What Is an Electrical Discharge?What Is an Electrical Discharge?

When you walk on a rug, static electricity builds up on your shoes. The charge keeps building until you touch something. Then – zap! It suddenly moves onto the object. This movement of charge is called discharge (DIS·charj). You might feel this discharge as a small shock. It can feel painful to some people.

Static electricity doesn’t discharge into all types of materials because electricity flows only where it can. It flows easily through materials called conductors (kuhn·DUK·tuhrz). An insulator (IN·suh·lay·tuhr) is a material through which electricity does not flow.

What types of materials do you think are good conductors? Metals are very good conductors. That is why you might feel a shock when you touch a doorknob. The static electricity on your shoes travels through your body, to your hand, and then into the doorknob.

Insulators Conductors

Wood Metal

Air Water

Rubber

Fact and OpinionFact and Opinion

• Write a statement of fact from the passage. How could you prove it true or false?

• Write a statement of opinion. Is the statement of opinion valid? How do you know?

What types of materials can What types of materials can electricity easily discharge into?electricity easily discharge into?

• Answer the question…– With a partner– In your Learning Notebook

dischargedischarge

• The sudden movement of an electric charge from the object where it built up onto another nearby object.

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conductorconductor

• A material through which heat or electricity flows easily.

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insulatorinsulator

• A material through which heat or electricity does not flow easily.

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