IS LIGHTNING A FORM OF STATIC ELECTRICITY?

Lightning is caused by a
buildup of static electricity
inside a storm cloud. Moving
around inside the cloud are
tiny water molecules called
hydrometeors. These
hydrometeors are colliding and
bumping into each other –
creating a static electric charge.
Some interesting facts about electric discharge
•
Lightning is also a large form of static electricity, which is formed when air rubs
against the clouds!
•
Static electricity doesn’t cause high current unless it is on a larger scale, like
lightning.
•
By rubbing silk or a glass rod, positive-charged static electricity can be created.
•
For negative-charged static current, rub fur or wool on plastic or rubber rod.
•
Even the static electricity travels at light speed, which is 186, 282 miles per
second!
Static electricity is caused by two
objects rubbing and one supplying
electrons to the other. This causes one
to have excess electrons and the other
item to have less electrons.

Static electricity is not the same as the

electrical current carried by wires
through a building or transmitted by
electric companies. Static electricity is
produced when the positive and
negative charges of an atom are out of
balance.
 Coulomb’s Law
Coulomb’s Law is a force law between
charged bodies. It relates the force to the
magnitude and charges on the two bodies
and the distance between them by the
relationship:
Coulomb’s Law

q1 and q2 is the amount of charge in

Coulombs
r is the distance in meters between the
charges
k is the Coulomb’s Law constant =
8.99×109 N•m2/C2
 Coulomb’s Law
Example: The force between two identical
charges separated by 1 cm is equal to 90 N.
What is the magnitude of the two charges?
 Coulomb’s Law
Define the variables:
F = 90 N
q1 = charge of first body
q2 = charge of second body
r = 1 cm
Coulomb’s Law
q1 = q2 = q
Coulomb’s Law
q = ±1.00×10-6 Coulombs

This equation has two possible answers.

The charges can both be positive or
both negative and the answer will be
the same for the repulsive Coulomb
force over a distance of 1 cm.
 Coulomb’s Law

Two identical charges of ±1.00×10-

6 Coulombs separated by 1 cm produce a

repulsive force of 90 N.
Example: Two neutrally charged
bodies are separated by 1 cm.
Electrons are removed from one body
and placed on the second body until a
force of 1×10-6 N is generated
between them. How many electrons
were transferred between the bodies?
Define the variables:
F = coulomb force = 1×10-6 N
q1 = charge on first body
q2 = charge on second body
e = charge of a single electron =
1.60×10-19 C
k = 8.99×109 N·m2/C2
r = distance between two bodies = 1 cm
= 0.01 m

Start with Coulomb’s Law equation.

As an electron is transferred from body 1 to body 2,
body 1 becomes positive and body two becomes negative
by the charge of one electron. Once the final desired
force is reached, n electrons have been transferred.

q1 = +ne
q2 = -ne
The signs of the charges give the direction of the
force, we are more interested in the magnitude of
the force. The magnitude of the charges are
identical, so we can ignore the negative sign on q2.
Since the charges are opposite, the direction of the
force is an attractive force. The magnitude of the
force equation above can be simplified to:
We want the number of electrons, so solve this equation for n.
It takes a transfer of 6.59×108 electrons to produce an
attractive force of 1×10-6 Newtons.