Static Electricity.
Static electricity is a buildup of electric charges on objects.
Static electric charge is experienced in the following observations.
A cracking sound is produced when taking off woolen clothes.
When you take off your sweater, the hair on your head and arms stand up erect.
You hear a cracking sound when you comb dry hair using a plastic comb.
These observations are due to static electricity which builds up when objects rub against each other.
Explain what happens when you rub a pen or ruler against your hair then place it over pieces of paper?
When you rub a pen on your hair and then place it over pieces of paper, the pieces of paper move towards the pen.
When you rub a ruler on your cloth and then pass it over pieces of paper, it attracts the pieces of paper This shows that hair and cloth have charges that transfer to the pen and ruler making them attract the pieces of papers.
These charges are known as static charges.
The charges are referred to as static because they remain in one area for a while rather than moving or flowing as current to another area.
Types of Charges.
There are two types of static electric charges:
Positive charges.
Negative charges.
If the same amount of negative and positive charges are present on an object, there is no charges on the object. The object is said to be neutral or electrically neutral.
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