Learners come to understand static electricity by learning about the nature of electric charge, and different methods for charging objects. In a hands-on activity, students induce an electrical charge on various objects, and experiment...

Learn how electric charges work and about Coulomb's Law, which is used to calculate the strength of an electric force.

Exploratorium Science Snacks are miniature science exhibits and experiments that can be made with common, inexpensive, easily available materials. These electricity snacks represent a set of devices that you can build and experiment with...

In this interactive lesson unit, students will learn about electric fields and charge density. They will explore electric field diagrams and learn how they are used, as well as discover electrostatic potential energy and how it relates...

This lesson focuses on static electricity, including how particles can be charged by friction, and electrical forces and why they repel or attract each other. Includes a link to a test.

Students use a balloon to perform several simple experiments to explore static electricity and charge polarization.

In this hands-on activity, students explore the electrical force that takes place between two objects. Each student builds an electroscope and uses the device to draw conclusions about objects' charge intensity. Students also determine...

From The Scots Guide to Electronics web site. The meaning of electric potential is described. A combination of diagrams and words are used to explain this difficult concept without the use of mathematics. Very well done!

Read about Charles Augustin de Coulomb, who didn't invent the torsion balance, but was the first to discover it could be used to measure electrical charge- the first device capable of such a feat.

This informative tutorial on Coulomb's Law and electric force in physics features a definition as well as formulas, diagrams, and learning exercises.

This site is actually a lab from the University of Kentucky Electrical Engineering Department. It is an excellent experiment that can be done at the high school level.

Learning about charge and forces of attraction will be keys to understanding electrostatics and the basis of this learning unit. Developing a greater understanding of charge and the charge model is necessary to understanding electricity.

The National Grid is a high-voltage electric power transmission network, connecting power stations and 340+ substations ensuring supply and demand is in the balance. Nigel Williams speaks to Robert Llewellyn about how the National Grid...

Can you make tinsel fly? In this activity, experiment with positive and negative charges to suspend tinsel into the air!

This review from the Glenbrook South High School provides a series of questions on various topics associated with static electricity (such as electrical insulation). Answers and explanations are hidden, yet easily accessed from within a...

This hands-on activity explores the concept of static electricity. Students attract an O-shaped piece of cereal to a charged comb and watch the cereal jump away when it touches the comb. Students also observe Styrofoam pellets pulling...

These devices, though quite humble, represented a tremendous breakthrough in the history of electricity; they were the first capacitors, and as such were able to store electric charge. (Java tutorial)

Provides a short explanation of the similarities between magnetism and electricity, the properties of their fields, and the effect they each have on a charged particle.

This lesson introduces the concept of electricity by asking students to imagine what their life would be like without electricity. Two main forms of electricity, static and current, are introduced. Students learn that electrons can move...

A series of activities focusing on charge interactions, charging methods, and the conservation of charge. Activities utilize scotch tape and other readily available items. Includes explanations of what is happening.

An experiment to find out how an old-style doorbell works.

The National Weather Service presents this comprehensive site on lightning. Learn how lightning is created, what makes the sound of thunder, and ways to be safe during a storm. Learning lessons, frequently asked questions, and review...

A teacher lesson plan which could be easily converted into an idea for a student project or presentation. Ideal for pre-high school young scholars. This page describes an activity in which the history of electric circuits, the nature of...

Article explores plasma, an electrically charged gas found in electrical lights and nature.