Read It! Read Zap! and learn shocking information about static electricity. When finished, touch =CONTINUE=>.

Zap!
Have you ever been zapped when someone touched you? Or felt a shock? Have you ever taken off your hat and your hair stood up? This is called static electricity!

Static electricity is easy to understand. It is caused by atoms and their charges. Everything is made up of atoms. Atoms are made up of even smaller parts called protons, electrons, and neutrons. Protons, electrons and neutrons each have different charges. Charges are either positive, negative or neutral (no charge.) Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge and neutrons have no charge.

Usually, atoms have no charge because they have the same number of electrons and protons. When two objects get rubbed together electrons can get moved from one atom to another. Some of the atoms gain more electrons than protons. These atoms now have a negative charge. Other atoms lose electrons and gain protons. They now have a positive charge. When positive and negative atoms come together: ZAP! This makes static electricity.

Two atoms with the same charge push away, or repel. Two atoms that have different charges pull toward each other, or attract. This is why your hair stands up after you take off your hat. Your hat rubs on your hair. Electrons move from your hat to your hair. Now each of your hairs has the same positive charge. Your hairs repel each other. They stand up from your head to get away from each other!

And do you know why can you sometimes get zapped when you walk across a carpet? Electrons move from the carpet to your socks. Now you and your socks have extra electrons. When you touch someone, ZAP! The electrons move from you to the 'neutral' person. That is why you get a shock!

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