Explanation of Preventing Static Electricity Shocks - Succeed in Physical Science. Also refer to rubbing, materials, human skin, fabrics, static cling, shocks, sparks, insulation, grounding, humidity, conductor, nonconductor, atoms, electrons, lightning, thimble, grounding, electronics, physics, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions
Preventing Static Electricity Shocks
by Ron Kurtus (revised 13 April 2008)
A major nuisance of static electricity is that many people get unexpected shocks, simply from touching some metal object after walking across the room. There are also some situations where excess static electricity can damage equipment or even pose a danger. It is something you may want to stop or control.
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You have to experiment with different solutions to find what works for you:
- Increase humidity in house
- Experiment with wearing different shoes
- Avoid clothes made of synthetic materials. Wear 100% cotton clothes that rub against your skin
- Use skin moisturizers
- Change diet to change body chemistry
Questions you may have include :
- What causes the buildup of static electricity in people?
- How can you ?
- How can I protect from damage caused by sparks or lightning?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
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Causes of shocks
A static electric spark will jump from one material to another when the difference in the amount of positive (+) and negative (−) charges is sufficient to cause electrons to jump the air gap between the two materials. The electrons heat the air for a fraction of a second, causing the spark and zap of the air collapsing after the spark. When you are on the receiving end of such a spark, it can startle you, as well as cause some pain or discomfort. A static electric shock is not an electric shock as you would get from high voltage AC or DC electricity. Rather, it is a shock or surprise and the pain that comes from the white hot air and the collapse of the air afterwards that causes the noise.
The buildup of static electricity that can result in these static electric shocks can be caused by clothing rubbing on your skin or clothing rubbing on certain materials. Some devices and machines build up static electricity that can shock those that touch them.
The primary causes are:
- Dry skin rubbing on clothes made of synthetic materials
- Soles of some shoes rubbing on rugs made of synthtetic materials
- Sliding out of a car where the car seat and your coat or clothes create electricity
- Body chemistry may be a factor
Low humidity conditions drastically increase the buildup.
Stop getting shocks
One of the biggest complaints that people have about static electricity is that it causes sparks or gives them mild shocks when they touch things or even other people. Most people experience this problem in the winter, but there are others who are are constantly getting shocks and are actually plagued by the problem.
Some of the letters I have received from people about this problem include:
- Woman lives in Arizona and gets shocks getting in and out of the car.
- Man lives in Kansas and gets shocks all the time during winter, even when in bed.
- Girl gets shocks after jumping on a trampoline.
- Boy constantly gets shocks when walking in the house.
The common factors in all of these cases point to dry air and materials that rub against each other to build up the static electricity. Certain materials—including dry human skin—can especially build up charges. (See Causes of Static Electricity for more information.)
Reduce the problem
The way to reduce the problem of excess static electricity is to try to get more humidity in the air, change the materials or modify their surface, and ground yourself before touching things, whenever possible.
Increase humidity
Static electricity is more active when the air and materials are dry. The humidity is normally lower in the winter, and heating the house further reduces the humidity. Also, locations with a desert climate usually have very low relative humidity.
One thing you can do is to use a humidifier to raise the humidity in the house. That may help a little.
Change materials
When certain materials rub together, they build up static electricity. Items that commonly rub together to cause static electricity are:
- Clothes rubbing on your skin
- Pajamas rubbing on your skin and the sheets in the bed
- Clothes rubbing on furniture and car seats
- The soles of your shoes rubbing against the rug or floor
Moisturize skin
Some people have very dry skin that may cause the buildup of static charges, especially in the winter. One thing to try is to use moisturizers or lotions on your skin. The only problem with that, of course, is that you might have to put it all over your body.
You can experiment with different types of moisturizers and in different locations. Perhaps just putting lotion on you hands may be sufficient, since shocks and sparks usually come from touching objects with your hands.
Clothes
Some clothing materials cause more static electricity than others. Objects that cling together when you take them out of the clothes dryer have extra static electricity. This is called static cling.
When you slide out of a car or off furniture in the house, you can create static electricity if the combination of materials is right. Try putting a cover on the seat, changing the materials or your clothes, or perhaps spraying things with an anti-static spray, such as is used to prevent static cling. I'm not sure how long the anti-static spray lasts or if continued use can discolor things.
Pajamas
If your pajamas and bed sheets are the type of materials that create static electricity when rubbed together, you can be bothered with shocks all night long on a dry winter night. If you have dry skin, the problem can be amplified.
Try using pajamas and/or sheets made of different materials. Cotton does not seem to develop as much static electricity as some artificial fibers.
Soles of shoes
People get shocks from walking on the rug in the house, jumping on a trampoline, or playing basketball in the gym. Certain synthetic rubber soles on shoes create a lot of static electricity. Experiment with different shoes.
The reason you build up static electricity usually comes from walking on a rug with certain types of shoes, when the weather is very dry. Static electricity is more common in the winter, because the air is often dry.
On a day that you get a lot of sparks, you can experiment walking on the rug with different shoes to see what type of soles create the most (or least) static electricity.
Unless you can change the type of shoes you wear (or not wear shoes at all), it is difficult to stop the problems of sparks. The only other solution is to anticipate the sparks. You can touch some non-conducting material, such as a wooden door, before you touch something metal. This will allow some of the electrical charges to leave your body.
Ground yourself
Another idea is to use a metal object like a key and touch other metal things first with key. This will cause the spark to fly from the key and not your finger. That is much more comfortable. You can also use a ring or even a thimble to move the shock from your finger to the metal object.
Using a thimble to protect finger
from shock before touching doorknob
One more thing to do is to try to ground yourself before touching another person or something metal. You can touch a wall or wooden table or something. Another way is to use a ring or a key and touch something metal. Let the spark fly that way instead of off your finger.
Summary
Static electricity can cause sparks and other problems. You should try different materials and clothes, as well as to ground yourself often, to prevent personal sparks. Grounding is also used to prevent sparks from damaging computers and houses and causing explosions.
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Resources
The following resources provide information on this subject:
Websites
Humans and Sparks - Preventing painful static sparks
Books
Top-rated books on Static Electricity
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
1. How does the special spray prevent static cling?
2. How can you minimize getting static electricity shocks?
3. What is a reason a lightning rod works?
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physical Science. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Preventing Static Electricity Shocks