View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-static-electricity-anuradha-bhagwat

We’ve all had the experience: you’re walking across a soft carpet, you reach for the doorknob and … ZAP. But what causes this trademark jolt of static electricity? Anuradha Bhagwat sheds light on the phenomenon by examining the nature of matter.

Lesson by Anuradha Bhagwat, animation by Artrake Studio.