Download Static Electricity Notes

Question Time
 Have you ever walked across a rug, reached a doorknob
and…ZAP!!!! You get a static shock.
 What about coming inside from the cold and taking
off your winter hat and all of a sudden your hair is
sticking straight up?
 What is happening?
Let’s Start from the Beginning
 Atoms- smallest particle that makes up all matter.
 Electrons-Negative charged particles that make up an
atom. Orbit around the nucleus
 Protons: Positively charged particles that make up an
atom. Found in the nucleus
 Neutrons: particles found
in the nucleus that
do not have a charge
Let’s Start from the Beginning
 All Matter is entirely made of “electricity” yet because
the protons and electrons cancel each other out, we
rarely encounter electrical effects in everyday life.
But……Which part of the atom can be
removed?
 The electron
What causes
What happens?
 Electrons move from atom to atom
Moving Charges
 Conductors: an electrical conductor is a material in
which electrons can move easily through.
 Copper, Aluminum, and Mercury
Moving Charges
 Insulators: an electrical insulator is a material in
which electrons cannot move easily through.
 Plastic, rubber, glass, wood, and air.
 An insulator can build up a static charge – it will hold
the charge until the energy is released by a conductor
Electric Charge
 Law of electric charges: This law states that like
charges repel, or push away, and opposite charges
attract.
Electric Force
 The force between two charge objects.
 ELECTRON FORCE DEPENDS ON TWO THINGS:
1. Amount of charge on an object
2. The distance between the 2 objects; the closer the
stronger.
Electric Field
 The region around a charge object in which an electric
force is exerted on another charged object.
What is Static Electricity?
 The Electric charge at rest on an object.
 When something is “static” it is not moving.
 An object that is statically charged keeps its charge
since it is not moving.
3 ways to charge an object
Friction
Conduction
Induction
*Remember it’s all about the movement
of electrons
Friction
 Electrons are moved by force – “wiped” onto another
object
Example: Rubbing a balloon on wool
Conduction
Electrons move from one object to another by DIRECT
contact
Example: Touching a doorknob
while you are negatively charged.
 Object is charged from being CONnected to the
electric field
Induction
 Electrons are transferred when a neutral object is near
a charged object (in the electrical field)
 Example: Sitting in class on a
chair with a metal base and
the electrons are transferring
on you by making your hair
statically charged
 Object is charged from being IN the electric field
Electric Discharge
 The loss of static electricity as charges move off an
object.
 Example: Lightning touching down on the tallest object
in a field.
Rotation Lab Tomorrow