Ready for some shocking news? It’s time to celebrate National Static Electricity Day! This day is celebrated annually on the 9th of January to observe just what this occurrence is and why it happens.
If you’ve ever rubbed your stocking feet on a carpet and then touched a light switch, you know exactly what this sharp and tingling phenomenon feels like. But what exactly causes this?
This article from LiveScience explains a bit more about what causes static electricity. It happens from a buildup of positive and negative charges on the surface of an item resulting in the release (movement) of the imbalance of charges. Think of a blown up balloon that you rub on your head. What happens? Your hair seems to stick up and onto the balloon, right? Prior to the introduction of the balloon, your hair likely had a balance of positive and negative charges contained within it. When the surface of the balloon was introduced, it attracted the negative charges within the hair to it, causing the now more positively charged hair to be attracted to the negatively charged surface of the balloon (and also repelling hairs from each other with the like positive charges).
Certain items and objects are more likely to cause the movement of charges from one surface to another. These items are called conductors, while objects that prohibit such movement are called insulators. In the example above, the balloon acted as the conductor. You can learn more about conductors, insulators, and the movement of electrical charges in this lesson from TryEngineering!
Looking for more ways to have fun and learn about static electricity? Check out this activity from the Franklin Institute that encourages students to test various objects to see if they produce static electricity when they meet.