"Static" Electricity
This topic is broken into units to help in formulating cohesive, effective lessons. Clicking on each unit title below will display appropriate activities, lesson plans, or labs.
Unit materials are a subset of all possible materials available for this topic, selected especially with the new physics teacher in mind. You may instead browse all materials for this topic here .
Physics First "Static" Electricity Units
Characteristics of "static" electricity include: 1)The number of of positive and negative electric charges within a material may not be equal, 2)voltage is high and current is low, 3) electrical forces (attraction and repulsion) can reach across great distances, and 4) electric fields (as opposed to magnetic fields) become very important. (Electric fields are also called "electrostatic fields" or "e-fields." Units are not listed in a prescribed order.
Lesson Plans:
This page links to five lesson plans in static electricity for beginning learners. Designed for easy set-up, the lessons are intended to help beginners understand charge, electrostatic induction, and how transfer of electrons occurs.
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This lesson plan for beginners includes a creative update of the "Kissing Balloon", plus three activities designed to enhance student understanding of electric charge, electron transfer, and polarization. Try teaming it with Chasing Cheerios below.
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A Cheerio is suspended from a string and brought in contact with a charged plastic ruler, then neutralized by touching it. This lesson illustrates both induction and conduction. A second activity is included, with a printable student data sheet and reference materials.
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Using neo bulbs as a "test charge" for a current or for an electric field. this is a description for a lesson plan or activity.
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Activities:
The "snacks" are scaled-down versions of exhibits relating to electricity at the Exploratorium museum. Find activities related to electrostatics, charge, force and field potential, and circuits.
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References and Collections:
This item introduces a collection of materials on the scientific works of Benjamin Franklin, integrating historical background with descriptions of the actual lab experiments.
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Content Support For Teachers:
Common misconceptions about the topic of electrostatics are fully explored in this resource for both teachers and learners. The author debunks more than a dozen myths as he offers comprehensive explanations of related phenomena.
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This NASA resource is a complete "primer" on the subject of lightning. It includes an easily understood description of the lightning discharge process, modern data collection,and a brief history of the scientific study of lightning.
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Student Tutorials:
Using simulations, this web site offers the student tutorials for electrostatics.
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Assessment:
This is a teacher-made electrostatic quiz not meant to be fully definitive, but as an example. It is a short answer quiz.
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Lesson Plans:
This is a nice lesson explaining the electricity that is carried in water currents.
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Activities:
This is a great site that has many different activities that teachers can incorporate into their lessons about electromagnetic fields.
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Content Support For Teachers:
This site is a great content source for teachers that explains electric fields and even gives an assessment at the end.
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Assessment:
This is a multiple choice traditional online quiz (with hints) for electric fields.
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Activities:
Definitions, explanations and applications of the inverse square law to electrostatics forces
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References and Collections:
Student Tutorials:
Tutorials and simulations for electrostatic phenomena
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Lesson Plans:
This lesson plan for the teacher of beginning high school physics and/or physical science provides directions for making a simple electroscope and updates the classic "kissing balloon" activity with creative additions. Included are printable student data sheets.
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Content Support For Teachers:
This resource blends text with interactive java simulations to provide an excellent overview of the topic of capacitance. It includes descriptions of how electric capacitors work and introduces simple calculations.
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Student Tutorials:
Capacitors are electrical devices designed to store electric charge. In this interactive java tutorial, students explore factors affecting capacitance and gain understanding of how it is related to electrostatic force field.
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Lesson Plans:
In this site there is an activity of electromagnetic charges that could be incorporated in to a lesson.
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A neon bulb is an object that can be lighted either by electric current or by static electricity. This creative lesson, which requires no math, helps students form an understanding of electron transfer. Included is a printable student data sheet.
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Activities:
This site has all the information needed to understand the operation and maintenance of Van de Graaff generators. The author includes helpful hints for classroom demonstrations.
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Content Support For Teachers:
This is a great site to use as a teacher for content support of a lesson plan on electric charge.
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This NASA resource is a complete "primer" on the subject of lightning. It includes an easily understood description of the lightning discharge process, modern data collection,and a brief history of the scientific study of lightning.
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Activities:
Franklin's second letter about transfer of electrical fluid in Leyden jars is accompanied by descriptions for setting up the experiments in a classroom.
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This item highlights Benjamin Franklin's historic first letter about points and Leyden jar experiments, describing how to set up the labs in the classroom.
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This item integrates a third historic Franklin letter with directions on how to construct a flat-plate capacitor and an electrostatic motor.
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Franklin's theory of atmospheric electrification is highlighted, with diagrams and annotations to enhance student understanding.
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This resource takes learners on a journey through history with primary source historical documents (written by Franklin) about his lightning rod experiments. It includes a translation of a 1752 experiment conducted in France. It is intended for integration with the item directly above.
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This web page integrates historic text and drawings with annotations and ideas for applying Franklin's theory of electrostatic induction in labs designed for the modern high school science classroom. It includes a 1750 letter by Franklin describing an accident resulting in his own near-electrocution.
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References and Collections:
This web site contains materials regarding the scientific work of Benjamin Franklin, and lab exercises related to experiments he performed. Writings and historical observations are integrated with lab descriptions to give students a better insight into his work.
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Content Support For Teachers:
A history and explanation of electrostatics charge and force
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Lesson Plans:
Exploring static electricity using simple household items.
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Activities:
Using balloons to explore static electricity for the early grades.
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References and Collections:
A history of how static electricity has been explored.
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Content Support For Teachers:
Tutorials to help the primary teacher understand the concept of static electricity.
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Assessment:
Can playing a game assess understanding of static electricity?
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