Question

question 5 of 15
which of the following would not be good to use to pick up a charged object?
check all that apply.
a. wet cloth gloves
b. rubber gloves
c. plastic tongs
d. metal tongs

Explanation:

• Wet cloth gloves: Water is a conductor (when it has impurities), and wet cloth can conduct electricity. So using wet cloth gloves to pick up a charged object is dangerous as it can allow the charge to flow through the wet cloth to the person.
• Metal tongs: Metals are good conductors of electricity. If a charged object is picked up with metal tongs, the charge can easily flow through the metal (since metals have free - moving electrons) and potentially shock the person holding the tongs.
• Rubber gloves: Rubber is an insulator. It does not allow the easy flow of electric charge, so it is safe to use rubber gloves when dealing with charged objects as it prevents the charge from reaching the person.
• Plastic tongs: Plastics are insulators. They do not have free - moving charge carriers (in the context of static electricity and simple handling of charged objects), so plastic tongs can be safely used to pick up charged objects as they will not conduct the charge to the person.

Answer:

A. Wet cloth gloves, D. Metal tongs