EXAMPLES AND USES
OF STATIC
ELECTRICITY
Habiba Sallam
HOW DOES STATIC ELECTRICITY WORK?
Static electricity is the build of electrical
charges on the surface of a material. It is
usually created when two objects are
rubbed against each other or pulled away.
That causes positive charges to gather on
one material, and the negative charges on
the other. Static Electricity can result in
sparks, shocks or materials clinging
together.
USING STATIC ELECTRICITY TO CONTROL
POLLUTION
Factories use static electricity to
reduce the pollution by giving the
smoke an electrical charge.
Therefore when it passes through
electrodes (conductors through
which electricity enters or leaves
an object) of the opposite charge
most of the particles hold onto
them. This decreases the pollution
going into the air.
STATIC ELECTRICITY IN PHOTO COPY
MACHINES
Photocopy machines use static to attract ink and apply it where it needs to
be and not where the paper is supposed to be white. This process is
called xerography.
STATIC ELECTRICITY AND LIGHTING
Lighting is a huge form of static
electricity. When particles from a
cloud rub together they create static
electricity. Lighting occurs when
electrons from a cloud are attracted
to protons of the ground or in
another cloud.
WHY DOES YOUR HAIR STICK UP WHEN
YOU TAKE OFF YOUR HAT?
When you take off your hat, you move electrons from your hair to the hat.
Objects with the same charge drive back each other, and each of the hairs
has the same positive charge. Therefore, the hairs try to move as far away
from each other as possible, and the farthest they can go is to stand up
away from the other hairs.
ZAP!
While you walk across a carpet, electrons are
transferred from the rug onto your body.You then have
extra electrons and a negative static charge. If you touch
a doorknob or any other metal conductors you feel a
static shock. This happens because the doorknob is a
conductor so the electrons jump off your body on to
the doorknob and you feel the electric shock.
Static electricity is usually more noticeable in the winter
or when the air is very dry. Because during the summer,
air is more humid, and the water in the air helps the
electrons move off you more quickly therefore you can
not build up as big a static charge.
BENDING WATER WITH STATIC
ELECTRICITY
Adjust the faucet to a slow running
stream of water. Run a nylon comb
through your clean hair and slowly
bring the teeth of the comb to the
stream. The water should bend.
This happens because when you rub
your hair with the comb, you hair
and the comb become charged. The
comb and your hair have opposite
charges since the single hairs have
the same charge. When the comb
attracts the stream of water the
stream bends towards the comb
since the molecules in the stream
can be moved easily.
STATIC ELECTRICITY CAN DAMAGE
ELECTRONICS
Just by walking across a carpet, you can produce up to 12,000 volts of
static electricity voltage. Although static voltage isn’t very dangerous or
harmful to man, computers become greatly defenseless to static electricity
as more and more circuitry is built into them. It is possible for static
electricity to damage a hard drive.
STATIC ELECTRICITY CAUSES FIRES!
Although it is very rare, there is a danger that static electricity might be
able to ignite the gasoline vapors during refueling at a gas station. Static
electricity can be generated by the friction of the gasoline being pumped
into a vehicle. If static charges are allowed to discharge through the areas
where there is petrol vapor, a fire can occur.
WORKS CITED

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
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
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
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
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