Accessed 12 November 2024. Static electricity, form of electricity resulting from the imbalance between positive and negative charges within a material that occurs when electrons (the negatively charged particles in an atom) move from one material to another. If the electron-receiving material is either isolated or not an
The effects of static electricity are explained by a physical quantity not previously introduced, called electric charge. There are only two types of charge, one called positive and the other called negative. Like charges repel, whereas unlike charges attract. The force between charges decreases with distance.
The difference between static and current electricity lies in the movement of electric charges. In static electricity, the charges remain stationary, while in current electricity, the charges flow through a conductor, creating an electric current. Devices such as batteries and power outlets rely on current electricity to function.
Connecting to the ground directly or indirectly so that electric charge flows from an object, preventing a dangerous build-up of static electricity. ) will remove the excess charge as electrons will move to cancel out the charge. Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds. from another charged object.
Static electricity. Not only are applications of static electricity common these days, its existence has been known since ancient times. The first record of its effects dates to ancient Greeks who noted more than 500 years B.C. that polishing amber temporarily enabled it to attract bits of straw (see Figure 1).
Batteries, for example, use combinations of substances that interact in such a way as to separate charges. Chemical interactions may transfer negative charge from one substance to the other, making one battery terminal negative and leaving the first one positive. Figure 6.