Learn About Static Electricity – GCSE Physics Quiz

Physics Quiz - Electricity - Static Electricity (Questions)

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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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

What do certain insulating materials become when they are rubbed against each other?

[ ]	Electrically charged
[ ]	Friends
[ ]	Electrically neutral
[ ]	Nothing

What is 'rubbed' off one material and onto the other?

[ ]	Neutrons
[ ]	Protons
[ ]	Electrons
[ ]	Dirt

What type of charge does the material gaining electrons have?

[ ]	Positive
[ ]	Negative
[ ]	No charge
[ ]	Both positive and negative

What type of charge does the material losing electrons have?

[ ]	Positive
[ ]	Negative
[ ]	No charge
[ ]	Both positive and negative

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

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

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

Which material from the list below allows an electrical current to pass through it easily?

[ ]	Brass
[ ]	Polystyrene
[ ]	Card
[ ]	Porcelain

If two charged materials are brought close together, what do they exert on each other?

[ ]	A force
[ ]	Radio waves
[ ]	Ultra sonic waves
[ ]	Heat

10.

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

Physics Quiz - Electricity - Static Electricity (Answers)

What do certain insulating materials become when they are rubbed against each other?

[x]	Electrically charged
[ ]	Friends
[ ]	Electrically neutral
[ ]	Nothing

One becomes positively charged and the other becomes negatively charged by the same amount

What is 'rubbed' off one material and onto the other?

[ ]	Neutrons
[ ]	Protons
[x]	Electrons
[ ]	Dirt

These collect on the surface of the negatively charged object

What type of charge does the material gaining electrons have?

[ ]	Positive
[x]	Negative
[ ]	No charge
[ ]	Both positive and negative

A material that gains electrons will always become negatively charged as the electrons themselves are negatively charged

What type of charge does the material losing electrons have?

[x]	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

If two negatively charged materials are brought in close proximity to one another, what force do they exert on each other?

[ ]	Attractive
[x]	Repulsive
[ ]	Strong nuclear
[ ]	Magnetic

Charges of the same type repel

If two positively charged materials are brought in close proximity to one another, what force do they exert on each other?

[ ]	Attractive
[x]	Repulsive
[ ]	Strong nuclear
[ ]	Magnetic

Repulsion works with positive charges the same as it does with negative charges

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
[x]	Attractive

Two materials which have different types of electrical charge will always attract one another

Which material from the list below allows an electrical current to pass through it easily?

[x]	Brass
[ ]	Polystyrene
[ ]	Card
[ ]	Porcelain

Metals allow electrical currents to pass through them easily due to the high number of free electrons within the material