How does matter become charged? Most kinds of atoms have three kinds of particles. Particles can have a positive charge, negative charge, or no charge. Static electricity happens when positive and negative charges between two objects are close to each other are unbalanced. Negative particles gather at the BOTTOM of a cloud before energy is released as lightning.

How Charged Objects Behave Objects with opposite charges will attract each other. Objects with the same charge will repel each other. An electric force is the push or pull between objects that have different charges.

How do electric charges flow? An electric charge in motion is an electric current. In order for an electric current to flow, a circuit must be closed. An insulator, such as plastic, rubber, glass, and dry wood, are materials through which charges CANNOT travel easily. A conductor, such as copper and silver, are materials through which charges CAN travel easily.

Types of Circuits In a series circuit, an electric current travels in one path, a single loop. –One missing bulb opens the circuit and other bulbs WILL NOT light. In a parallel circuit, the current has more than one path it can follow as it travels through the entire circuit. –A missing bulb does not open the circuit and the other bulbs WILL light.

Types of Circuits Series Circuit Parallel Circuit

What are magnetic fields? A magnet is surrounded by an invisible magnetic field. All magnets have two poles with opposite charges. A magnetic field is strongest at both poles.

How Compasses Work Earth is surrounded by a huge magnetic field. A compass needle reacts to Earth’s magnetic poles. The needle of the compass aligns north-south so that one end points to Earth’s magnetic north pole and the other to the magnetic south pole.

How is electricity transformed to magnetism? An electromagnet is a coil of wire wrapped around an iron core. The strength of an electromagnet can be changed by using more turns in the metal coil. Electrical energy is produced when a coiled wire is spun around a magnet. In a door bell, electromagnets help convert ELECTRIC ENERGY to MAGNETIC ENERGY to MECHANICAL ENERGY.

How is magnetism transformed to electricity? Magnetism can be used to generate electricity. Most electricity comes from generators. Michael Faraday shared his investigation with other scientists when he discovered changing a magnetic field caused an electric current in a wire.

Essay Question Explain what happens to a magnet’s poles if a magnet is broken into two parts. What poles will seek each other on the two magnet parts? What poles will repel each other?