The Hair-Raising Science Of Static Electricity.
Have you ever rubbed your feet and socks across the carpet, then poked your mate in the arm to give them an electric shock? What about rubbing your hair on a balloon to make it stick up? Perhaps you’ve been shocked by a stinging sensation when you’ve touched a plastic or metal surface. These are all examples of static electricity.
The 9th January 2021 is Static Electricity day, so we’ve put together some electrifying tidbits of facts and information about this natural phenomenon.
What is Static Electricity?
Static electricity can be a nuisance, but this mild inconvenience could actually prove to be dangerous. The same type of energy that can make your hair stand can also cause damage to electronics. and even result in explosions. Nevertheless, if static electricity is used and controlled properly, it can not only be safe, but also entertaining.
Almost all electrical charges in the universe are carried by protons and electrons. Protons are said to have a charge of +1, whilst electrons have a charge of −1. Because protons usually stay within the nucleus of an atom, they are not as free to move around as electrons are. Therefore, when we talk about an electrical current, we always mean “the flow of electrons”. All static electricity is, is an imbalance between the positive and negative charges inside an object(s).
How do I Make Static Electricity?
Well, we don’t “make” static electricity ourselves, but we can generate it on our bodies using the environment around us.
Some good ways of generating static electricity on our bodies, is by pulling the classic prank on your family/friends: whilst you’re only wearing socks, rub your feet on the carpet for a while, making sure not to touch anything else. Then, carefully approach your victim, and touch somewhere on their skin (like their arm). It should create a spark, which can come as quite a shock to your victim!
Another way is to blow up a regular latex balloon, tie it up, and rub it on your head (this works better if you have almost shoulder-length hair). Then hold the balloon a few inches above your head, and your hair should start to stand on end! This is because your hair and the balloon have swapped electrons and protons, and are therefore attracted to each other.
A fun piece of equipment that also makes your hair stand on end, is the Van de Graaff generator: an electrostatic generator which uses a moving belt to accumulate an electric charge on the outside of a hollow metal sphere on the top of an insulated column, which can be used to create static electricity. This fascinating machine was invented by American physicist Robert J. Van de Graaff in 1929.
If you’re interested in the engineering behind electricity, why not check out Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Wolverhampton?
By Phoebe Hinton-Sheley