Static Electricity

  • happens when there is a build-up of electrons
  • it stays in one place and then jumps to an object
  • it does not need a closed circuit to flow
  • it is the kind of electricity you feel when you rub your pullover against an object or when you drag your feet over a carpet.
  • lightning is a form of static electricity



Lightning as a form of static electricity
Image: Benjamin Stäudinger, CC BY 2.0,
via Wikimedia Commons

Current Electricity

  • happens when electrons flow freely between objects
  • it needs a conductor - something in which it can flow , like a wire.
  • current electricity needs a closed circuit
  • it is in many electrical appliances in our homes - toasters, TV sets , computers.
  • a battery is a form of current electricity


A toaster as a form of current electricity
Image: PublicDomainPictures via Pixabay




Words

  • appliance = an electrical machine that you normally use in the house, like a cooker or a washing machine 
  • build-up = increase
  • circuit = the complete circle that an electric current travels
  • drag = pull
  • lightning = a powerful flash of light in the sky, during a thunderstorm 
  • wire = a very thin piece of metal in which electricity can pass through