Static Electricity and Electrical Discharge

Static Electricity

• Static electricity results from an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material.
• This imbalance creates an electric field.
• It is a stationary electric charge, as opposed to dynamic electricity, which involves a flow of charge.
• Common examples include the "shock" you feel after walking on a carpet or rubbing a balloon on your hair.
• Static electricity comes from friction, contact, or induction.

Electrical Discharge

• Electrical discharge is the movement of electric charge from one place to another.
• This typically occurs when the electric field between two objects becomes strong enough to overcome the resistance of the medium( air or a non-conductor).
• The discharge manifests as a spark or current flow.
• Lightning is the spectacular example of natural electrical discharge.
• Static discharges are typically small and localized.

Charge Interactions

• Charges with the same polarity repel each other (like charges repel). Positive charges repel other positive charges; negative charges repel other negative charges.
• Charges with opposite polarity attract each other (opposite charges attract). Positive charges attract negative charges, and vice versa.
• The magnitude of the force of attraction or repulsion is determined by Coulomb's law.
• The closer the charges, the greater the force.
• The greater the amount of charge, the greater the force.

Electrostatics Principles

• The fundamental law governing electrostatic interactions is Coulomb's law.
• Coulomb's law states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
• This law mathematically describes the strength of the electrostatic force between charged objects.
• The force is a vector quantity and acts along the line connecting the two charges.
• Electric fields surround charged objects. The electric field is a vector field that illustrates the force exerted on a unit positive test charge at a given point in space surrounding a source of charge.
• Electric fields are a crucial concept in understanding how charged objects interact.
• Electric potential energy is a measure of the work done in moving a charge in an electric field.
• The potential difference between two points in an electric field is the work required per unit of charge to move the charge between those two points.
• An important consequence of Coulomb's law is that the total charge is conserved. Charge cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred.