Static Electricity

Question 1

What is static charge

Answer 1

Static charge that builds up in one place and is not free to move

Question 2

How can you safely discharge a charged conductor

Answer 2

Connect it to Earth with a metal strap, the electrons flow down the strap to the ground if the charge is negative, and up the strap if the charge is positive

Question 3

Explain the cause of sparks

Answer 3

As charge builds up, so does voltage between the object and the Earth
If the voltage gets large enough, electrons can jump across the gap between the charged object and the Earth
They can also jump to an earthed conductor