STATIC

ELECTRICITY
 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.