Static electricity Flashcards
Conductors
Materials that electrons can easily go through
Can conduct electricity
Insulators
Materials that electrons can’t easily go through
Can’t conduct electricity
Cloth
An insulator
That is covered in electrons that can’t move through the material
Plastic rod
An insulator
That is covered in electrons that can’t move through the material
What happens if you rub the cloth and rid together
Electrons transfer from the rod to the cloth
Rod = overall positively charged as it lost electrons
Static electricity
Electrical charge caused by electrons accumulating on an object
That can’t be discharged as it’s an insulator
How does a van de Graaff generator work?
Electrons pass from top plastic roller
Onto belt
Which transfer it to earth
So top region becomes positive and stored by a metal dome
What happens if you touch the metal dome on a van de Graaff generator?
It’s a store of positive charge
So your overall charge is positive
So hairs on head are + charged = like charges repel
What can electrostatic charge cause?
A spark under certain conditions
How to prevent the spark causing an accident?
Earth it so charges don’t build up
Prevents building up of a spark
Like charges
Repel
Opposite charges
Attract
Non contact force
Force caused by exerting it on without touching
Electrical field
Area surrounding an electric charge that may influence other charged particles
How do we show an electric field?
Using field lines
