Static electricity is built up when certain materials are rubbed together or pulled apart, causing an imbalance of electrons between the materials. This occurs because atoms are made up of protons and electrons, and rubbing or pulling can cause some atoms to lose or gain electrons. Current electricity involves the controlled flow of electrons through a circuit. A series circuit has one path for current to flow through components in sequence, while a parallel circuit has multiple paths for current to split between.

1. Electricity....... Is it all Shocking NSTA Regional Conference October 2008 Charlotte, NC Dr. Judith McDonald

2. Static Electricity When electrical charges build up on the surface of a material, it is called static electricity. It is called “static” because there is no current flowing as in AC or DC electricity. Static electricity is usually caused when materials are rubbed together or pulled apart. Common examples of static electricity in action are static cling, flyaway hair and the sparks that can occur when you touch something.

3. Static Electricity Static electricity is usually caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other, like wool on plastic or the soles of your shoes on the carpet. It is also caused when materials are pressed against each other and pulled apart. The process causes electrons to be pulled from the surface of one material and relocated on the surface of the other material.

4. Static Electricity The gain or loss of electrons can be explained by recalling that atoms consist of a nucleus of neutrons and positively charged protons, surrounded by negatively charged electrons. Normally, there is the same number of electrons as protons in each atom. But if some object pulls away electrons from their orbit or shell around the nucleus, that causes the atom to have a positive charge, because it has more protons than electrons. Likewise, the other material will have extra electrons in its shell, giving the atoms a negative charge.

5. Static Electricity

6. Current Electricity Electrons can be made to move from one atom to another. When those electrons move between the atoms, a current of electricity is created. The electrons move from one atom to another in a "flow." One electron is attached and another electron is lost. This chain is similar to the fire fighter's bucket brigades in olden times. But instead of passing one bucket from the start of the line of people to the other end, each person would have a bucket of water to pour from one bucket to another. The result was a lot of spilled water and not enough water to douse the fire. It is a situation that's very similar to electricity passing along a wire and a circuit. The charge is passed from atom to atom when electricity

7. Current Electricity Electricity is a form of energy produced by the movement of electrons. Electricity is electrical power or an electric current. This form of energy can be sent through wires in a flow of tiny particles. It is used to produce light and heat and to run motors.

8. Current Electricity

9. Current Electricity Series Circuits A series circuit is a circuit where there is only one path from the source through all of the loads and back to the source. This means that all of the current in the circuit must flow through all of the loads.

10. Current Electricity Parallel Circuits A parallel circuit is a circuit in which there are at least two independent paths in the circuit to get back to the source. In a parallel circuit, the current will flow through the closed paths and not through the open paths.