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8 CLIL: Science

Static electricity

Diagram of an atom

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1.
1.
A What do you know about atoms?
Read the first paragraph and complete + neutron
the diagram of an atom. + +
B B Look at the highlighted words in
the text and find their definitions in a
dictionary. Then listen and read. 2.

E v er y thing ar ound us is made up of at oms . On They need to lose their charges and return to having
Everything around us is made up of atoms. On
the inside of an atom there are particles called the same number of electrons as before. When they
protons, and on the outside there are particles lose their charges, static electricity is created.
called electrons. These particles have di ferent Let’s see this in an example. Have you ever walked
electrical charges. Protons have positive (+) across a carpet while wearing socks and felt a small
charges, while electrons have negative (-) charges. electric shock when you touched something? This
Some of these electrons can leave the atom and is static electricity. It happens because your feet
move around. For example, if two materials rub collect electrons from the carpet when they rub
together, electrons from atoms in one material can against it, and you get a charge. When you touch
move to the other. Some materials, like hair, lose something else, the electrons leave you, and you
electrons very easily; others, like rubber, usually feel a shock as you lose the charge. You might
take electrons from other materials. also see a small spark. Most of the time, this is not
When a material has more electrons than usual, dangerous because you have only built up a small
it gets a negative charge. A material that loses amount of electricity – however, in nature, there are
cases where a lot of energy is created.
electrons gets a positive charge because it ends up cases where a lot of energy is created.
with more positive protons than negative electrons.
with more positive protons than negative electrons.
Science in action
However, this puts these materials out of balance.
The most extreme example of static
electricity happens when particles
inside storm clouds rub together and
get positive and negative charges. When
they lose their charges, they create a
C Read again and answer the questions. huge amount of static electricity that we
1. What is one way that electrons can move see as lightning.
between materials?
2. When a material loses electrons, what charge
does it get?
3. What happens when a charge is lost?
4. When your feet rub against a carpet, as in the
example given in the text, what kind of charge
do you get? Why?
5. How does static electricity build up to cause
lightning?

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