Question: how does static electristy work?

Christina Pagel answered on 26 Jun 2013:

Everything is made up of atoms, and atoms have protons and neutrons at their core and then electrons around the outside… Protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge. Normally atoms are neutral but if some electrons get rubbed off the atoms then what’s left has a positive charge and whatever collected those electrons now has a negative charge (since it’s got extra electrons).

So as you rub your feet against a carpet (say) you build up a negative charge on your body because you’ve now got these extra electrons on you. These electrons want to find a way to escape and so when you next touch something the electrons will flow to that thing – now flowing electrons are what a current is and that’s why you get a small electric shock!

If your hair gets static eletricity (by say getting extra electrons from your hat or a balloon that you rubbed on your air) then it will all stand on end because all the hair strands are now negative and will try to move as far away as possible from each other because charges that are the same repel! Touching something will let the extra electrons flow off you and return your hair to normal…