Okay science buffs: I never understood electricity and least of all static electricity. What are all those electrons doing buzzing around

This sounds like a job for 99.

Simplest answer?

Because electrons in the outer rings can be broken free and move from the atom. They have a weak bond.  Friction causes them to move from the outer shell of one to the other .that creates a  charge. 

Shockingly electricity travles slightly slower than the speed of light ...when cables are charged the electrons all straighten out and let's the current flow quickly...

Like anything that gets excited....it's all todo with stimulation to get the electrons going strongly.....  :)D 

Oh my goodness! That sounds like a high voltage probe!

https://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-static-electricity-works.html


But there's a "disclaimer" at the of the article: 

What you've just read is the traditional, widely accepted explanation of static electricity—and you'll still find it described that way in most school books.

But in 2011, scientists reported some important new discoveries that seemed to suggest much more was going on. Instead of being purely a matter of physics, and a simple transfer of charged electrons from one material to another, it seemed static electricity could also be caused by chemistry (movement of ions and other essentially chemical processes). And it could also happen through a swapping of small amounts of actual material (a bit of balloon shifting to your pullover or vice versa). Where we used to think of static as a simple "pile" of negative or positive charge (electrons or a lack of them), on closer inspection, it now appears to be a "mosaic" of both positive and negative charges that add up to an overall charge (positive or negative). This research is very new, and still evolving, but it seems clear that our traditional explanation of static electricity is an oversimplified version of what's really happening, even if we've faithfully believed it for over 2000 years! 

Edit:   https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=electricity_home This post was edited by tom jackson at June 13, 2019 11:37 AM MDT

I'm no science buff, but this is how I remember it from 1st-year high school...

Atoms consist of a nucleus and, depending on the element, varying numbers of protons and electrons. The protons and neutrons contain small electrical charges which repel each other. By convention (it's arbitrary) the protons are said to have a positive charge while the electrons are said to be negatively charged. Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom and depending on the element may be very stable, sticky, reluctant to leave the nucleus (the material is a good insulator), or flighty and unstable (the material is a good conductor). 

A current of electricity is a steady flow of electrons. An electron, which carries a negative charge is attracted to a positive charge - ie, a neighbouring atom which lacks a negative charge because it has lost one of its electrons. When the electron moves or jumps along, it leaves the previous atom missing an electron and hence attractive to another electron to join it. When electrons move from one place to another, round a circuit, they carry electrical energy from place to place. In this way, they carry their electric charge with them.

Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electrical circuit, a circuit which connects a negative to a positive pole.

Too many good answers for me to chime in.

Element, you just woke up too late to give your answer.  We all know you could have answered right out-the-gate had you known the question was posted.
You'll have 98 more times to prove your Element-hood.  After that, though,  Iiiiiiiii Doooon't Knnnnowwwww.....
;) :)

First of all, you are looking for love in all the wrong places.  You don't NEED a science buff.  

You need to see for yourself.

You need LSD.

This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at June 13, 2019 2:31 PM MDT

I give up...The guy who made this is Indian, so it must be good.