IP Physics Notes (Upper Secondary, Year 3-4): 10) Static Electricity

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30 Sep 2025, 00:00 Z

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Chee Wei Jie·Academic Advisor (Physics)

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Q: What does IP Physics Notes (Upper Secondary, Year 3-4): 10) Static Electricity cover?
A: Charging methods, electric field patterns, real-world applications, and safety for static electricity questions.

Quick recap -- Static electricity tracks how charges accumulate, move, and interact via electric fields. Watch electron transfer, sketch field lines correctly, and relate the principles to photocopiers, paint sprayers, and safety controls.

Keep your practice loop tight via our IP Physics tuition hub-it links each topic here to quizzes, diagnostics, and WA-style problem sets.

These notes align with SEAB GCE O-Level Physics (6091) content used in IP programmes (exams from 2026).

Status: SEAB O-Level Physics 6091 syllabus (exams from 2026) checked 2025-11-30 - scope unchanged; remains the reference for these notes.

Charge Basics

Charge comes in positive or negative units; SI unit coulomb $\pu{C}$ .
Like charges repel; unlike charges attract.
Conservation of charge: total charge in an isolated system stays constant.
Only electrons move in everyday charging processes; protons remain fixed in nuclei.
Charging methods:
- Friction: electrons transferred between insulators (e.g., polythene rod and wool).
- Conduction: direct contact lets electrons flow between conductors.
- Induction: charged object polarises a neutral conductor; grounding can lock in opposite charge.