Static VS. Current
Electricity
Static Electricity
The buildup of electric charges on an object is
called static electricity.
An example of static electricity is if you rub a
balloon against your head.
The electrons from the atoms that make up your
hair get transferred to the balloon. Your hair
becomes positively charged due to the loss of
electrons. The balloon becomes negatively
charged due to the gain in electrons.
If you hold the balloon close to your hair, your
hair will stand on end because the unlike
charges attract.
Static Discharge
Eventually the charges that build on an
object move off the object.
This sudden and brief flow of electrons is
called static discharge.
An example of this is the small shock that
you get when you touch a metal doorknob
after shuffling your feet on the carpet.
Lightning is another example.
Current Electricity
Unlike static electricity, which does not
move except when discharged, current
electricity is a continuous flow of electric
charge.
An example of this is a battery. When we
hook something up to a battery, the
electrical current flows through a path
called a circuit.
Answer the following Questions
1. How is static and current electricity
different?
2. Give a real life example of one way that
you have used static electricity and
current electricity?
3. What is it called when current electricity
flows through a path?