Static Electricity

Static electricity is an electric charge that stays in one place. It builds up when two things rub together. You can feel it when you get a small shock after walking on a carpet. It can also make your hair stand up when you pull off a hat. Lightning is a huge burst of static electricity.

How It Works

Everything is made of tiny bits called atoms. Atoms have even smaller bits called electrons. When you rub two things together, electrons can jump from one to the other. This gives one object extra electrons and leaves the other with fewer. The difference is what we call static electricity.

Foam peanuts stick to a cat's fur from static electricity.
Foam peanuts stick to a cat's fur from static electricity. (Original image: Sean McGrath from Saint John, NB, Canada Derived image: Black Rainbow 999 / Wikimedia Commons)

Where You See It

You might see static electricity when clothes stick together after drying. Balloons can stick to walls after you rub them on your hair. A small spark can jump from your finger to a doorknob. These little shocks do not hurt you. Lightning is the biggest kind of static electricity in nature.

Fun Facts

  • A single lightning bolt can be hotter than the surface of the Sun.
  • Rubbing a balloon on your hair can make it stick to a wall.
  • Static shocks are more common in winter because the air is dry.

Did You Know?

The word 'electricity' comes from the Greek word for amber, because the ancient Greeks saw static cling when they rubbed amber with fur.