Static Electricity

[LuzyC 0]

Robin and I experience this lately..Gary said the reason is the low humidity or dry air..and everything is alright...but...

Its so annoying !!!! and kinda scary for me 'coz I never feel this back home.

Have you guys/gals feel it?

>

>

>

>

>

Does my asking makes sense?

[Jasman0717 9]

You walk across the rug, reach for the doorknob and..........ZAP!!! You get a static shock.

Or, you come inside from the cold, pull off your hat and......BOING!!! Static electricity makes your hair stand on end. What is going on here? And why do static problems only seem to happen in the winter?

To understand static electricity, we have to learn a little bit about the nature of matter. Or in other words, what is all the stuff around us made of?

EVERYTHING IS MADE OF ATOMS

Imagine a pure gold ring. Divide it in half and give one of the halves away. Keep dividing and dividing and dividing. Soon you will have a piece so small you will not be able to see it without a microscope. It may be very, very small, but it is still a piece of gold. If you could keep dividing it into smaller and smaller pieces, you would finally get to the smallest piece of gold possible. It is called an atom. If you divided it into smaller pieces, it would no longer be gold.

Everything around us is made of atoms. Scientists so far have found only 115 different kinds of atoms. Everything you see is made of different combinations of these atoms.

PARTS OF AN ATOM

So what are atoms made of? In the middle of each atom is a "nucleus." The nucleus contains two kinds of tiny particles, called protons and neutrons. Orbiting around the nucleus are even smaller particles called electrons. The 115 kinds of atoms are different from each other because they have different numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons.

It is useful to think of a model of the atom as similar to the solar system. The nucleus is in the center of the atom, like the sun in the center of the solar system. The electrons orbit around the nucleus like the planets around the sun. Just like in the solar system, the nucleus is large compared to the electrons. The atom is mostly empty space. And the electrons are very far away from the nucleus. While this model is not completely accurate, we can use it to help us understand static electricity.

(Note: A more accurate model would show the electrons moving in 3- dimensional volumes with different shapes, called orbitals. This may be discussed in a future issue.)

ELECTRICAL CHARGES

Protons, neutrons and electrons are very different from each other. They have their own properties, or characteristics. One of these properties is called an electrical charge. Protons have what we call a "positive" (+) charge. Electrons have a "negative" (-) charge. Neutrons have no charge, they are neutral. The charge of one proton is equal in strength to the charge of one electron. When the number of protons in an atom equals the number of electrons, the atom itself has no overall charge, it is neutral.

ELECTRONS CAN MOVE

The protons and neutrons in the nucleus are held together very tightly. Normally the nucleus does not change. But some of the outer electrons are held very loosely. They can move from one atom to another. An atom that looses electrons has more positive charges (protons) than negative charges (electrons). It is positively charged. An atom that gains electrons has more negative than positive particles. It has a negative charge. A charged atom is called an "ion."

Some materials hold their electrons very tightly. Electrons do not move through them very well. These things are called insulators. Plastic, cloth, glass and dry air are good insulators. Other materials have some loosely held electrons, which move through them very easily. These are called conductors. Most metals are good conductors.

How can we move electrons from one place to another? One very common way is to rub two objects together. If they are made of different materials, and are both insulators, electrons may be transferred (or moved) from one to the other. The more rubbing, the more electrons move, and the larger the static charge that builds up. (Scientists believe that it is not the rubbing or friction that causes electrons to move. It is simply the contact between two different materials. Rubbing just increases the contact area between them.)

Static electricity is the imbalance of positive and negative charges.

OPPOSITES ATTRACT

Now, positive and negative charges behave in interesting ways. Did you ever hear the saying that opposites attract? Well, it's true. Two things with opposite, or different charges (a positive and a negative) will attract, or pull towards each other. Things with the same charge (two positives or two negatives) will repel, or push away from each other.

A charged object will also attract something that is neutral. Think about how you can make a balloon stick to the wall. If you charge a balloon by rubbing it on your hair, it picks up extra electrons and has a negative charge. Holding it near a neutral object will make the charges in that object move. If it is a conductor, many electrons move easily to the other side, as far from the balloon as possible. If it is an insulator, the electrons in the atoms and molecules can only move very slightly to one side, away from the balloon. In either case, there are more positive charges closer to the negative balloon. Opposites attract. The balloon sticks. (At least until the electrons on the balloon slowly leak off.) It works the same way for neutral and positively charged objects.

So what does all this have to do with static shocks? Or static electricity in hair? When you take off your wool hat, it rubs against your hair. Electrons move from your hair to the hat. A static charge builds up and now each of the hairs has the same positive charge. Remember, things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to get as far from each other as possible. The farthest they can get is by standing up and away from the others. And that is how static electricity causes a bad hair day!

(Get tips on how to eliminate

static electricity problems

in your home or office.)

As you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra electrons and a negative static charge. Touch a door knob and ZAP! The door knob is a conductor. The electrons jump from you to the knob, and you feel the static shock.

