Jump starting, also called boosting, is a procedure to start a vehicle with a discharged battery by making a temporary connection to another vehicle or external power source. It is needed when a vehicle battery is accidentally discharged, such as by leaving lights on. Key things used for jump starting include jumper cables and safety precautions like wearing gloves and avoiding sparks near the battery. Proper procedure involves connecting positive terminals first before negative terminals and cables, starting the disabled vehicle, then disconnecting in reverse order.