BASICS OF STATIC ELECTRICITY

INTRODUCTION

For most people, static electricity is represented by the noise or crackle heard on a radio that interferes with good reception or the shock experienced when touching a metal object after walking across a carpeted room or sliding across a car seat. Static electricity is also observed as static cling when clothes are stuck together after coming out of a clothes’ dryer. Most of the time, people observe static electricity when the weather is cold and dry.

The word “electricity” comes from the Greek word “elektron”, which means amber - the fossilized resin from prehistoric trees. When rubbed with silk or wool, amber and other materials can be electrified which results in the ability of those substances to attract or repel lightweight objects. For centuries this was the only meaning of the root words, which today mean “electricity”. After the properties of flowing electricity were discovered in the 1700s, the term static electricity was used to distinguish between the old and new forms. While many people tend to think of static electricity as being at rest or not moving, static electricity causes the most concern when it ceases to be stationary.