What is Electricty: Definition and 22 Discussions

Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of an electric current or electrical discharge. Static electricity is named in contrast with current electricity, which flows through wires or other conductors and transmits energy.A static electric charge can be created whenever two surfaces contact and have worn and separated, and at least one of the surfaces has a high resistance to electric current (and is therefore an electrical insulator). The effects of static electricity are familiar to most people because people can feel, hear, and even see the spark as the excess charge is neutralized when brought close to a large electrical conductor (for example, a path to ground), or a region with an excess charge of the opposite polarity (positive or negative). The familiar phenomenon of a static shock – more specifically, an electrostatic discharge – is caused by the neutralization of charge.

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  1. A

    B Problems I Have With Electrostatics and Pith Ball Experiments

    As a preliminary note, most people flex about how dumb questions and then continue to school and scold curious minds. Instead of taking a demeaning approach I just ask for respectful insight to quench curiosity. I will 1) explain the experiment as I know it to be, 2) explain what I have been...
  2. D

    Single phase AC 3 wire neutral conductor shock potential?

    I have a question with regard to split single phase (in United States) electricity. I understand that there are 2 hot legs each 180 degrees out of phase at +120v and -120v (240v between hot legs) going from transformer to breaker box and a center tapped neutral Earth bonded wire at 0v with...
  3. Cheesycheese213

    Is there a relationship between voltage and resistance?

    I was getting a bit confused with Ohm's law, and the relationship between the current, resistance and voltage/potential difference? From my understanding, current and voltage both increase or decrease together, while current and resistance do the opposite? I was then wondering if there was any...
  4. M

    Van De Graaf Generator & Gauss's Law

    My Textbook states"The same principle behind Faraday’s ice pail experiment is used in a Van de Graaff electrostatic generator (Fig. 22.26). A charged belt continuously carries charge to the inside of a conducting shell. By Gauss’s law, there can never be any charge on the inner surface of this...
  5. Blank_Stare

    Does electricty gain / lose power traveling up / down hill? [Not]

    (I Live in Michigan - no power at home since yesterday, and likely not until Sunday - 4 days, because of high winds.) My software genius boss (really, he's very smart,) is trying to tell me that the reason that the power companies do not bury power lines, is because it costs money to push it...
  6. Cimino54

    Square Electric Charge Problem

    Homework Statement Four charges, q1 = +145 µC, q2 = +55 µC, q3 = −150 µC, and q4 = +27 µC, are fixed at the corners of a 4 m by 5 m rectangle, as illustrated in the figure below. What are the magnitude (in N) and the direction (in degrees counterclockwise from the +x-axis) of the net force...
  7. D

    Does anyway use escalators to generate electricty

    I was at a large baseball stadium today and they had escalators to bring everyone up to the upper levels at the beginning of the game. At the end of the game, when everyone was leaving, the escalators were shut off and blocked off and everyone was walking down ramps to exit. I was thinking it...
  8. Adeel Ahmad

    Electricity, finding voltage and resistance

    Homework Statement Design a voltage divider circuit to provide an output voltage v0 = 5V from a 12V source. The current taken from the 12V source is to be 100mA. a)Find the values of R1 and R2. b)Now suppose a load resistance of 200 ohms is connected across the output terminals (in parallel...
  9. M

    Why Is My DIY Grounding Mat Triggering the Volt Meter Alarm?

    Overview: I've made a grounding mat using a piece of copper speaker wire attached to the grounding prong on a wall plug (I removed the other two prongs). The other end of my copper wire is attached to a sheet of aluminum which I set on the floor like a mat. I checked to make sure that my wall...
  10. drew wood

    Can I turn hydrogen gas into electricity without purchasing a fuel cell?

    I would like to start experimenting with hydrogen as an electricity source, but I haven't been able to find any good resources for steps after the hydrogen generation. I've made some prototypes of small-scale hydrogen generation using electrolysis, so now I basically have two bags, one filled...
  11. S

    Details of research on using electricty from Lightening of the sky

    is it possible to harness the lightning to get electricity.
  12. J

    Good conductor of electricty => Good conductor of heat?

    I've noticed that almost every good conductor of electricity, is also a good conductor of heat, except for certain exceptions like Graphite. Why is this so? I can't seem to associate electron flow with heat conduction.
  13. G

    Electricty Potential Differnce

    I tried doing this question, but can't seem to do it, could anyone please help me out ?
  14. A

    Nuclear Fusion for electricty, boils water and moves a turbine? Or how it works?

    Hello. I know that most fission reactors boils water to move a turbine like this one. Is the same for a future nuclear fusion power plant, produce heat and boil water? Some light about this please.
  15. S

    Why is electricty conducted through salt water?

    Ok so when I pass electricty through salt water the negative ions move from highly negative area to positive area causing a current? My question is why do the move? Let's say there was Sodium and Chloride ions in water. Can't the chloride ion give an electron to sodium and make the whole...
  16. P

    I with this electricty problem

    I need help with this electricty problem:( Homework Statement At the end of a long day, your instructor finally sits down to write your final examination, after making a cup of coffee he goes into his office, turns on the five, 40-Watt lights, and starts writing. How much current is...
  17. A

    Help with 2 questions coast of electricty and pressure

    Hi I am stuck on two questions here not sure if this is the right part of the forum to post it in, sorry in advance if it isn't. Ok the questions, my problem is that I'm not sure on the equation to use to solve these problems first problem is A solar water heater utilizes a pump to lift...
  18. H

    Ways of powering vehicle that is not electricty or combustion.

    As part of my introductory engineering class this year, I have to work with a group to build a small vehicle (no bigger that 2ftx2ftx3ft) that can carry some water up to 250 ft. However, we cannot use any electricity, anything flammable or solid rockets. So right now I'm at a loss as to how to...
  19. W

    Understanding Amps: How Can They Be Determined Without Knowing the Circuit?

    I often see on electrical devices, they say how many amps the device uses. But I wonder how can that be? if you do not know the voltage and the resistance (im guessing they do know the resistance) how can they tell you how many amps it pulls? Also doesn't it matter what components are in the...
  20. Q

    Using Hydraulics to generate electricty

    I was wondering if someone could help me here. I would like to understand how hydraulic cylinders can be used to convert mechanical movement (say the up and down motion of something for example) into electricty. I understand you probably need a motor and a genertor but I can't seem to find any...
  21. A

    Why do electrons flow in a wire?

    So, I guess I have two questions :) The first, is why does electricity flow? I mean, what makes it go from one part of a wire to another? And the second, do electrons flow "in" the wire, or on the surface of the wire?
  22. S

    How Many Electrons & Charge in 2 Grams of Silver?

    Ok i have a rather simple question at hand: 1 gram of Siliver has 5.58x10^21 atoms and each sliver atom has 47 electrons : How many electrons are in 2 grams of sliver... This is easy enough, all i did was take 5.58x10^21 and multiply 2 and then divided that number by 47 and got: 2.37447...
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