Static Electricity

• What happens when two insulators are rubbed together?

  • Electrons are transferred from one object to the other
  • Forming a positive charge on one object and a negative charge on the other
• What happens when two conductors are rubbed together?

  • Electrons will flow in/out of them cancelling out any effect, so they natural
• Insulators become charged because the electrons cannot flow
• Positive static charge forms on object which loses electrons
• Negative static charge forms on object which gains electrons
• When does sparking occur?

  • When enough charge builds up, and the objects are close but not touching.
  • It is when the charge jumps through the air from the highly negative object to the highly positive object, to balance out the charges
• A student touches a metal dome of a static electricity generator, it is negatively charged.

  Explain why the hair stands on end.

  • Electrons are transferred to the student
  • So her hair is negatively charged
  • And like charges repel
• What is an electric field?

  A region where another charged object experiences a force