Why is static electricity called static

Viewed 4k times. When you rub them, the electrons move. So, why is it called "static"? Improve this question. Emilio Pisanty k 28 28 gold badges silver badges bronze badges. Jam Ville Jam Ville 1 1 silver badge 3 3 bronze badges. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. At the moment you rub them, the electrons already moved Note the word "create", creation is not static, and yes there are transient fields and currents during creation of a static field.

Improve this answer. So it was given a name which is very descriptive: static electricity. It also doesn't move A battery is not, because it depends on electrochemical processes. Freeze a battery in liquid nitrogen, and the voltage will soon drop because the reactions largely cease — without them, the battery still keeps some static charge, but that's neglectable compared to the battery's operational charge. Kara Losee Kara Losee 1. Sign up or log in Sign up using Google. Everything we see is made up of tiny particles of matter called atoms.

The atoms are made up of even smaller parts called protons, electrons and neutrons. An atom usually has the same number of protons and electrons, but sometimes electrons can be moved away from their atoms. If you comb your hair, for example, electrons leave the atoms and molecules in your hair and travel to the plastic comb. The comb, covered in negatively charged electrons, becomes negatively charged as well, and your hair is left with a positive charge. If two objects have different charges, they attract or pull towards each other.

If two objects have the same charge, they repel or push away from each other. Since things with the same charge repel each other, the hairs try to move away from each other by standing up and away from all the other hairs, resulting in you having a very funny-looking hairdo!

Another example: if you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra electrons. If you have extra electrons piled on you, they will spill off when you touch an object like a doorknob, and give you a shock.

Shocks come from gaining or losing electric charge in a hurry. When a charged object is brought close to a neutral material, the electrons on the neutral material will either move toward the charged object if it has a positive charge or away from the charged object if it has a negative charge.

This phenomenon is called an induced charge. Also, when buying gas for your lawn mower, you should always take the can out of your car and place it on the ground while filling it. This dissipates the static charge continuously and keeps it from building up enough to create a spark. Large tank farms present an even greater danger of fire and explosions, so the National Transportation and Safety Board NTSB has issued guidelines that include minimizing static generation, preventing charge accumulation, avoiding spark discharge, and controlling the environment inside the tank.

Moving gas and vapor can also generate static charge. The most familiar case of this is lightning. According to Martin A. They attached a key to the kite string, and the wet string conducted charge from the cloud to the key which gave off sparks when he touched it. Contrary to some versions of the legend, the kite was not struck by lightning. If it had been, the results could have been disastrous. Franklin in fact shaped the way we think about electricity. He became interested in studying electricity in Until then, most people thought that electrical effects were the result of mixing of two different electrical fluids.

However, Franklin became convinced that there was only one single electric fluid and that objects could have an excess or deficiency of this fluid. He invented the terms "positive" and "negative," referring to an excess or deficiency, according to the University of Arizona.

Today, we know that the "fluid" was actually electrons, but those weren't discovered for about years. According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory , clouds develop zones of static charge due to warm water droplets in updrafts exchanging electrons cold ice crystals in downdrafts. According to NASA , the potential between these atmospheric charges and the ground can exceed , volts, so the consequences of being struck by lightning can be deadly.

Some of the current, though, can travel through the body and damage the nervous system, according to the National Weather Service.

Additionally, the concussion from the blast can cause traumatic internal injuries and permanent hearing loss, and the bright flash can cause temporary or permanent vision damage. As an example of the tremendous energy released in a lightning strike, Marsh told Live Science about his personal observation of a large oak tree that was literally split in half by high-pressure steam created by a lightning strike.

If you can hear thunder, generally, you are already within striking range, according to the University of Florida. If you are outdoors when a storm approaches, you should immediately seek shelter in a building or vehicle and avoid touching any metal. If you cannot get inside, move away from tall objects such as trees, towers or hilltops, squat down, and if possible, balance on the balls of your feet making as little contact with the ground as possible, according to Brigham Young University.