​Charged Objects

​Objects can become electrically charged when they rub against other objects. Not everything does this: things like wool and plastic spoons, or balloons and hair, or socks... and everything else... seem to do this better than other objects.

​When a plastic spoon is rubbed against a piece of wool, the spoon becomes electrically charged. Electrically charged objects can attract other objects without touching those objects. A plastic spoon, when charged, will attract, or pull, small particles like pepper up into to air and cause them to stick to the spoon.

​This effect is more noticeable in dry air: humidity can reduce this effect. Sometimes, when you put freshly cleaned clothes on, you may notice that they stick, or cling, to your body. Maybe you have noticed a pair of pants that seems to stick to your legs when you wear them. This is called static cling, and is caused by the clothes becoming electrically charged when they rub against all the other clothes in the dryer.

​On a very dry day, you may notice a small shock when you touch a doorknob, or even someone else. You have become electrically charged as your feet rubbed across a carpet when you walk across the room. That charge suddenly jumps to the doorknob when you reach out to open in: this is static discharge. This is how lightning happens.

​The Earth always has an electrical charge. When air above the Earth begins to move, like in a storm, the rubbing of the air against itself cause the air to become electrically charged. When the charge gets large enough, it will discharge with the Earth, causing lightning. This is the same thing that happened when you touched the doorknob.