Miss Wise's Physics Site
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Static Electricity

Atoms are made of charged particles: positive protons in the nucleus and negative electrons orbitting in the shells (there are also neutral neutrons in the nucleus but we don't need to worry about them for now).  The electrons are very small and a long way from the nucleus; they can easily be removed from the atom.

If they are in a metal, which has lots of free electrons that can move around, they will flow as a current. Metals are called conductors. 

If they are in an insulator, a non metal, they will stay stationary as a static charge.

You can build up charge on an insulator by rubbing it against another insulator.  If it loses electrons it will become positive but if it gains electrons it will become negative.

John Travoltage
Click to Run
Balloons and Static Electricity
Click to Run
Two like charged will repel each other but two opposite charges will attract. Have a look at the simulation above which shows how a balloon can stick to a jumper.

If you rub a balloon on your jumper, electrons will move from the jumper to the balloon making the balloon negative. If we move the balloon towards the wall, it repels all of the electrons in the wall, making the surface of the wall positive. It is then attracted to the positive wall. 

Remember only negative charges move around.

If too much charge builds up on an insulator and it is brought near a conductor there will be a spark as the electrons travel into the conductor.

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  • Home
  • GCSE
    • Combined Science >
      • The History of the Universe
      • Telescopes
      • Infrasound
      • The Structure of the Earth and Seismic Waves
      • Life Cycle of a Star
      • The Big Bang Theory and The Doppler Effect
    • Radioactivity >
      • The Structure of an Atom
      • Types of Radiation
      • Uses of Radiation
      • Nuclear Fission
      • Half Life
    • Electricity >
      • Static Electricity
      • Current, Voltage, Energy
      • Circuit Symbols
      • Series and Parallel Circuits
      • Ohm's Law and Resistance
      • Alternating Current
      • Electrical Safety
      • Energy and Pricing
      • The National Grid
    • Electromagnetism >
      • Magnets and Electromagnets
      • Electromagnetic Induction
      • Motors and Generators
      • Transformers
    • Waves >
      • Sound and Ultrasound
      • Wave Properties >
        • Reflection and Refraction
        • Diffraction
        • Images in a Mirror
        • Interference
      • EM Spectrum and it's uses >
        • Radiowaves
        • Microwaves
        • Infra Red
        • Visible Light
        • UV
        • X- Rays
        • Gamma Rays
    • Forces and Motion >
      • Speed and Velocity
      • Graphs of Motion
      • Newton's Laws
      • Common Forces
      • Terminal Velocity
      • Elasticity
      • Moments
      • Circular Motion
      • Momentum
      • Car Safety
    • Particles >
      • States of Matter
      • Density
      • Pressure
      • Ideal Gases
      • Changing State and Temperature >
        • Specific Heat Capacity
        • Specific Latent Heat
      • Heat Transfer >
        • Conduction
        • Convection
        • Cooling
        • Radiation
    • Energy Resources and Energy Transfer >
      • Energy and Efficiency
      • Heat Loss In the Home
      • Gravitational Potential Energy
      • Kinetic Energy
      • Work
      • Power Stations
  • Physics Skills
    • How to Write up an Experiment >
      • Hypothesis
      • Methods
      • How to Draw a Graph
      • Results Tables
      • Conclusions
      • Evaluations
    • Mathematics >
      • Rearranging Equations
      • Substituting into Equations
      • Trigonometry
      • Errors
  • Lesson Blog
  • Apps
  • Teachers Area