Static

Electricity
 What Is
Static
Electricity?
A stationary
electrical charge
that is built up
on the surface of
a material
 Two kinds of charges
After being rubbed, a
plastic ruler can attract
paper scraps.
Ruler carries electric charge.
It exerts electric force on paper.
This charging method is called charging by friction.

The interaction between static electric charges is called

electrostatics.
 Where do charges come from?

Matter is made up of atoms.

+ Proton (positive charge)

neutron (neutral)
+
+ +

electron (negative charge)

atom nucleus
 Where do charges come from?

If electrons = protons neutral

If electrons > protons gaining electrons, negative

charge
If electrons < protons losing electrons, positive
charge
Where do charges come from?

Rubbing materials does NOT create

electric charges. It just transfers
electrons from one material to the
other.
Where do charges come from?
When a balloon rubs a piece of wool...
electrons are pulled from the
+
wool to the balloon.
+
The balloon has more electrons than
+
usual.
+
wool + The balloon: charged,
The wool: +charged
 Insulators and conductors

Insulators: materials that do NOT allow

electrons to flow through them easily.

Insulators can be easily charged by friction as the extra

electrons gained CANNOT easily escape.
4 Insulators and conductors

Conductors: materials that allow electrons to flow

through them easily.

Conductors CANNOT be easily charged by friction as

the extra electrons gained can easily escape.
 Induction: The production of a charge in an
uncharged body by bringing a charged
object close to it
When negatively charged rod is put near a metal can...
electrons of the can are pushed
- - - - - - - away from the rod.
induced attractio top of the can: positive
charges n
+
+ + buttom of the can: negative
+ +
& attraction > repulsion
- -
metal - -
-
can
repulsion
 Attraction of uncharged objects
Similarly, when charged rod is close to paper
scrap...
molecules of paper align.
- - - - - - -
attractio attraction between the
n rod and + charge >
+++ +
repulsion between the rod
paper +++ + and - charge.

repulsion
 Static Discharge
Human body can not feel less than
2,000 volts of static discharge

Static charge built up by scuffing

shoes on a carpet can exceed 20,000
volts! Most electrical outlets are 100
volts.
 Gas Station Fires
A static gas pump fire is blamed for burning a girl
so badly she needed skin grafts on her legs.

The mother had put the gas pump nozzle on

automatic and re-entered her car to write a check.
When her then-12-year-old daughter, wearing a
sweater and jacket that may have created static
electricity, reached for the nozzle, flames suddenly
ignited her clothing.
 A balloon has a negative charge
when rubbed by a woollen cloth.
1 If the balloon can attract some paper scraps, which of the
following cannot be the charge of paper scraps?

A Neutral B Positive

C Negative
 A balloon has a negative charge
when rubbed by woollen cloth.

2 During rubbing, what have been transferred between the

woollen cloth and the balloon?

A Electrons B Protons

C Neutrons
How does a positively charged rod attract a neutral
object?

When a + charged rod is put near neutral object,

______________
negative charge is induced on the side of the object
near the rod and _____________
positive charge is induced on the side
away from the rod. The rod can attract the netural object
because _________
attraction between rod and induced charge >
the ________
repulsion between rod and + induced charge.
 Grounding
What is grounding?

An object is grounded when it is connected

to the earth through a connecting wire.

If a charged conductor is grounded,

it will become neutral.
 Grounding
b How does grounding
occur?
When we touch a metal ball
of positive charge...
+ +
+ electrons flow from
+ + the earth to the metal
ball to neutralize the
metal ball.
Metal ball becomes
neutral.
 Grounding
How does grounding
occur?
Similarly, if the metal ball
is of negative charge...

extra electrons
flow from the metal
ball to the earth
and the ball
becomes neutral.
Why do gasoline tankers usually have metal
chains at the back?

When cars run, their tires and bodies are usually

charged by _______.
friction For gasoline tankers, if the
accumulated charge is large enough, _______can
sparks be
produced and _________
explosion will occur if gasoline vapor is
ignited. Those metal chains conduct the charge on the
ground and avoid the danger.
bodies of tankers to the _______
 Lightning
kills more one mile every
than 60 five seconds
people and about 20,000 C
injures more Voltage of up to
than 400 1.2x108 volts
people a year
in the US
Limit Exposure
 Do Now
Write a paragraph
about the cartoon.
Tell what he is trying
to do. Will it work and
why? What do you
think will happen?
Use the following
words, static
electricity, lightning,
electrons, positive
and negative charges.
The End