What is an electrostatic charge?

An electrostatic charge is a stationary build-up of electric charge on the surface of materials, often caused by friction or contact, leading to attractive or repulsive forces between objects.

An electrostatic charge refers to the accumulation of electric charge on the surface of an object, typically caused by the gain or loss of electrons. When two objects come into contact and then separate, electrons can transfer from one object to the other, creating a charge imbalance. One object becomes positively charged (losing electrons), while the other becomes negatively charged (gaining electrons).

This phenomenon is called static electricity because the charges remain stationary on the surface until they find a path to discharge. Electrostatic charges are commonly observed in daily life, such as:

• The shock you feel after walking on a carpet and touching a metal doorknob.
• The way hair stands on end when rubbed with a balloon.

Key characteristics of electrostatic charge:

• It results from electron transfer, not from protons or neutrons.
• Like charges repel, and opposite charges attract each other.

Electrostatic forces follow Coulomb’s law, which describes the force between charged objects.