When static electricity is created between a balloon and your hair, your hair is attracted to the balloon. If you simply let go of the balloon, it will stay on your head! If you take the balloon off your head, your hair will follow the direction of the balloon and stick straight out.

If one cloud is positively charged and one is negatively charged, lightning can be created even if there is a gap between the clouds. The particles are active enough to generate electricity through lightning, even if there is no contact between the positive and negative clouds. For lightning to be created, it does not matter if it is raining or not. It also does not matter if the clouds are touching. This is also true of oppositely charged objects on a smaller scale, like hair sticking to a balloon.

The reason this happens is because of static electricity. In the dryer, different fabrics rub together, the electrons from a cotton sock may rub off onto a polyester shirt. That's why clothes sometimes stick together and make sparks when you pull them apart.

Negative electrons and positive protons are opposite charges and are attracted to each other. An example would be if a balloon has the opposite charge as someone's hair, and they are held near each other. The hair will stand up and stretch out towards the balloon because the opposite charges are attracted to each other.

When someone rubs their feet across the carpet, there is a build-up of static electricity. Your feet are rubbing negatively charged electrons off of the floor, and it leaves you with a slightly negative charge. When you reach the positively charged knob, the electrons jump and cause the static shock that you feel on your fingertips. The opposite charges are attracted to each other.

Mr. Figueroa is providing an example of how two objects do not need to be touching for there to be an attraction. The static electricity generated by rubbing the balloon on someone's hair is the opposite charge as the charge on the paper. When the paper and balloon come near each other (not touching), the different charges are attracted to each other, and the balloon will cause the paper to "jump" or move.

Negative electrons and positive protons are opposite charges and are attracted to each other. An example would be if a balloon has the opposite charge as someone's hair, and they are held near each other. The hair will stand up and stretch out towards the balloon because the opposite charges are attracted to each other. In this example, the two objects have the same charge, so they will repel each other. This can be felt with two magnets; when you try to push two North ends together, you can feel them pushing against each other as they repel.

Lightning is a form of electricity; it is static electricity. In the sky, if one cloud is positively charged and one is negatively charged, lightning can be created if the clouds are near each other. The particles are active enough to generate electricity through lightning, even if there is no contact between the positive and negative clouds.