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What happens when you shuffle across a carpet and touch a
doorknob? You feel a gentle jolt. If it’s dark, you might even
see a small spark.
What causes that shock? Moving electrons.
As you scuff your feet on the rug, negatively charged
electrons get pulled off the atoms that make up the rug. And
those electrons become part of the atoms on the surface of
your body.
With each step, more and more negative electric charges
build up on your skin. By the time you reach the door, your
body is covered with static electricity.
When you touch the
doorknob, ZAP! You feel
a shock as a stream of
electrons jumps from the
atoms on your hand to
the atoms on the surface
of the doorknob.
What a Shock!
