Static Electricity

This passage describes static electricity and where it comes from.

Lexile Level: 560L

Categories: Science & Technology

Static electricity is all around us. It makes our clothes stick together when they come out of the dryer. It makes our hair stand up when we take off our hats. It makes plastic wrap cling to last night's leftovers. Lightning is a form of static electricity. Static electricity is not like the electricity in your house. The kind in your house moves through wires. It never stops flowing. In static electricity, the electrical charge isn't flowing through anything. The electrical charge is on a stationary object. This object ends up with too much electrical charge. So, the electrical charge leaves. It jumps to a new object. When the electrical charge leaves an object, it's called electrical discharge. Discharge can happen fast and suddenly. During rapid discharge, many things can happen. You may feel a shock. You may see a spark of light. Or, you may hear a crackling noise.