Moving Electrons and Charges

Electricity is related to charges, and both electrons and protons carry a charge. The amount of the charge is the same for each particle, but opposite in sign. Electrons carry a negative charge while protons carry positive charge. The objects around us contain billions and billions of atoms, and each atom contains many protons and electrons. The protons are located in the center of the atom, concentrated in a small area called the nucleus. The electrons are in motion outside of the nucleus in orbitals. The protons are basically trapped inside the nucleus and can't escape the nucleus. As a result, it is moving electrons that are primarily responsible for electricity. There aren't a lot of places that you can see electricity. The most commonly- observed form of electricity is probably lightning. Lightning is a big spar that occurs when lots of electrons move from one place to another very !uic ly. There are three basic forms of lightning, cloud to cloud, cloud to surface, and surface to cloud. All are created when there is an une!ual distribution of electrons. "ou can also see smaller spar s of electricity in science labs that contain Van de Graff generators, and can see even smaller arcs of electrons at home when you scuff your feet and then touch something li e a metal door nob #static electricity$.

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Electricity Around You

%t's easy to see the uses of electricity around you. %n fact, there are charges around your computer, your house, and your city. Electricity is constantly flowing through all of the wires in your town. There is also electricity in your flash light. That ind of electricity created by batteries is called direct current. The other major type is found in the outlets of your house. That household form of electricity is called alternating current.

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Separating Charges
Atoms start out with the same number of negative charges #electrons$, and positive charges #protons$. *nder certain conditions, electrons can be removed from, or added to atoms. )emoving electrons would leave the atom with more positives than negatives, and we call this a positive ion #An ion is a charged atom$. &onversely, adding electrons to an atom would result in a negative ion. %f you do this enough times, you can ma e an object positive or negative. Friction is one of the ways to separate charge. +ave you ever had a science lab where you rub fur on

glass rods, or try to ma e static cling, -hen you do that rubbing, you are actually rubbing electrons off one object and onto another. -hen you scuff your feet on the rug, especially in the winter, you can often charge yourself. &lothes tumbling in the dryer often cling together and crac le when you separate them. Lightning is produced, in part, because of air blowing over land. "ou can also use batteries to separate charge.

Static Charges
Electrons can move more easily in some objects than in others. %f you put a charge on things li e glass, plastic, rubber, and wood, that charge stays where you put it. -e say the charges are static, and we call this static electricity. .aterials li e glass and plastic are called insulators, or nonconductors. 'tatic electricity can happen on a dry winter day when you wal across a carpet. "ou are actually building up loads of electrons on your s in. &harges don't /want/ to stay separated, however. There is always a tendency for charges to return to their original locations, and all that is needed is a pathway for charges #electrons$ to use. -hen you touch a metal door nob, for e0ample, electrons can jump and give you a shoc . 'tatic charges build up on clouds until they can hold no more. At that point, lightning can occur. The study of electricity where the charges are not moving is called electrostatics.