Static Electricity

• Static electricity is the stationary electric charge which is produced by friction

which causes sparks, or the attraction of other small objects such as dust or
hair
o This is caused by the imbalance between negative and positive
charges in two objects
• This only works for insulators, since in conductors, the charge will move
through them instead of remaining stationary
• Static electricity and sparking is produced by rubbing surfaces which causes
insulators to become charged by friction
o This applies to solids, liquids and gases

• All objects are initially electrically neutral, meaning the negative (electrons)
and positive charges are evenly distributed
• However, when the electrons are transferred, one object
becomes negatively charged and the other positively charged
• This difference in charges leads to a force of attraction between itself and
other objects which are also electrically neutral, by attracting the opposite
charge to the surface of the objects they are attracted to

Electrons are rubbed onto the cloth leaving the cloth negatively charged and
the rod positively charged

• One example is sticking a balloon to the wall:

 o Rubbing a balloon on a woolen jumper transfers electrons onto the
balloon by friction
o The balloon is now negatively charged whilst the jumper is
left positively charged
o The wall is still neutral, however, when the balloon is placed near the
wall, the positive charges in the wall are brought to
the surface because they are attracted to the negative charge of the
balloon
o Since opposite charges attract, the balloon sticks to the wall from only
the electrostatic attraction

• Examples of static electricity in everyday life are:

o Dust and dirt attracted to TV screens and computer monitors
o Dust build-up on the edges of a fan
o Clothes clinging to each other after being in a tumble dryer, especially
those made of synthetic fabrics
o Hair sticking up after pulling a hat off
o Combing dry hair with a plastic comb and the hair stays attracted to the
comb
o A child's hair sticking up after going down a plastic slide
o Photocopiers use black powder to stick to white paper to create a copy
of a document

Common examples of static electricity

• These experiences are most common in dry air conditions

• This is because it is much harder for the charges to dissipate so they build up
instead, and make static electricity more noticeable
• Some of these can cause sparking
• Feel free to try the following examples yourself after charging a balloon by
rubbing it against a surface such as a cloth:
o Hover the balloon over small pieces of paper and they will jump up to it
o Place the balloon near a wall or curtain and it will stay there
 o Place it over your (or your friends) hair and it will lift up some strands

Sparking

• The build-up of electrostatic charge can be quite dangerous and can

cause sparking (also known as an electric shock)
• A static electric spark occurs when two objects which are charged by friction
and become oppositely charged and have a surplus of electrons so large that
the electrons 'jump' across to an object that is neutral
• Since a current is the flow of electrons, this causes a small current to flow
between the objects, called a spark
• An example of sparking is the small electric shock felt from touching a door
handle, or another person, after walking on a vinyl floor or nylon carpet with
rubber shoes or whilst wearing socks
 Examples of sparking from touching a door handle or another person

• An extreme example of sparking is lightning

o In a storm, clouds move over each other causing them to become
charged when electrons are transferred between them
o Since the ground is neutral, the negative charge jumps to meet the
positive charges on the ground creating a big spark
o This is what is known as lightning
 Lightning is caused by the build up of charge in clouds

• Sparks can become quite dangerous and can cause a fire by igniting
flammable gases and liquids, such as petrol

Dangers of Static Electricity

• Static electricity can cause sparking
• There are various situations where static electricity can pose a hazard, for
example:
o The risk of electrocution (e.g from lightning)
o The risk of a fire or explosion due to a spark close to a flammable gas
or liquid
• There are dangers of sparking in everyday situations such as fuelling vehicles
such as cars and planes
• Earthing is used to prevent the dangerous build-up of charge
o This is done by connecting the vehicles to the Earth with a conductor

Fuelling Vehicles

• A build-up of static charge is a potential danger when refuelling aeroplanes

• Fuel runs through pipes at a fast rate
o This fuel is very flammable
• The friction between the fuel (a liquid insulator) and the pipe causes the fuel
to gain charge
• If this charge were to cause a spark, the fuel could ignite and cause an
explosion
 • This is prevented by the fuel tank being connected to the Earth with a copper
wire called the bonding line during the refuelling
• The conductor earths the plane by carrying the charge through to the Earth
which removes the risk of any sparks

Conductors, Insulators & Electrons

Conductors

• A conductor is a material that allows charge (usually electrons) to flow

through it easily
• Examples of conductors are:
o Silver
o Copper
o Aluminium
o Steel

• Conductors tend to be metals

Different materials have different properties of conductivity

• On the atomic scale, conductors are made up of positively charged metal ions
with their outermost electrons delocalised
o This means the electrons are free to move
 • Metals conduct electricity very well because:
o Current is the rate of flow of electrons
o So, the more easily electrons are able to flow, the better the conductor

The lattice structure of a conductor with positive metal ions and delocalised
electrons

Insulators

• An insulator is a material that has no free charges, hence does not allow
the flow of charge through them very easily
• Examples of insulators are:
o Rubber
o Plastic
o Glass
o Wood

• Some non-metals, such as wood, allow some charge to pass through them
• Although they are not very good at conducting, they do conduct a little in the
form of static electricity
o For example, two insulators can build up charge on their surfaces and
if they touch this would allow that charge to be conducted away

Production of Static
• When certain insulating materials are rubbed against each other they
become electrically charged
o This is called charging by friction
• The charges remain on the insulators and cannot immediately flow away
o One becomes positive and the other negative
 • An example of this is a plastic or polythene rod being charged by rubbing it
with a cloth
o Both the rod and cloth are insulating materials

A polythene rod may be given a charge by rubbing it with a cloth

• This occurs because negatively charged electrons are transferred from one
material to the other
o The material, in this case, the rod, gains electrons
• Since electrons are negatively charged, the rod becomes negatively charged
o As a result, the cloth has lost electrons and therefore is left with an
equal positive charge

Investigating Charging by Friction

Aim of the Experiment

• The aim of this experiment is to investigate how insulating materials can be

charged by friction

Variables:

• Independent variable = Rods of different material

• Dependent variable = Charge on the rod
• Control variables:
o Time spent rubbing the rod
o Using the same type of cloth
o Using the same length of rod
Equipment List

Method

Apparatus for investigating charging by friction

 1. Take a polythene rod, hold it at its centre and rub both ends with a cloth
2. Suspend the rod, without touching the ends, from a stand using a cradle and
nylon thread
3. Take a Perspex rod and rub it with another cloth
4. Without touching the ends of the Perspex rod bring each end of the Perspex
rod up to, but without touching, each end of the polythene rod
5. Record any observations
6. Repeat for different materials

Analysis of Results

• When two insulating materials are rubbed together, electrons will pass from
one insulator onto the other insulator
• A polythene rod is given a negative charge by rubbing it with the cloth
o This is because electrons move from the cloth to the rod
o Electrons are negatively charged hence the polythene rod becomes
negatively charged

Electrons are transferred to the polythene rod whilst they move from the
acetate rod

• If the material is repelled (rotates away) from the polythene rod then the
materials have the same charge
• If the material is attracted to (moves towards) the polythene rod then they
have opposite charges

Evaluating the Experiment

• This experiment can be carried out in several different ways

• To improve the outcome of the experiment, consider investigating a variable
with a numerical result
o For example, the independent variable could stay the same (using rods
of different material)
o The dependent variable could change to be the number of paper
circles picked up by each rod
• With numerical data:
o More analysis can be carried out e.g. creating a graph or a chart
o Better conclusions can be drawn e.g. the rod made of ___ picked up
more circles of paper than the other rods, therefore it became the most
charged