What is electrostatics?

Electrostatics is about how objects can stick together or push each other apart because they have tiny charged particles inside them.

Imagine you're playing with a balloon and your hair. When you rub the balloon on your head, it gets all sticky and can make your hair stand up, that’s electrostatics in action!

When you rub the balloon on your hair, it moves around tiny bits of electric charge inside the balloon and your hair. These charges are like invisible stickers that either stick together or push each other away.

• If two things have the same kind of charge (like both having extra sticky stickers), they push each other apart.
• If they have different kinds of charges (one has extra stickers, the other has missing ones), they pull each other together, just like when your hair sticks to the balloon!

Inside everything are tiny particles called electrons. When you rub things together, these electrons move from one object to another. That’s what makes them sticky or pushy, it's all about those little invisible stickers!