PHYSICS Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Polyethylene, Electrostatics, Earthflow
Document Summary
Electrostatics is the study of static charges, just like the case of hair we just discussed. Some objects like duster and polythene will acquire electric charges when they are rubbed together. This happens because the electrons are transferred from one object to another. For example, take a look at the diagram below. The duster is rubbed with the polythene as shown. Initially, before rubbing, both have equal negative and positive charges, that is, they are neutral. After rubbing, the duster becomes positively charged while the polythene becomes negatively charged i. e. the duster has lost electrons and of course, polythene has gained it. Let"s get into more detail of what"s happening. We all know that all matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. And we know the composition of an atom: it consists of negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons and neutral (uncharged) particles called neutrons.
