Electric charges and Static Electricity

1. Electric charges and Static Electricity

2. Everything in the world is made up of very small particles called atoms. Each atom has smaller parts in it; which are: protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and electrons are charged particles. Neutrons are not. Electrons can move from atom to atom. When an electron moves to a different atom, it causes another electron to have to move.

3. A charge is a measure of the extra positive or negative particles that an object has. Protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged. Neutrons are uncharged. The Law of Electric Charges: Objects that have the same charge repel each other. They exert a force of push. Objects that have opposite charges are attracted to each other. They exert a force of pull.

4. The force of attraction or repulsion between charged objects is called electric force The size of the electric force depends on: • The amount of charge on each object. • The distance between the charges. Electric field is the space around a charged object in which another charged object exerts an electric force.

5. Atoms don’t have a charge. Objects become positively charged when they lose electrons. Objects become negatively charged when they gain electrons. Objects can become charged by three ways: • Friction • Conduction • Induction

6. Conservation of Charges: Charges are not created or destroyed, but they move from one atom to another. Detecting charges: Electroscopeis a device used to detect if an object is charged. Electroscopecannot show whether the charge is positive or negative.

7. Moving charges:

9. Static Electricity • It is the electric charge at rest on the surface of objects. • It is generally produced by friction or induction. • Example is rubbing a balloon on your head, and bringing it close to a wall and seeing if it stays standing.

10. Electric discharge Is the release of electricity stored in a source or an abject.