STATIC ELECTRICITY
Atomic Structure
• 3 Parts to an atom
• Atoms have protons (+ charge), electrons
(- charge) and neutrons (0 charge)
• Protons and neutrons are held in the
nucleus by strong forces, but electrons
move freely
• Electrons can be added to or removed
from atoms
Where do charges come from?
Matter is made up of atoms.
+ Proton (positive charge)
–
neutron (neutral)
+
+ +
– electron (negative charge)
– –
atom nucleus
• A neutral atom: # p = # e
• Ion: #p = #e Ions have electric charges
• Ex: a neutral Lithium atom has 3 p and 3 e
If it loses an electron, overall + charge (Cation)
If it gains an electron, overall - charge (Anion)
ELECTRIC CHARGE: a form of charge, either + or – that exerts an electric force
Everything around you contains ELECTRIC CHARGES
CHARGES can’t be created, but they can move around
POSITIVE (+) Has more positive charges
OBJECTS than negative charges
NEGATIVE (-) Has more negative
OBJECTS charges than positive
charges
NEUTRAL (0) Has an equal number of
OBJECTS positive and negative
charges
Law of Electric Charges (2 parts)
1. When unlike charges, + and - , are brought
close together, they attract each other
(opposites attract)
2. When like charges are brought close together,
they repel each other
What Is Static
Electricity?
A charge that builds
up on the surface of
a material.
Where do charges come from?
Rubbing materials does NOT create
electric charges. It just transfers
electrons from one material to the
other.
Three Methods to Charge an Object
1. Charge by Contact (Friction)
2. Charge by Conduction (also by contact)
3. Charge by Induction
Method 1: Charge by Contact
Two neutral objects are rubbed together. The electrons
are transferred from one object to the other.
•Rubbing 2 objects together causes ELECTRONS to jump
from one object to another
•An object can become charged when the #protons does
not equal #electrons
•Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges on an
object’s surface
When you charge by contact, objects can be
charged using Friction or Conduction
Charging by Friction:
Two objects are brought near each other but do
not touch (ELECTRONS rearrange)
Charging by Conduction: Two charged objects
come together and touch. The electrons
transfer.
1. Where do charges come from?
2. How do we know what object becomes negative and which
one becomes positive? We use the Electrostatic Series
When a balloon rubs a piece of wool...
electrons are pulled from the
– +
wool to the balloon.
– +
– The balloon has more electrons than
– +
usual.
–
– +
wool + The balloon: – charged,
The wool: +charged
Electrostatic Series
• Table 1 p. 473
• used to determine
type of charge
produced when
any 2 substances
are rubbed
together
The substance higher in the list always loses
electrons and becomes positively charged,
while the substance lower in the list gains
those same electrons and becomes negatively
charged
A balloon has a negative charge
when rubbed by a woollen cloth.
1 If the balloon can attract some paper scraps, which of the
following cannot be the charge of paper scraps?
A Neutral B Positive
C Negative
A balloon has a negative charge
when rubbed by woollen cloth.
2 During rubbing, what have been transferred between the
woollen cloth and the balloon?
A Electrons B Protons
C Neutrons
State the charge when the following
substances are charged by friction
Use Table 1 – electrostatic series
• Cotton ___ glass rod ____
• Silk ___ glass rod ____
• Wool ___ vynil ____
State the charge when the following
substances are charged by friction
Use Table 1 – electrostatic series
• Cotton - glass rod +
• Silk - glass rod +
• Wool + plastic (polyethylene) -
Ex: Combing hair, bending water
Comb (0 charge) & hair (0 charge)
When you run a plastic comb through your hair:
Each HAIR becomes + charged
The + charges on the hair want to move as far away
from each other as possible (the + charges repel each
other )
o Comb GAINS e’s and becomes – charged
o hair LOSES e’s and becomes + charged
Static charges = charges are at rest on the
object’s surface
• COMB becomes
– charged
• The water is
neutral (has both
+ and – charges)
As you move the -
COMB towards water,
the electrons in the
water are repelled by
the comb, creating a +
charge in the water
stream closest to the
comb
• The side of the water
stream that is closer to
the COMB is now +
charged, and the comb is
– charged
• Opposite charges attract,
causing the water to bend
Insulators VS conductors
Conductors: materials that allow electrons to flow
through them easily.
Conductors CANNOT be easily charged
by friction as the extra electrons gained
can easily escape.
Insulators VS conductors
Insulators: materials that do NOT allow
electrons to flow through them easily.
Insulators can be easily charged by
friction as the extra electrons gained
CANNOT easily escape.
Static Discharge
Human body can not feel less than
2,000 volts of static discharge
Static charge built up by scuffing shoes
on a carpet can exceed 20,000 volts.
Static Wicks ~ Method used to discharge a plane
The wicks on the wing allows the electrons to find the path of least resistance
to travel ( Fall off the plane). If this did not happened we would get
electrocuted while in the plane
Lightning
kills more than one mile every five
60 people and seconds
injures more about 20,000 C
than 400 people Voltage of up to
a year in the US 1.2x108 volts
What is grounding?
An object is grounded when it is connected
to the earth through a connecting wire. The
large object effectively removes the electric
charge that the object might have
If a charged conductor is grounded, it
will become neutral.
Symbol for grounding:
How does grounding occur?
When we touch a metal ball of
positive charge...
+ +
+ electrons flow from the
+ +
–
earth to the metal ball to
neutralize the metal ball.
Metal ball becomes neutral.
Gas Station Fires
Carol said a static gas pump fire is blamed for burning
her daughter so badly she needed skin grafts on
her legs.
Carol had put the gas pump nozzle on automatic and
re-entered her car to write a check. When her
then-12-year-old daughter, wearing a sweater and
jacket that may have created static electricity,
reached for the nozzle, flames suddenly ignited her
clothing.
