Ever walked across the room to pet your dog and got a shock instead? Ever taken off your hat on a dry winter day and had a "hair raising" experience? Ever made a balloon stick on the wall by rubbing it against your clothes? Is it magic? No – it’s static electricity!
Attraction Action
To understanding static electricity you need to understand the basics of atoms and magnetism first.
All physical objects are made up of atoms. Inside an atom are protons, electrons and neutrons. The protons are positively charged, the electrons are negatively charged, and the neutrons are neutral.
Therefore, all things are made up of charges. Opposite charges attract each other (negative to positive). Like (similar) charges repel each other (positive to positive or negative to negative). Most of the time positive and negative charges are balanced in an object, which makes that object neutral.
Balancing Act
Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between neg
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