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Introduction

You experiment with static electricity every time you shuffle across a rug and touch a metal door handle. Static electricity is a form of electricity produced by friction (the rubbing of one object against another) in which the electric charge does not flow in a currentA flow of electrical charge from one point to another. but stays in one place.

Electricity is a form of energy caused by the presence of electrical charges in matter. MatterAnything that has mass and takes up space. is anything that has mass and takes up space. All matter, including you and this book, is made of tiny particles called atoms. An atom is the smallest particle of which an element can exist. Each atom, in turn, contains positively charged protonsA subatomic particle with a single positive charge that is found in the nucleus of an atom. in its nucleusThe central core of an atom, consisting of protons and (usually) neutrons., or center core, and negatively charged electronsA subatomic particle with a single electrical charge that orbits around the nucleus of an atom. orbiting around its nucleus.

1. Introduction
2. How does an object become electrically charged?
3. What is static electricity?
4. Experiment 1 - Building an Electroscope: Which objects are electrically charged?
5. Experiment 2 - Measuring a Charge: Does nylon or wool create a stronger static electric charge?
6. Design Your Own Experiment