eli5 how static electricity works and how it’s different from the stuff in our wall sockets/ lightning?
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Electricity is the flow of electrons from low voltage to high voltage.
Voltage is a number that represents (sort of) how crammed electrons in a specific place are. Higher voltage means fewer electrons.
In your wall outlets, you’re looking at 120-240 volts. Enough to kill you with ease, but in the grand scheme of things this is nothing. *However*, wall outlets will happily supply as many electrons as you allow them to. You can have a huge amount of electrons flowing, while the outlet is still only 120 volts.
Static electricity is what happens when a few electrons get stuck somewhere. This usually involves very high voltages, but not enough electrons to kill you. The result is sudden, painful shocks as the electricity flows and balances out the voltages.
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