Static Electricity

What is static electricity?

Static electricity is a stationary electric
charge that builds up on the surface of an
object.

It occurs when there is an imbalance of

electric charges within or on the surface of
a material.

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How does the imbalance of
charge occurs in the materials?

This imbalance of charges can happen

when certain materials rub against each
other, causing electrons to be
transferred from one material to the
other.
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 Charging and discharging
When you rub a plastic object (for example, a
balloon) with a cloth, both are likely to become
electrically charged.

You can tell that this is so by holding the balloon or

the cloth close to your hair – they attract the hair.

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 Charging and discharging
Static electricity is generated by friction.

There are two types of static electricity:

1. Positive

2. Negative

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Interaction between charges
Two positive charges will repel each other.

Two negative charges will repel each other.

A positive charge and a negative charge attract

each other.

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 Friction and charging
The outer electrons are relatively weakly held in the atom, they can be pulled
away by the force of friction.

When an atom has lost an electron, it becomes positively charged.

Charging is always the result of gaining or losing electrons.

Positive charge is not transferred.

An object which gains electrons becomes negative.

An object which loses electrons becomes positive.

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Conductors and insulators
Metals are electrical conductors, which means
electrons can move through them and the metal
doesn’t stay charged.

Gold and copper are particularly good electrical

conductors.

Non-metals, such as glass, plastic are electrical

insulators.
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 Conductors and insulators
When you rub a polythene rod, it gains electrons from the
cloth and so becomes negatively charged.

The electrons cannot move through the polythene, so the end

which was rubbed remains charged.

When a copper rod is rubbed, electrons are also transferred

by friction, but these electrons are free to move, so they flow
through the rod, through your hand and into the Earth.

This means the copper rod does not become charged.

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 Electric fields
If there is an electric field around a charged object and if any
charged object placed in the field will experience a force on it.

A charged object is surrounded by an electric field.

If a charged object moves into the electric field of a charged

object, it will experience a force – it will be attracted or
repelled.

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 Representing an electric field
We represent an electric field by lines of force (or electric
field lines).

This is similar to the way we represent a magnetic field by

magnetic field lines.

The lines of force are shown coming out of a positive

charge and going in to a negative charge.
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Representing an electric field

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