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Static Electricity

What is static electricity?

When electrical charges build up on the surface of a material it is called “static” There are no circuits, and there is no current flowing as in AC or DC electricity.

Causes of static electricity

Static electricity is mainly caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other, like wool on plastic or the soles of your shoes on the carpet. This process causes electrons to be pulled from the surface of one material and relocated onto the surface of the other material.

Common Effects

• Static cling
• Flyaway hair
• Sparks when you touch something
• Lightening and thunder

Remedies

For remedies for static, see the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMcaNavntY4 

Danger

Static electricity can cause fires at gas stations.

See the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gct1BmKNvU0

Practical Experiment

Blow up and tie off a number of balloons.  Prepare some of them by rubbing them against a sweater or other article of clothing.  Stick them on the wall. What has happened? The wool has lost some electrons to the balloon (the wool is now positively charged).  The balloon has now more electrons than before (It is now negatively charged). By bringing the balloon next to the wall, the  –ve electrons of the balloon attract the +ve on the wall, and the Balloon sticks.

Mini Quiz

1. What happens to an atom if something pulls an electron from it?

It explodes

The atom has a positive (+) charge

The atom has a negative (-) charge

 2. Which of the following will usually create static electricity?

Rubbing a wet rag on a plastic comb

Rubbing a coin with a plastic comb

Rubbing a plastic comb with some rabbit fur

 3. What can cause electrons to jump across a gap and cause a spark?

The force from a large positive charge

Lightning

Heat