The origin of static electricity has long been an unconsidered mystery of youth. We knew enough about how it worked to generate it on demand, given the right materials, but not quite enough to truly explain how it worked. It just did. Let the mystery be unraveled!
Static electricity is formed when two insulators are rubbed together, generating a static field of imbalanced positive and negatively charged ions. When the now charged insulators come into contact with a conductor (like metal, for instance) the charge is released. And this is why you get shocked when you grab a door-handle after crossing a room in wool socks!
