Electric Charge

This page is about how electricity can build up on insulating material - since the charge
doesn’t move anywhere, we call it static electricity. Static charges can accumulate in lots of
places, even in clouds, and it is responsible for bolts of lightning. Electrifying stuff.

Conductors and Insulators:

 Any material which allows electricity to pass through it is called a conductor.

 Metals, such as copper, aluminium and iron are good conductors so they are useful
for making things like electrical wiring.
 Materials which do not allow electricity to pass through easily are referred to as
insulators and include material such as plastic and wool.
 We use insulating material such as plastic to cover electrical wiring and prevent
people from getting an electric shock.

Static Charge:

 Generating friction by rubbing two insulating materials together, such as a cloth

on a plastic rod, can cause electrons to be rubbed off one material and be
transferred to the other.
 The material which has lost electrons now has a positive electrostatic charge and
the one which gains electrons has a negative electrostatic charge.
 The accumulated positive or negative charges cannot move so they are referred to as
static charge.
 If you’ve ever rubbed a balloon to your head and stuck it to the wall, you’ve already
discovered static electricity.
 The friction causes electrons to move between yourself and the balloon, resulting in
the balloon becoming negatively charged.
 Even though the wall itself is neutrally charged, the charges within the wall can
rearrange themselves so that the positive charges are closer to the surface than the
negative ones.
 For a short time, the oppositely charges between the wall and the balloon will keep
the balloon stuck to its surface.
 Conductors cannot become charged in this way because the electrons are able to
travel through them.
 A build-up of static charge on an insulating material can be discharged by connecting
the object to the earth using a metal rod.
 The electrons will either flow from the object to the ground (if the object has a
negative electrostatic charge) or from the ground to the object (if it has a positive
electrostatic charge). This process is called earthing.

 As static charge builds up on an object, so does its voltage.

 If the voltage becomes very large, electrons can ‘jump’ from the object to the earth
causing a spark.
 This is how lightning occurs - friction between particles of ice and rain droplets
causes the accumulation of electrons within clouds.
 The increase in voltage causes the electrons to jump to the ground, which is seen as a
bolt of lightning.
 Sparks resulting from static electricity is a serious problem, since it can cause a fire.
 Static electricity can also develop when refuelling aircraft and tankers due to
friction between the fuel and the pipes which causes the movement of electrons.
  To prevent the possibility of a spark forming, aircraft are earthed with a metal rod
during refuelling.

A girl using a Van de Graaff generator. Image: American Museum of Science and Energy

Attraction and repulsion:

 A charged object will experience a non-contact force if placed near another charged
object.
 If the two objects have the same charge, they will repel one another. If they have
opposite charges, they will attract.
 The repulsion of like charges is responsible for your hair standing on end when
touching a Van de Graaff generator.
 Friction beneath the metal dome causes electrons to accumulate on the dome - it has a
static charge.
 If a person places their hand on the dome whilst standing on an insulating material (to
prevent earthing), the electrons will move from the dome through your body.
 The electrons will even travel along your hair and since like charges repel, each
strand of hair moves away from one another for a (literally) hair-raising effect.

Uses of static electricity:

 1. Spray painting:
 Cars and other objects can be painted evenly using electrostatic charges.
 The paint is given a positive electrostatic charge and as the paint covers the
car, the individual paint droplets will repel one another (since they all have the
same charge).
 This gives the car a smooth, even finish and avoids over-using paint.

2. Photocopiers:
 The image to be photocopied is placed onto an image plate which has a positive
electrostatic charge.
 Parts of the image without ink will let the light through, allowing the charge to
leak away.
 This leaves only the darker parts of the image with charge and these positive charges
attract negatively charged black powder.
 The paper is passed through heated rollers, causing the black powder to stick to the
paper.