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Shuttling Ball Experiment

Edexcel A-level PhysicsElectric FieldsLesson 2 of 17

If you suspend a metal ball by an insulating thread between two vertical plates the ball shuttles back and forth when a high voltage is applied across the two plates.

The ball has a conducting surface (for example, it is coated with metal paint) so charge can flow onto and off it. Suppose the ball first touches the positive plate. Electrons flow from the ball to the plate, so the ball becomes positively charged. Like charges repel, so the ball is pushed away from the positive plate and attracted towards the negative plate.

Diagram

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