http://www.ck12.org Chapter 15. Electrostatics
15.1 Static Electricity
Objectives
The student will:
- Understand how an imbalance of electric charge is produced.
- Understand that there are two different kinds of electric charge.
- Understand that electric charge is conserved.
- Understand that electric charges hold atoms together.
- Understand the difference between conductors and insulators.
Vocabulary
- conductors: Any material that permits electrons to readily move.
- electric charge
- electron:A particle that carries negative charge and resides in the center of an atom. Electrons attract protons
and are in motion around the nucleus. - ion:An atom that has gained or lost an electron. Ions do not have an equal number of positive and negative
charges. - insulators:Materials that do not conduct electric current, also known as non-conductors.
- negative charge
- neutron: A neutral particle that has no electric charge. Neutrons reside in the center of an atom.
- positive charge
- proton:A particle that carries positive charge and resides in the center of an atom. Protons attract electrons.
- static electricity: An imbalance of one kind (positive or negative) of charge. It can be caused by friction
between two materials or placing objects in contact.
Introduction
People have always experienced the effects that electrical charges produce, especially in dry climates and cold
weather. Some examples of this include: