A Gold Leaf Electroscope

It consists of a vertical conductive rod with a metal ball on the top and two thin and parallel strips of gold leaf attached at the bottom.

A gold leaf electroscope.

To prevent the gold leaf from drafts of air it is kept in a glass bottle. Electroscope it is a device that is used for detecting whether an object is charged or uncharged. The gold leaf electroscope like the one illustrated here first appeared in the latter part of the 18th century. It consists of a metal rod which is fitted in an insulating box.

It consists of an evacuated glass jar placed on a nonconducting surface like wood. Abraham bennet a clergyman and man of science first described the instrument in philosophical transactions in 1787. The whole of this part of the electroscope is insulated from the body of the instrument. It is also determine the type of charge.

This is an instrument for detecting and measuring static electricity or voltage. As you can see from the picture there is a metal conductor sphere and a metal rod attached to this sphere. Since electroscope is used to detect the presence of charge. The gold leaf electroscope was developed in 1787 by british clergyman and physicist abraham bennet as a more sensitive instrument than pith ball or straw blade electroscopes then in use.

It consists of a vertical metal rod which has two parallel strips of thin flexible gold leaf hang to it. Invented by abraham bennet in 1787 this electroscope is comparatively more sensitive than a pith ball one. Gold leaves are at the bottom of the rod. It is a simple device to detect the presence of charge on any body.

Electroscopes are placed in a glass case to diminish the effects of wind and ions in the air. Metal rod has a metal knob at its top. Bennet s electroscope consisted of a pair of very thin narrow leaves of gold hung from a conducting rod. A metal disc is connected to a narrow metal plate and a thin piece of gold leaf is fixed to the plate.

To prevent the gold leaf from drafts of air it is kept in a glass bottle. It works on the principle that the like charges repel each other. Gold leaf electroscope was developed by abraham bennet in the year 1787 which is more sensitive than pith ball electroscope. Two gold leaves are also attached at the bottom end of the rod.

The gold leaf electroscope. This instrument is used for the detection of charge and measuring static electricity.