72 Static Electricity-High

Static Electricity FOCUS Question What is static electricity, and how does it occur?

You Use Electricity Electricity lights up lamps. It powers your TV. It keeps your food cold. You use electricity every day. Electricity is a kind of energy, or power. The electricity used in homes is called electric current. It flows through wires to power things in your house. Word Wise A current of water and a current of electricity both flow. They move along in a steady way.

Flashlights also use electric current. The power comes from a battery. Look at the ends of a battery. One end is positive, and one end is negative. These are called charges. Negative charges move toward positive charges. This makes an electric current flow.

Sticky Balloons Static electricity does not flow in a current. It stays on the outside of an object. Static forms when there is a positive or negative charge. Rub a balloon on your hair. Now the balloon sticks to a wall. Why? You gave the balloon a negative charge from your hair. The wall has a slightly positive charge when the balloon is near it. The positive and negative charges pull together. The balloon sticks to the wall.

Bad Hair Day Run a comb through your dry hair. Each strand sticks up! Why? Two positive charges push away from each other (see page 4). The comb left your hair with positive charges of static electricity. Each strand pushes away from the others, so they stick up.

A Little Shock If too much static electricity builds up on an object, it jumps to another object. Want to try it? Put on socks. Then rub your feet on a carpet. You're building up a negative static charge. Now touch a metal doorknob. Zip! The shock you feel is the negative charge jumping quickly from you to the doorknob. You may even see a spark.