Static electricity
Static electricity is the stationary electric charge which is produced in insulators
by friction.
This is caused by the imbalance between negative and positive charges in two
objects
The protons and neutrons are held very tightly in the nucleus. But some
of the electrons are held very loosely and can move from one atom to
another. If an atom looses an electron the number of protons (positive
charges) exceeds the number of electrons (negative charges) and the
atom is positively charged .
If an atom gains an electron the number of protons (positive charges) is
lesser than the number of electrons (negative charges) and the atom is
negatively charged.
Rubbing causes friction between the two surfaces increasing the surface
contact and allowing more electrons to be transferred. The object which
looses electrons becomes positively charged and the one that gains the
electrons becomes negatively charged.
This only works for insulators, solids, liquids and gases
since in conductors, the charge will move through them instead of remaining stationary.
Conductors are materials which allow the electrons to move freely
inside them. All metals are good conductors because they contain a large
number of free electrons inside them that can move easily from atom to
atom.
Insulators do not allow electrons to pass through them. They do not
contain free electrons inside them
Example:
1. Rubbing a polythene strip on wool causes some of the outer
electrons in the wool to move over to the polythene strip. As the
polythene gains electrons it becomes negatively charged. The wool
looses electrons and is left with a net positive charge (more protons
to electrons).
2. When a balloon is rubbed against clothes the negative electrons
from the clothes get transferred to the balloon making the balloon
negatively charged. When the balloon is placed near a wall or
ceiling (a neutral object) it stays there and doesn’t fall. This is
because the negative charge of the balloon repels some of the
electrons in the wall or ceiling away from the surface. This results in
an overall positively charged surface causing the negatively
charged balloon to be attracted (remember opposite charges
attract).
The separated charges in the wall or ceiling are
called INDUCED charges
Atoms are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons each with their
own properties.
Protons have a Positive (+) charge.
Electrons have a Negative (-) charge.
Neutrons are Neutral (no charge).
The positive charges (protons) are held in the nucleus of the
atom.
The negative charges (electrons) are spread in orbits around the
nucleus.
All objects are initially electrically neutral, meaning the negative (electrons) and
positive charges are evenly distributed
However, when the electrons are transferred, one object
becomes negatively charged and the other positively charged
This difference in charges leads to a force of attraction between itself and other
objects which are also electrically neutral, by attracting the opposite charge to the
surface of the objects they are attracted to
Examples of static electricity in everyday life are:
o Dust and dirt attracted to TV screens and computer monitors
o Dust build-up on the edges of a fan
o Clothes clinging to each other after being in a tumble dryer, especially
those made of synthetic fabrics
o Hair sticking up after pulling a hat off
o Combing dry hair with a plastic comb and the hair stays attracted to the
comb
o A child's hair sticking up after going down a plastic slide
o Photocopiers use black powder to stick to white paper to create a copy of
a document
Uses of static electricity.
The principles of electrostatics are used are used by industry in the
process of paint spraying for e.g. the automotive industry when
spraying cars. The nozzle of the spray gun is given a charge. The
paint droplets exiting the nozzle gain this charge. As the droplets
all hold the same charge they repel each other so that they spread
out into a fine mist. The object to be painted is grounded or
earthed. The charged droplets are attracted to the grounded object,
even the back of it due to the electrostatic attraction (remember
charged objects are attracted to uncharged objects). This process
requires less paint and gives a uniform finish.
The same principle is used to benefit farmers in crop spraying. If
the fertilizer/pesticide is given the same charge the droplets repel
to form a larger cloud thereby increasing the coverage. These are
then attracted to the uncharged crops.
Sparking
A static electric spark called discharge of electrones occurs when two objects
which are charged by friction and become oppositely charged and have a surplus
of electrons so large that the electrons 'jump' across to an object that is neutral
An example of sparking is the small electric shock felt from touching a door
handle, or another person, after walking on a vinyl floor or nylon carpet with
rubber shoes or whilst wearing socks
Examples of sparking from touching a door handle or another person
An extreme example of sparking is lightning
o In a storm, clouds move over each other causing them to become charged
when electrons are transferred between them
o Since the ground is neutral, the negative charge jumps to meet the
positive charges on the ground creating a big spark
o This is what is known as lightning
Lightning is caused by the build up of charge in clouds
Sparks can become quite dangerous and can cause a fire by igniting flammable
gases and liquids, such as petrol
Charging by Friction
When certain insulating materials are rubbed against each other they
become electrically charged
o This is called charging by friction
The charges remain on the insulators and cannot immediately flow away
o One becomes positive and the other negative
An example of this is a plastic or polythene rod being charged by rubbing it with
a cloth
o Both the rod and cloth are insulating materials
A polythene rod may be given a charge by rubbing it with a cloth
This occurs because negatively charged electrons are transferred from one
material to the other
The material, in this case, the rod, loses electrons
Since electrons are negatively charged, the rod becomes positively charged
o As a result, the cloth has gained electrons and therefore is left with an
equal negative charge.
Electric field
A region in which a charged object will experience an electric force is called
electric field
Electric fields are represented by electric field lines that are always in the
direction of positive to negative
The electric field lines for a charged, isolated sphere, such as a spherical
conductor:
o Point away from the centre of a positive sphere
o Point towards the centre of a negative sphere
A uniform electric field, such as that between two parallel plates, are straight
parallel lines from positive to negative:
Electric field lines between two parallel plates
The electric field pattern between two oppositely charged spheres (or point
charges) is slightly different and looks like:
Electric field pattern for two opposite charges
The electric field helps to explain the non-contact force between charged
objects since the electric field cannot be seen, but can be detected by another
charged object that moves within that field due to the electric force
o This is a non-contact force because the charged objects do not touch for
the force to be exerted
If an electric field becomes strong enough, the charges are forced through
insulators such as air, creating a spark. This is called electric discharge.
Positive and negative charges will travel towards the opposite charge, creating a
spark
