What does the term static mean when referring to static electricity?

Answer 1

The term "Static electricity" has several different meanings:

1. A field of science also known as "electrostatics"

2. Electrical phenomena involving high voltage at low or zero current.

3. Any Electric charge

4. An imbalance of electric charge occurring on the surface of objects

5. Charge-imbalances created by contact between dissimilar insulators

What is static electricity? Well, in order to answer this question, first you have to pick which one you mean.

ANSWER 1

"Electrostatics" is a field of science where we study electric charge, electric fields, and the electric part of the electromagnetic force. Under this definition, "Static electricity" is a science like Biology or chemistry, and we find static electricity inside textbooks and classrooms. Note that Static Electricity is not the study of unmoving charges, since flowing charges still involve e-fields and forces. And a frozen snapshot of electric current is certainly an electrostatic situation.

ANSWER 2

"Static electricity" is a group of electrical events which humans have grouped together. It's a "phenomena class" rather than a substance or energy. Whenever high voltage is involved, we will expect to see electrostatic attraction and repulsion as well as sparking. The attraction and repulsion are electrostatic phenomena, so they are the static electricity. Is this confusing? Analogy: in the same way that rocks and floods and volcanos are "geology," lightning bolts, fur-rubbed plastic, and attracted lint are "static electricity." So if we break open a rock, we won't find any geology inside, since the rocks ARE geology. In the same way, lightning bolts don't have any static electricity inside. Scuffing your shoes on the rug IS the static electricity. There are no divisions in nature between different kinds of events, so in the same way that humans have created the idea called "geology," humans created "static electricity."

ANSWER 3

Historically in science, the term "electricity" was used to mean "any electric charge." In later decades after electrical currents were discovered, scientists added the word "static" to differentiate between charge versus charge-flow.

ANSWER 4

If a metal conductor is connected to a source of high voltage, then the surface of that conductor aquires a region of strong charge-imbalance. This imbalance is often called "static electricity," although a better name for it would be "surface charge" or simply "charge."

ANSWER 5

There are several ways to create imbalances of charge: batteries, generators, and contact between dissimilar insulators. Traditionally we call the charges produced by batteries and generators by the name "charge." But also traditionally we call the surface charges produced by contact (or by 'friction,') by the name "static electricity." Note the imbalances created by contact are not different than those created by high-voltage power supplies. Charge is charge. Michael Faraday discovered this fact in 1832.

MYTHS

Our understanding of simple electrical science is hindered by widespread myths, some of which appear in children's science books. Here's one myth: "There are only two kinds of electricity, 'Static' and 'Current.'" This statement is wrong. It's probably a corruption of Electrodynamics science versus Electrostatics science. While there certainly are two fields of Electrical Science involving Statics and Dynamics, there is no such substance or energy called "static electricity." Another myth: "When electricity stops moving and becomes static, then it makes hair rise, causes sparks, ozone stink, and crackling sounds." Wrong. When charges exist at HIGH VOLTAGE, then we see sparks and rising hair, etc. Crackling sounds and ozone stinks are caused by charges existing at high voltage, not by charges which have stopped moving.

AnswerSimply put, static electricity is a "flavor" of contact electrification. It is usually tucked into a phenomenon called triboelectric effect, which is the primary cause of most of it. Let's have just a quick look.

Anyone who has pulled some kitchen plastic wrap off the roll has participated in an experiment with contact electrification. The simple act of separating the plastic from the roll causes electrons to move. It gives them enough energy to do so, and they are "redistributed" across the plastic. The plastic is an insulator, and it will not permit these separated charges to return to where they came from. And those electrons now attract the "positive places" where they came from. That's why the plastic wants to "fold up" on itself. It's just that simple.

Shuffling across the rug on an arid day and reaching for the door knob sometimes gives us a jolt. We've again shifted some charges with the friction of our feet, and those charges want to neutralize themselves when we get near that knob. There are a few thousand volts there, by the way. Really. Not much current, but lots of volts. How else could the air atoms and molecules be ionized to create the arc that becomes the conduction path to neutralize that charge? High voltage.

Lightning is a dramatic form of static electricity that occurs in nature. Moving air separates charges, and they collect here and there until the difference of potential (the voltage, or electromagnetic force) becomes so high that there is no way to insulate the charges from each other. Zap! They act to neutralize themselves.

We done some explaining and cited some examples. All we need to do is add some links. You'll find them below.

Answer 2

Static electricity" is a group of electrical events which humans have grouped together. It's a "phenomena class" rather than a substance or energy. Whenever high voltage is involved, we will expect to see electrostatic attraction and repulsion as well as sparking. The attraction and repulsion are electrostatic phenomena, so they are the static electricity. Is this confusing? Analogy: in the same way that rocks and floods and volcanos are "geology," lightning bolts, fur-rubbed plastic, and attracted lint are "static electricity." So if we break open a rock, we won't find any geology inside, since the rocks ARE geology. In the same way, lightning bolts don't have any static electricity inside. Scuffing your shoes on the rug IS the static electricity. There are no divisions in nature between different kinds of events, so in the same way that humans have created the idea called "geology," humans created "static electricity."

Answer 3

It means the same as it does in everyday life, not moving. It describes electricity built up on an insulator, rather than moving through a conductor.

<<>> the basic quantity in electricity is the electric charge. Electricity can be static or dynamic. Static electricity is free charges that are not moving, they just sit there and produce an electric field round them. Dynamic or moving charges form an electric current, which produces a magnetic field round it.

An example of a basic charged particle is the electron, which has both mass and a negative electric charge.

Answer 4

Particles attract each other through static electricity. Static refers to the 'attraction' between them because the particles "jump" from one surface to the other.

Answer 5

means that it's not moving (unlike electricity in a wire for example)