ELECTRIC ITY

ATOMS Atoms are made up of PROTONS, NEUTRONS, and ELECTRONS Protons have a positive charge Electrons have a negative charge Neutrons have a neutral (or no) charge

ATOMS Atoms often lose and gain electrons When atoms lose electrons, their charge becomes positive Just like with magnets OPPOSITES attract, so an object with a positive charge will be attracted to an object with a negative charge The attraction of these charges creates ELECTRICITY

CURRENT Current – the flow of electrical charges through a material EXAMPLE – the flow of charges between the balloon and your hair Conductor – a material through which an electric current can move easily because it has some electrons that are not tightly bound to their atom Resistor – a material that resists (tries to stop) the flow of an electric charge Insulators – strong resistors

resistors CONDUCTORs CURRENT DOESN’T FLOW THROUGH CURRENT CAN MOVE EASILY HAVE MANY FREE ELECTRONS Copper Gold Silver Aluminum Graphite Some liquids and gases Superconductor has no resistance Superconductors usually occur at super cold temperatures CURRENT DOESN’T FLOW THROUGH Rubber Plastic Glass Dry Cotton Insulators – strong resistors