We usually only notice static electricity in the winter when the air is very dry. During the summer, the air is more humid. The water in the air helps electrons move off you more quickly, so you can not build up as big a static charge.

Discover the wonders of science.

It's easy with the Science Made Simple newsletter.

Click here to get yours now completely RISK FREE!

I CAN READ

What is Static Electricity?

Everything we see is made up of tiny little parts called atoms. The atoms are made of even smaller parts. These are called protons, electrons and neutrons. They are very different from each other in many ways. One way they are different is their "charge." Protons have a positive (+) charge. Electrons have a negative (-) charge. Neutrons have no charge.

Usually, atoms have the same number of electrons and protons. Then the atom has no charge, it is "neutral." But if you rub things together, electrons can move from one atom to another. Some atoms get extra electrons. They have a negative charge. Other atoms lose electrons. They have a positive charge. When charges are separated like this, it is called static electricity.

If two things have different charges, they attract, or pull towards each other. If two things have the same charge, they repel, or push away from each other.

So, why does your hair stand up after you take your hat off? When you pull your hat off, it rubs against your hair. Electrons move from your hair to the hat. Now each of the hairs has the same positive charge. Things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to move away from each other. The farthest they can get is to stand up and away from all the other hairs.

If you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra electrons. Touch a door knob and ZAP! The electrons move from you to the knob. You get a shock.

<A name=LEARNMORE>

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

STATIC ELECTRICITY

TRIBOELECTRIC SERIES

When we rub two different materials together, which becomes positively charged and which becomes negative? Scientists have ranked materials in order of their ability to hold or give up electrons. This ranking is called the triboelectric series. A list of some common materials is shown here. Under ideal conditions, if two materials are rubbed together, the one higher on the list should give up electrons and become positively charged. You can experiment with things on this list for yourself

TRIBOELECTRIC SERIESyour hand

glass

your hair

nylon

wool

fur

silk

paper

cotton

hard rubber

polyester

polyvinylchloride plastic

CONSERVATION OF CHARGE

When we charge something with static electricity, no electrons are made or destroyed. No new protons appear or disappear. Electrons are just moved from one place to another. The net, or total, electric charge stays the same. This is called the principle of conservation of charge.

COULOMB'S LAW

Charged objects create an invisible electric force field around themselves. The strength of this field depends on many things, including the amount of charge, distance involved, and shape of the objects. This can become very complicated. We can simplify things by working with "point sources" of charge. Point sources are charged objects which are much, much smaller than the distance between them.

Charles Coulomb first described electric field strengths in the 1780's. He found that for point charges, the electrical force varies directly with the product of the charges. In other words, the greater the charges, the stronger the field. And the field varies inversely with the square of the distance between the charges. This means that the greater the distance, the weaker the force becomes. This can be written as the formula:

F = k (q₁ X q₂) / d²

where F is the force, q₁ and q₂ are the charges, and d is the distance between the charges. k is the proportionality constant, and depends on the material separating the charges.

<A name=static_electricity_experiment>

STATIC ELECTRICITY EXPERIMENTS & PROJECTS

SAFETY NOTE: Please read all instructions completely before starting the projects. Observe all safety precautions.

Tip: Try to use the part of the charged object that has the biggest charge (the part that was rubbed the most) when doing these experiments. Also, Projects 1-3 work best on dry days.

PROJECT 1 - Swinging cereal

What you need: a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon thread, small pieces of dry cereal (O-shapes, or puffed rice of wheat) What to do:

1. Tie a piece of the cereal to one end of a 12 inch piece of thread. Find a place to attach the other end so that the cereal does not hang close to anything else. (You can tape the thread to the edge of a table but check with your parents first.)
2. Wash the comb to remove any oils and dry it well.
3. Charge the comb by running it through long, dry hair several times, or vigorously rub the comb on a wool sweater.
4. Slowly bring the comb near the cereal. It will swing to touch the comb. Hold it still until the cereal jumps away by itself.
5. Now try to touch the comb to the cereal again. It will move away as the comb approaches.
6. This project can also be done by substituting a balloon for the comb.

What Happened: Combing your hair moved electrons from your hair to the comb. The comb had a negative static charge. The neutral cereal was attracted to it. When they touched, electrons slowly moved from the comb to the cereal. Now both objects had the same negative charge, and the cereal was repelled.

PROJECT 2 - Bending water

What you need: a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon a sink and water faucet. What to do:

1. Turn on the faucet so that the water runs out in a small, steady stream, about 1/8 inch thick.
2. Charge the comb by running it through long, dry hair several times or rub it vigorously on a sweater.
3. Slowly bring the comb near the water and watch the water "bend."
4. This project can also be done using a balloon instead of the comb.

What happened: The neutral water was attracted to the charged comb, and moved towards it.

PROJECT 3 - Light a light bulb with a balloon

You Need: hard rubber comb or balloon a dark room fluorescent light bulb (not an incandescent bulb)

SAFETY NOTE: DO NOT USE ELECTRICITY FROM A WALL OUTLET FOR THIS EXPERIMENT. Handle the glass light bulb with care to avoid breakage. The bulb can be wrapped in sticky, transparent tape to reduce the chance of injury if it does break.

