Static Electricity

S5P3 Students will investigate the electricity, magnetism and their relationship.
a. Investigate static electricity.

Opposites Attract

Here are a few things to remember about static electricity:

Opposite charges attract (meaning a + charge and a - charge will pull toward each other)
Similar charges repel (meaning two - charges or two + charges will push away from each other)
Lightening is a form of static electricity

The image here illustrates that like charges push away from each other and opposite charges attract each other.

Whenever enough similar charges build up from the friction in the clouds, they discharge to an area with opposite charges.

All About Static

What charges are in this kid's hair? He has a lot of like charges in his hair, so they are pushing away from each other.

Static electricity can be a lot of fun, but may be difficult to explain. So I recommend that you begin by experimenting with static electricity and then trying to understand what you have seen. I have linked a site with 7 seven static electricity experiments for you to try. Once you have tried some of the experiments, watch the video below to learn more about the positive and negative charges at work.