Static VS. Current Electricity

Static Electricity

The buildup of electric charges on an object is called

static electricity

. An example of static electricity is if you rub a balloon against your head. The electrons from the atoms that make up your hair get transferred to the balloon. Your hair becomes positively charged due to the loss of electrons. The balloon becomes negatively charged due to the gain in electrons. If you hold the balloon close to your hair, your hair will stand on end because the unlike charges attract.

Static Discharge

Eventually the charges that build on an object move off the object. This sudden and brief flow of electrons is called static discharge. An example of this is the small shock that you get when you touch a metal doorknob after shuffling your feet on the carpet. Lightning is another example.

Current Electricity

Unlike static electricity, which does not move except when discharged,

current electricity

is a continuous flow of electric charge.

An example of this is a battery. When we hook something up to a battery, the electrical current flows through a path called a

circuit

.

Answer the following Questions

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How is static and current electricity different?

Give a real life example of one way that you have used static electricity and current electricity?

What is it called when current electricity flows through a path?