Static

Electricity

What Is
Static
Electricity?
A stationary
electrical charge
that is built up
on the surface of
a material

Two kinds of charges

After being rubbed, a

plastic ruler can attract
paper scraps.
Ruler carries electric charge.
It exerts electric force on paper.
This charging method is called charging by friction.

The interaction between static electric charges is called

electrostatics.

Where do charges come from?

Matter is made up of atoms.
+

neutron (neutral)

+
+

Proton (positive charge)

atom

electron (negative charge)

nucleus

Where do charges come from?

If electrons = protons neutral
If electrons > protons gaining electrons, negative
charge
If electrons < protons losing electrons, positive
charge

Electro-negativity
+++++
++++
+++
++
+

Relative
electro-negativity
ranking for some
common materials
from electron donating
materials (+, glass) to -electron accepting
--materials (-, teflon)
--------

Glass
Human Hair
Nylon
Silk
Fur
Aluminum
Paper
Cotton
Copper
Rubber
PVC
Teflon

Where do charges come from?

Rubbing materials does NOT create
electric charges. It just transfers
electrons from one material to the
other.

Where do charges come from?

When a balloon rubs a piece of wool...

+
+
+
+

wool +

electrons are pulled from the

wool to the balloon.
The balloon has more electrons than
usual.

The balloon: charged,

The wool: +charged

Insulators and 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.

4 Insulators and 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.

Induction: The production of a charge in an

uncharged body by bringing a charged
object close to it
When negatively charged rod is put near a metal can...
- - - - - - induced
charges

attractio top of the can: positive

n
+
buttom of the can: negative
+ +

+
metal
can

electrons of the can are pushed

away from the rod.

repulsion

& attraction > repulsion

Attraction of uncharged objects

Similarly, when charged rod is close to paper
scrap...

molecules of paper align.

- - - - - - -

attractio attraction between the

n
rod and + charge >

+++ +

+++ +

paper

repulsion

repulsion between the rod

and - charge.

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?

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.

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?

Neutral

Negative

Positive

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?

Electrons

Neutrons

Protons

How does a positively charged rod attract a neutral

object?

When a + charged rod is put near neutral object,

______________
negative charge is induced on the side of the object
near the rod and _____________
positive charge is induced on the side
away from the rod. The rod can attract the netural object
because _________
attraction between rod and induced charge >
the ________
repulsion between rod and + induced charge.

Grounding
What is grounding?
An object is grounded when it is connected
to the earth through a connecting wire.
If a charged conductor is grounded,
it will become neutral.

Grounding

b 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.

Grounding

How does grounding

occur?

Similarly, if the metal ball

is of negative charge...

extra electrons
flow from the metal
ball to the earth
and the ball
becomes neutral.

Why do gasoline tankers usually have metal

chains at the back?
When cars run, their tires and bodies are usually
charged by _______.
friction For gasoline tankers, if the
accumulated charge is large enough, _______can
be
sparks
produced and _________
explosion will occur if gasoline vapor is
ignited. Those metal chains conduct the charge on the
ground and avoid the danger.
bodies of tankers to the _______

Lightning
kills more
than 60
people and
injures more
than 400
people a year
in the US

one mile every

five seconds
about 20,000 C
Voltage of up to
1.2x108 volts

Limit Exposure

Do Now
Write a paragraph
about the cartoon.
Tell what he is trying
to do. Will it work and
why? What do you
think will happen?
Use the following
words, static
electricity, lightning,
electrons, positive
and negative charges.

The End