science

18351 readers

233 users here now

A community to post scientific articles, news, and civil discussion.

rule #1: be kind

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

175

We Finally Know What Creates Static Electricity, After Thousands of Years (www.sciencealert.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

We finally have an answer: The beginning and the end of the sliding motion that produces static electricity experience different forces – resulting in a charge differential between the front and the back that results in the crackle of static electricity.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

That would explain why rapid spinning films over a surface build up incredibly powerful static fields. It's been observed that the contact surface area doesn't seem to matter, and it's easier to build up with greater velocity. It's all about where the energy is going, and it's into those imperfections. Cool