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8th grade Static electricity: like charges push, unlike charges pull worksheet

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Static electricity: like charges push, unlike charges pull

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. Two balloons rubbed on Ari's neutral hair gain 3 and 4 electrons. The hair started with 12 − marks. How many − marks does the hair have now?

  2. Two balloons rubbed on Esme's neutral hair gain 4 and 3 electrons. The hair started with 14 − marks. How many − marks does the hair have now?

  3. Read this first

    Balloon-and-hair pairs (example data)

    pairextra charges on eachdistance apart (cm)
    A210
    B62
    C610
    D22

  4. In the table of pairs, which pair pulls together hardest, Jun?

    • C, since charge alone decides it
    • B
    • A, since far apart pulls harder
    • D, since distance alone decides it

  5. In the table of pairs, which pair pulls together most weakly, Kira?

    • C, since it is farthest apart
    • D, since it has the least charge
    • A
    • B, since close pairs pull weakly

  6. Milo says rubbing a balloon on hair makes new charge. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: rubbing creates electrons
    • Agree: rubbing magnetizes the balloon and the hair
    • Agree: protons rub off the balloon
    • Disagree: electrons just move to the balloon

  7. Noah says a balloon sticks to the wall because rubbing makes it a magnet. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: neutral walls can't feel a charge
    • Agree: protons in the wall jump to it
    • Disagree: its electric charge pulls the wall
    • Agree: the balloon gets a north pole

  8. Pia says a rubbed balloon can only pull on objects that are already charged. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: the balloon has to touch them
    • Agree: neutral things feel no pull
    • Disagree: neutral paper bits get pulled too
    • Agree: the paper must make its own charge first

  9. Ren wants to test whether more rubbing gives a stronger pull on paper bits. Which plan is fair?

    • Keep the rubs the same; change the distance
    • Change the rubs; keep the distance the same
    • Change the rubs and the distance together
    • Use a magnet in place of the balloon

  10. Two balloons rubbed on hair push each other away, but each one pulls on the hair. Why, Tala?

    • The balloons lost their charge
    • The balloons are both −; the hair is +
    • Rubbing made new charge in the hair
    • The hair is a weak magnet

  11. Zee holds a rubbed balloon near a thin stream of circle water, and the stream bends toward it. What does that show?

    • Neutral water can't be pulled
    • A charge can pull neutral water without touching
    • The water stream is a magnet
    • The balloon makes new charge in the water
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8th grade Static electricity: like charges push, unlike charges pull worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Static electricity: like charges push, unlike charges pull. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say that rubbing moves electrons from one object to another, while protons stay put, and that no charge is made.
  • I can count + and − marks to find an object's charge, and how many electrons moved.
  • I can predict push or pull: like charges push and unlike charges pull. I know a charged object also pulls neutral paper bits.
  • I can say that more charge or less distance makes the force stronger, and plan a fair test of one of them.

Standard: MS-PS2-3

Words to know

charge: A property of protons (+) and electrons (−) that makes them push or pull

electron: A light negative particle that can move between objects

proton: A positive particle that stays in the nucleus

neutral: Equal + and − charges, so no overall charge

static electricity: Charge that builds up on an object and stays there

attract / repel: Pull together / push apart

Common mistakes

Your child added the + and − marks. A + and a − cancel, so take the smaller count from the bigger one.

Your child had the electrons going the wrong way.

Your child took away one balloon's electrons but not the other's.

What to say

Ask: which object ended up negative? The electrons went to that one.

Ask: how many balloons took electrons from the hair?

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with static electricity: like charges push, unlike charges pull?

Your child added the + and − marks. A + and a − cancel, so take the smaller count from the bigger one.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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