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Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it can move away by an electric current or electrical discharge . The word "static" is used to differentiate it from current electricity , where an electric charge flows through an electrical conductor .
If the electric field in a system can be assumed to result from static charges, that is, a system that exhibits no significant time-varying magnetic fields, the system is justifiably analyzed using only the principles of electrostatics. This is called the "electrostatic approximation". [12]
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two differently-charged objects when brought close together or when the dielectric between them breaks down, often creating a visible spark associated with the static electricity between the objects.
A static electric charge builds up on the cat's fur due to triboelectricity from the cat's movements. The electric field of the charge causes a polarization of the molecules of the styrofoam due to electrostatic induction, resulting in a slight attraction of the styrofoam to the charged fur.
Polarization density, general description of the physics of polarization; Static electricity, electric charge often but not always due to triboelectricity; Tribology, science of friction, lubrication and wear; Triboluminescence, light associated with sliding or contacts; Work function, the energy to remove an electron from a surface
Electric shock — Physiological reaction of a biological organism to the passage of electric current through its body. Ferranti effect — A rise in the amplitude of the AC voltage at the receiving end of a transmission line , compared with the sending-end voltage, due to the capacitance between the conductors, when the receiving end is open ...
Electrostatic machines are typically used in science classrooms to safely demonstrate electrical forces and high voltage phenomena. The elevated potential differences achieved have been also used for a variety of practical applications, such as operating X-ray tubes, particle accelerators, spectroscopy, medical applications, sterilization of food, and nuclear physics experiments.
He referred to static electricity as "electric fire", "electric matter", or "electric fluid". [31] The term "electric fluid" was based on the idea that a jar could be filled and refilled when it became empty. [3] That led to the revolutionary idea of "electrical fire" as a type of motion or current flow rather than a type of explosion. [36]