Electrical Charge and

Static Electricity
Things that go ZAP!!!!!!!!

Electric Charge
Electrical energy is the energy
associated with electric charges
An electric charge is a property that
causes subatomic particles such as
protons and electrons to attract or
repel each other
Protons have a positive charge (+)
Electrons have a negative charge (-)

Electric Charge
When an atom gains an electron it is
negatively charged
When an atom loses an electron it is
positively charged
A net electric charge is produced
when there is too many or too few
electrons

Coulomb
The SI unit for electric charge is the coulomb

It takes 6.24 x 1018 electrons to make 1

coulomb
A lightning bolt is 10 to 20 coulombs
A flash camera uses about 0.025 coulombs
to produce a flash

Electric Forces
Like charges repel each other where opposite
charges attract
Electric force is the force of attraction or
repulsion between electrically charged objects
If you double the electric charge of an object
you double the electric force
If you double the distance between two
objects the electric force is one-fourth as
strong

Electric Fields
The electric field is the effect an
electric charge has on other charges
in the space around it
The strength of an electric field
depends on the amount of charge
that produces the field and the
distance from the charge

Static Electricity and Charging

Static electricity includes how
charge is transferred between
objects
Law of conservation of charge
states that the total charge in
an isolated system is constant
Charge can be transferred by
friction, conduction and
induction

Friction
An example of charging
by friction is rubbing a
balloon against your hair
The electrons will move
from your hair to the
balloon
The balloon now has a
negative charge and your
hair has a positive charge

Conduction
A Van de Graff generator ( a
charged metal sphere) will
cause a charge by contact
There is a reduction in the
charge of the Van de Graff
generator because some has
gone to the persons hair
Your hair will stand on end due
to the charge

Induction
When you go to touch a metal
doorknob after walking across a
carpet is induction
Your hand has a negative charge
from walking across the carpet
The electrons in your hand repel
the electrons in the doorknob
Induction is a transfer of charge
between materials without
contact

Static Discharge
Static discharge occurs when
a pathway through which
charges can move forms
suddenly
When you go to touch the
doorknob the air between
your finger and the knob is
charged
This allows electrons to flow
from your hand to the
doorknob