Essay On Static Electricity

585 Words2 Pages

Static electricity is a form of electricity that does not flow: it is electricity at rest. Objects carry positive electric charges when some of their atoms have fewer electrons than they should, and they carry negative electric charges when some of the atoms have more electrons than they should. An easy way to produce static electricity is to rub two objects (made of certain materials) together: this transfers electrons from one item to another, giving each a positive or negative charge. Positively and negatively charged objects are attracted to each other like magnets-because each wants to shed or acquire electrons. When static electricity becomes powerful enough, so many electrons jump from one thing to another that they cause a visible electric spark, which you will feel as a little "shock" if one of the things the electrons jump to is you. A Xerox® copier, generically known as a photocopier, essentially works on the principles of static electricity. Electrical charges can be either positive or negative, which is somewhat similar to the poles of magnets. The negative end of a mag...

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