What to do:

1. Take the light bulb and comb into the dark room.
2. Charge the comb on your hair or sweater. Make sure to build up a lot of charge for this experiment.
3. Touch the charged part of the comb to the light bulb and watch very carefully. You should be able to see small sparks. Experiment with touching different parts of the bulb.

What happened: When the charged comb touched the bulb, electrons moved from it to the bulb, causing the small sparks of light inside. In normal operation, the electrons to light the bulb come from the electrical power lines through a wire in the end of the tube. (Fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs will be discussed in a future issue.)

PROJECT 4 - Static in the Summer

What you need: a balloon, and a watch or clock What you do:

1. Rub the balloon on your hair or sweater. Stick it to a wall and time how long it stays before falling down.
2. Repeat step (1) in the bathroom, just after someone has taken a hot, steamy shower.

What happened: In the bathroom, water in the air and on the walls helped move electrons away from the balloon more quickly. In the summer, the air is more humid, and static electricity does not build up as much as during the winter, when the air is very dry.

Get more great science projects each month with the

Science Made Simple newsletter.

<A href="http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/subscrip.html">Click here to try it now, and get our RISK FREE guarantee!

Get tips on how to

Eliminate Static Charge Buildup and Static Shock

in your home or office.

[Ephesia 0]

All the time! I'm from Singapore, Luz. So you and I grew up with a lot of humidity. Static electricity is one of the few things I don't like about cold weather. I "zapped" my computer down several times in my first year here. Since then, I've made sure I touched something else metallic before I touch my computer.

My husband got me a humidifier but the thing was so noisy, so we never used it again after one night.

I get "zapped" a lot at the office too - when I touch the gigantor photocopy machine, refrigerator, co-workers, etc. It is quite annoying but can be pretty funny too. lol.

Robin and I experience this lately..Gary said the reason is the low humidity or dry air..and everything is alright...but...

Its so annoying !!!! and kinda scary for me 'coz I never feel this back home.

Have you guys/gals feel it?

>

>

>

>

>

Does my asking makes sense?

[Ephesia 0]

LOL wow, Jim. That was awesome information.

[Jasman0717 9]

LOL wow, Jim. That was awesome information.

I love Google

[kim&james 0]

I hate getting zapped.

James opens my car door for me anyway but during winter he will actually come round when we get where we are going and open the door for me as every single time I get zapped.

Whats worse is knowing you are going to get zapped and trying to work up the courage to touch something you know is going to zap you but does dispel the charge.

I do not go to service stations during winter. Thats almost a guarantee that I will get zapped.

It is worse when I wear wool. But I hate the cold. James has zapped me a few times when he actually touches my face. That hurts.

Basically, I just live with it. Hopefully it will get better as I acclimatise a little better.

[David-and-Mae 15]

Robin and I experience this lately..Gary said the reason is the low humidity or dry air..and everything is alright...but...

Its so annoying !!!! and kinda scary for me 'coz I never feel this back home.

Have you guys/gals feel it?

>

>

>

>

>

Does my asking makes sense?

Don't worry sis, you are not the only one. I get zap like 100 times everyday and David said it will get worst this winter. ARGH! He said eventually, I will get used to it. HA!

--Mae

[LuzyC 0]

LOL wow, Jim. That was awesome information.

I love Google

That is a very interesting info.Jim..thanks..!!!

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I too get bothered by static electricity in the winter month.... we bought a Humidifier last winter and set it for 40% that stopped the problem.. We keep it on the landing in the middle of our 3 story house so that all area benefit... I found that it also helped my dry skin and I have stopped waking up with a stuffy nose..

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_0...ord=humidifiers

Hope this helps

Kez

[Jo1973 0]

Wearing a fleece jacket will also contribute to getting those shocks. (But it is fun to shock hubby on the ears lol.)

[Ladylethal 12]

I first experienced that in AZ back in 1996 when I was a student there. It was very odd to me since I had never seen it before and I had clothes clinging to my body and hair getting "stuck" to the walls. The family I was living with took months to realize they had forgotten to tell me to use the sheets in the dryer so the clothes won't get like that.

Also, at my current work, it's a call center, A/C and carpet all over. People are constantly shocking each other as we reach them to ask something.

[Ban Hammer 13,345]

it's fun especially when you have cats

[LuzyC 0]

Gary didn't tell till yesterday when I come close and put my arms on his back while he browsing something..zap!!!!

I told him everything Robin and I feel for the last few days..it made me come to the point that I touch everything with a rag/towel/gloves in my hands. ..I have a big shock this morning when I'm up to pee ,eyes half- open and held on the doorknob..ZAP! Thats a big one there , wake me up for sure and pee..ahrm.. there goes the ..ah never mind!

[eric&gen 0]

I hate the inside material of my SUV it creates static electricity every time i touch the door i get zapped lol.

[Mags 112]

it's fun especially when you have cats

Yeah, if the cats touch me they get zapped on their nosies. Poor things, they normally run away shaking their heads.