What is gold leaf electroscope ?

The gold leaf electroscope is an instrument for detecting and measuring static electricity or voltage.

Apparatus:

A metal disc is connected to a narrow metal plate and a thin piece of gold leaf is fixed to the plate. This arrangement is insulated from the body of the instrument with an outer cover. A glass front allows you to watch the behaviour of the leaf.

Working:

The electroscope detects charge in the following way:

• A charged object is brought in contact with the open end of the wire. The charges are transferred via the wire which is a good conductor of electricity.
• The gold leaf plates also get charged and since they are similarly charged, they repel and move away from each other.
• This confirms the presence of charge on the body.

Grounding / Discharging

If the charged body was brought close to the electroscope and then, we simultaneously touch the metal plates with our hand, then this would cause the charges to flow through your body (our body is a good conductor of electricity) to the ground. This is called grounding.