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Electricity - Static Electricity
Brass allows an electrical current to pass through it easily.

Electricity - Static Electricity

Why do clothes cling, hair stand on end, or sparks jump to a door handle? This GCSE Physics quiz explores static electricity and how electric charges build and discharge.

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(quiz starts below)

Fascinating Fact:

Lightning is a large scale example of static discharge, where charge built up in clouds suddenly moves to the ground or between clouds.

In GCSE Physics, static electricity is studied as charge that builds up on insulating materials instead of flowing in a circuit. You learn how friction transfers electrons, how electric fields form around charged objects, and how sparks, lightning and earthing are linked to safety in buildings, vehicles and everyday equipment.

Key Terms

  • Static electricity: Electric charge that remains on the surface of an object instead of moving continuously in a circuit.
  • Electric charge: A property of particles such as electrons and protons that causes them to attract or repel each other.
  • Electric field: The region around a charged object where another charge experiences a force.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is static electricity in GCSE Physics?

In GCSE Physics, static electricity is charge that builds up on an insulator and stays in one place. It is usually caused by friction transferring electrons from one surface to another.

What are some everyday examples of static electricity?

Everyday examples of static electricity include clothes crackling when they come out of a tumble dryer, hair standing up when rubbed with a balloon, and tiny sparks when you touch a metal door handle after walking on carpet.

Why can static electricity be dangerous?

Static electricity can be dangerous because a sudden discharge can produce sparks that ignite flammable gases or vapours. This is why tankers, aircraft and fuel pipes are earthed to safely remove charge.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .
If two polystyrene rods are rubbed with a duster and gain electrons, how will the rods react to one another when they are brought close together?
Repel
Attract
Merge into a super rod
Melt
They both gain electrons so must be negatively charged - two objects with the same electrosatatic charge will repel each other
2 .
What type of charge does the material gaining electrons have?
Positive
Negative
No charge
Both positive and negative
A material that gains electrons will always become negatively charged as the electrons themselves are negatively charged
3 .
If two negatively charged materials are brought in close proximity to one another, what force do they exert on each other?
Attractive
Repulsive
Strong nuclear
Magnetic
Charges of the same type repel
4 .
If two charged materials are brought close together, what do they exert on each other?
A force
Radio waves
Ultra sonic waves
Heat
We talk of this as being an electrostatic force
5 .
What is 'rubbed' off one material and onto the other?
Neutrons
Protons
Electrons
Dirt
These collect on the surface of the negatively charged object
6 .
If one positively charged material and one negatively charged material are brought in close proximity to one another, what force do they exert on each other?
Strong nuclear
Magnetic
Repulsive
Attractive
Two materials which have different types of electrical charge will always attract one another
7 .
If two positively charged materials are brought in close proximity to one another, what force do they exert on each other?
Attractive
Repulsive
Strong nuclear
Magnetic
Repulsion works with positive charges the same as it does with negative charges
8 .
What type of charge does the material losing electrons have?
Positive
Negative
No charge
Both positive and negative
Since the object was electrically neutral beforehand, losing negative charge will mean that it ends up with a positive charge
9 .
Which material from the list below allows an electrical current to pass through it easily?
Brass
Polystyrene
Card
Porcelain
Metals allow electrical currents to pass through them easily due to the high number of free electrons within the material
10 .
What do certain insulating materials become when they are rubbed against each other?
Electrically charged
Friends
Electrically neutral
Nothing
One becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged by the same amount
You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Static electricity

Author:  Martin Moore
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