It's National Static Electricity Day!

To celebrate National Static Electricity Day, we’re diving into fun facts and information to help you sidestep any unwelcomed shocks.

Fun Facts

• A spark of static electricity has very little current and lasts only a short time but it can measure thousands of volts
• Lightning is a form of static electricity that’s extremely powerful
• On days with little humidity and no rain, static electricity builds quicker
• Static electricity is used to attract ink and toner to paper in printers
• Major metropolitan areas use static electricity to help control pollution

How to avoid getting shocked

To explain how to avoid the shock, we should understand what static electricity is first. Static electricity is simply a build up of an electrical charge on the surface of an object. When thecharges are the same, the objects push away from each other. Remember rubbing your hair on a balloon when you were young and making your hair stand on end? It stood up because each hair had a positive charge and was repelling against the other. 

So, how do you avoid the static and thus the shock?

• Wear clothing and shoes that are poor insulators of static electricity – leather soled shoes and cotton clothing
• Before getting out of your car, touch the metal frame of the door and continue to touchit until you’re out of the seat completely
• Run a humidifier in your home, keeping humidity levels above 30% (40-50% is even better)

References:

http://www.ducksters.com/science/static_electricity.php

http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_uses.htm#.Wk66WlWnFhE

https://lifehacker.com/5851341/how-can-i-avoid-static-shocks-in-the-winter