Background: Electrons can be removed from some objects using friction, simply by rubbing one substance against another substance. There are many examples of objects becoming charged by friction, including a rubber comb through hair, and a balloon on a sweater. In both these instances, the electrons move from the second object to the first, causing the first object to become negatively charged and the second one positively charged. Friction between the tires on a moving car and the road cause the tires to become charged, and wind causes friction between clouds and air which causes clouds to become charged and can result in tremendous bolts of lightning.

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Which city has more negatively charged clouds?
Answer: Smallville

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Which city has less negatively charged clouds?
Answer: Klangton

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Does Smallville get more or less thunderstorms than Klangton?
Answer: more

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Does Klangton get more or less thunderstorms than Smallville?
Answer: less

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Do the clouds in Smallville have more or less electrons than the clouds in Klangton?
Answer: more

Situation: Weather patterns in two cities are rather different. Much to the dismay of many residents of the town, the weather in Smallville is often windy and cloudy. Citizens of Klangton are much happier since they rarely experience heavy winds and generally only have a couple clouds in the sky. Their weather is almost always sunny with almost clear skies.

Question: Do the clouds in Klangton have more or less electrons than the clouds in Smallville?
Answer: less

Situation: Jan, a middle school student, is curious to learn more about friction so she grabs two random objects and rubs them together. After rubbing them together, object B has transferred some of its electrons to object A. After observing this she starts to wonder more about electrons and decides she will ask her teacher more about it tomorrow at school.

Question: Which item is positively charged?
Answer: object B

Situation: Jan, a middle school student, is curious to learn more about friction so she grabs two random objects and rubs them together. After rubbing them together, object B has transferred some of its electrons to object A. After observing this she starts to wonder more about electrons and decides she will ask her teacher more about it tomorrow at school.

Question: Which item is negatively charged?
Answer: object A

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Are the clouds in Appleton positively or negatively charged?
Answer: negatively

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Are the clouds in Orangeburg positively or negatively charged?
Answer: positively

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Which city is more likely to experience lightning?
Answer: Appleton

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Which city is less likely to experience lightning?
Answer: Orangeburg

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Which city has clouds with more electrons?
Answer: Appleton

Situation: Two cities, Appleton and Orangeburg, are approximately 100 miles apart and are currently experiencing different weather. Appleton is windy and cloudy, but Orangeburg has very calm air but is also cloudy.

Question: Which city has clouds with less electrons?
Answer: Orangeburg