How is static electricity created?

Answer 1

Static Electricity

The discharge of electricity between your finger and the doorknob is in principle the same as the discharge from a cloud to a tree during a storm. It occurs because of the general diffusive principle in nature (entropy) -- that is, things try to balance out to equal distribution. If you have a lot of negative charge in one place and a lack of negative charge in another (a positive charge), it will eventually "discharge" or equalize the charges. This is a "lightning bolt" or a "static bolt" depending on how much charge we're talking about.

In a cloud, lots of dust in the cloud is churning around and negative charges accumulate. The earth is the ultimate "equalizer" in nature, so enough negative charge will jump to the ground.

In the same way, when you rub your feet on the carpet, you push negative charges on or off of you; by building up this charge in your body, you cause a static jump the next time you touch something "grounded" (i.e., in contact with the earth).

Static Eletricity is created by rubbing a material on to plastic or another type of cloth.

Answer 2

Static electricity is created when there is a buildup of electric charge on the surface of an object due to friction with another object. This causes an imbalance of positive and negative charges, leading to an electrostatic discharge when the charges try to balance themselves by flowing between objects.