Tag Archives: static electricity

Protons Electrons

How Electricity Works

Electricity is a major part of your life, so you might as well be one of the few people who understand the system of currents and charges to which we are so indebted. First of all, electricity exists in nature regardless of humanity´s ability to harness it. Lighting is the most well-known instance of naturally occurring electricity; its voltage adds the danger to its otherwise fantastic aesthetic. The powerful current of a lightning bolt carries 30,000 amps, and is so hot that it turns the air molecules it comes into contact with from gas into plasma. That material change is what makes the sound we know as thunder.

Static electricity is another form that we experience in everyday life without analyzing it or even acknowledging it. When a balloon at a party pulls your hair out of its normal style into random spikes that is static electricity. The negatively charged hairs are all repelling each other and creating space around them in the process. Same goes for the walk across your living room carpet that leaves you with a shock when you reach for the door knob. Your body has a net positive charge, but as you walk across the carpet and gather electrons via the friction of your feet, your body’s charge becomes net negative. Upon reaching out to touch the door knob, electrons jump from your negatively charged body to the neutral knob in an attempt to restore balance, and the resulting sensation is a shock.

Our own bodies use electricity to perform every single function they carry out. The reason your body even has a charge, as mentioned above, is because of the aggregate effect of the charged atoms that comprise it. Each atom is comprised of a negatively charged electron, a positively charged proton, and an eponymously neutral neutron. The fluctuation in the net charge of an atom as it attempts to make whatever adjustment is necessary to reach neutrality involves the transfer of electrons from one atom to another. The neutrons and protons are not as easily dislodged. Therefore, the human body’s mass of atoms constantly exchanging electrons is perfectly capable of conducting electricity.

Fortunately, our bodies make good use of the electrical currents running through them. The electrical impulses jumping from cell to cell are not empty of content; rather, they contain vital messages about everything from how fast your heart should be beating to what diameter your pupils should contract to and which finger you want to move to scratch your nose. Without the rapid fire tool of electricity to monitor everything, regulatory systems and empirical actions, our bodies would never be able to survive in the complex, dynamic environments we inhabit, nor operate at the level of multitasking we sustain. Luckily for us, we don’t have to fully understand the workings of the voltage that keeps us going- so long as we know the basics of not flying a kite in a lightning storm.

 

Static Electricity

Schaffhouser Electric Static Electricity

Most of us are used to calling up the Electric Company for the typical problem of tripped circuits, power outages, rewiring and remodeling, and so on. It is great to know that Schaffhouser Electric is at the ready any time day or night to provide their top-notch electrical commercial or residential services, because peace of mind in regards to electrical safety and convenience cannot be underestimated. You don’t want to miss the big game just because there is a storm on outside, and you don’t want to spend the night without the alarm system working when little ones are sleeping just down the hall. Being able to dial up skilled professionals who are more than happy to tackle these problems for you in no time and at a reasonable price is quite a luxury. Schaffhouser has diffused many a sticky situation, no pun intended, and they do not plan on changing their customer service platform anytime soon. They will be ready and waiting next time you call, same as always. Since you probably will not have occasion to dial up your trusty electrician friends anytime soon, though, you might think there is no cause to bother them with inquiries of any kind. Think again.

For the curiously-minded, electricity is a perennial fascination. For the topically-minded, electricity is currently shocking the heck out of you! If you have spent the past couple winter months constantly sliding across wood or shuffling across carpet, only to have the exact same zap jump from the doorknob to your hand when you reach the other side, then you have experienced the lively greeting of static electricity. This seasonal phenomenon is not one the is easily avoided or readily understood, so why not turn to Schaffhouser for their professional opinion on what in the world is happening to you and how to make it stop? While they do faithfully attend to their 24/7 service line, this is one electricity question that they would be happy to receive at any time.

The mysterious-sounding static electricity is merely, as are most unpleasant things, the result of an imbalance. The electric charges are simply trying to balance themselves out, and your skin happens to be one of the mediums for striking that balance. If you want to spare yourself the job of letting electrons jump around until they’re satisfied, there are a couple easy ways to reduce static electricity in your environment. Making the environment itself more conducive is as easy as opening a window or turning on a humidifier. There are, of course, more extreme measures like anti-static boots, but few of us have occasion to wear them without looking quite dramatic. For more information on the fascinating field of static electricity, call Schaffhouser and quiz them on their science, or better yet, impress them with yours!