like atoms, electrons, wires, etc…). Draw arrows
to show the direction of electron movement.
A battery has chemicals and metals
inside it. The metals which buildup
electrons are called electrodes.
Electrodes are surrounded by
chemicals called electrolytes that
react with the electrodes. The
chemical reactions leave an
imbalance of electrons on the
electrodes causing one electrode to
give up electrons and the other
electrode to accept electrons. When
the electrodes are connected in a
circuit, Electrons flow through the
wires of the circuit from the negative
to positive electrode. The current can
be used to power a light bulb or other
electric device.