Static Electricity

Have you ever seen your hair sticking straight up in the air all by itself? Or how about the last time you dragged your foot across the floor and got a shock? This was probably static electricity. But how does static electricity work?

Everything is made up of atoms. Particles called electrons are part of every atom. These electrons have an electric charge. This charge is negative and is the cause of electricity.

Static electricity isn’t really static at all. It involves electrons that move from one place to another. Static electricity is different because it doesn’t flow from one place to another in a current like most electricity.

Electrons move from one object to another by vigorous rubbing or brushing. There is an electric field around each object. The field affects objects and produces unlike charges in them. The unlike charges are attracted to each other. Sometimes static electricity makes a popping sound.