Happy Friday!
I hope that your first week of the new year was good! The holiday lights are starting to come down and school is back in session, so things are getting back to "usual", including the traffic in Dallas. And the weather is still unseasonably warm here – I am not complaining!
Don't you hate it when you walk across the floor, touch something and get shocked? It is indeed shocking that there is a National Day dedicated to this phenomenon but today is National Static Electricity Day. It seems like anyone can come up with a National Day (keep in mind that only a few of them have congressional approval). I was thinking of creating a National Day myself but haven't thought of one yet. So many of the good ones are already taken. National Neuro-Ophthalmology Appreciation Day? Hmm...why not?!
Static electricity occurs when positive and negative charges of an atom or ion are out of balance. It is different than the electricity that is inside of the wall socket. Materials are made of atoms with equal numbers of positive (protons in the nuclei) and negative (electrons that orbit the nucleus) charges. Some materials are insulators, such as plastic, cloth and glass. They hold their electrons tightly (National Hug Your Electron Day?). Conductors are materials whose electrons move more freely, such as metal. Rubbing two insulators together produces a transfer of electrons from one surface to the other. This causes an excess of positive charge in one material and an equal excess of negative charge in the other material. This imbalance persists when the materials are separated.
If you remember from high school science (and don't be embarrassed if you don't), opposites attract. Thus, positively charged atoms are attracted to negatively changed atoms but are repelled by positively charged atoms. An example of this is rubbing a balloon on your head, or maybe someone else's head. When the balloon is pulled away, the hair clings to it and may even stand on end when the balloon is removed (this requires having enough hair to do the experiment). This happens because the balloon and hair have the same charge, so they repel each other. After generating (pun intended) a bad hair day, the imbalanced buildup of electric charges on a material's surface needs to be re-balanced. That's when the static electricity is discharged causing a shock when an insulator comes in contact with a conductor. The shock we feel is caused by stimulation of nerves as the current flows through the body.
The most common reason for electrons or ions to be exchanged is called contact-induced separation, or the triboelectric effect. This happens when the two materials either contact each other or slide against each other and is the cause of the hair-on-end-post-balloon-rub experiment. Another example is "static cling" – the negatively charged balloon can then stick to a wall after rubbing the hair. Another example is Styrofoam peanuts clinging to a cat's fur. Don't try this at home (Mr. T would not enjoy it). And, of course, the static cling of clothing. Other types of static electricity are produced by heating and electrostatic induction (charge-induced separation). Lightning is a dramatic example of static discharge, thought to be caused by contact between ice particles and storm clouds. Or Hermione levitating a feather in Harry Potter (you can do this at home with only 3 items).
Experiencing static electricity is unpleasant and reduced by increasing the humidity in the air, so using a humidifier in the dry winter months (vice versa in the southern hemisphere and naturally hot and dry climates) can be helpful. Antistatic agents, such as dryer softeners and dryer sheets offer a solution although dryer sheets leave behind a residue and are not good for the environment. They are single use, made of plastic and release phthalates and other toxic chemicals into indoor and outdoor air. Wool dryer balls are a better choice, and they don't end up in the landfill. Another suggestion is to place one hand on the metal dryer housing when removing the laundry to avoid getting shocked. Holding a metal object, such as a key or metal pen, helps to discharge the static painlessly when walking around the house, as can wearing natural fibers such as cotton. Wearing leather rather than rubber-soled shoes can also be beneficial.
How does one celebrate National Static Electricity Day? One way is to learn about it – done. There are also many sick and some fun science experiments you can do. Just be nice, especially to the cat.
Have a good weekend!
Deb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9nkzaOPP6g (They are still touring!)
PS: I am traveling next week so you may be on your own to create some Friday happiness!