Amber(fossilized pine resin)

William Gilbert

William Gilbert gaveus the word electricity.It came from ‘elektron’the Greek word foramber.

Benjamin Franklin’skite experimentshowed lightningwas electricity.

Atoms are the tiniest particles of any element

Nucleus(positive charge)

Electrons(negative charge)

Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom

Each orbit can hold a specific number of electrons

Atoms prefer filled orbits to balanced charges

So…

Rubbing different materials together helps electrons move from one material to the other, which puts a positive charge on one and a negative charge on the other.

Unlike charges attract each other

Like charges repel each other

Van de Graff generator & discharge ball

Van de Graff generator & flourescent bulb

Van de Graff generator & dancing ball

Van de Graff generator & volta’s hailstorm

Van de Graff generator & ribbon plume

Van de Graff generator & electric whirl

Van de Graff generator & volunteer hair