electroscope

American  

[ih-lek-truh-skohp] / ɪˈlɛk trəˌskoʊp /

noun

1. a device for detecting the presence and determining the sign of electric charges by means of electrostatic attraction and repulsion, often between two pieces of gold leaf enclosed in a glass-walled chamber.

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electroscope British  

/ ɪˈlɛktrəʊˌskəʊp, ɪˌlɛktrəʊˈskɒpɪk /

noun

1. an apparatus for detecting an electric charge, typically consisting of a rod holding two gold foils that separate when a charge is applied

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Other Word Forms

• electroscopic adjective

Etymology

Origin of electroscope

First recorded in 1815–25; electro- + -scope

Example Sentences

Electrostatic repulsion in the leaves of the charged electroscope separates them.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

There, some are transferred to the positive rod by touch, leaving the electroscope with a net positive charge.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Because the glass rod is an insulator, it must actually touch the electroscope to transfer charge to or from it.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

When the second bag blew up, the remaining ones hovered practically stationary until a clockwork device released a red parachute and dropped a self-charging electroscope which had been recording cosmic ray intensity all the while.

From Time Magazine Archive

Diagometer, dī-a-gom′e-tėr, n. a form of electroscope for ascertaining conducting power.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various