Static Electricity and Charges

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to static electricity, charges, and the behavior of conductive and insulative materials.

Grounding

The process of connecting an object to the Earth to discharge excess electrical charge.

Lightning Rod

A device used to protect structures from lightning strikes by directing the electrical discharge into the ground.

Induction

The process by which a charged object can induce a charge in another object without direct contact.

Temporary Induction

A short-term charge induced in an object that disappears once the inducing object is removed.

Permanent Induction

A lasting charge induced in an object that remains after the inducing object is removed.

Insulator

A material that resists the flow of electric current.

Conductor

A material that allows electrons to move through it easily.

Semiconductor

A material that has electrical conductivity between that of insulators and conductors.

Electrical Discharge

The release of stored electrical energy, often seen as a spark or lightning.

Negatively Charged Object

An object that has more electrons than protons.

Charging by Friction

The process of charging objects by rubbing them together to create an imbalance of electric charges.

Charging by Conduction

The process of removing charges from objects through direct contact with a large neutral object.

Law of Electrical Charges

Like charges repel each other, while opposite charges attract.

Electrostatic Series

A list of materials arranged in order of their tendency to gain or lose electrons when rubbed.

Friction

The resistance that one surface or object encounters when moving over another.