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Topic:
Visitor Comment:
Synthetic fabrics are made of
chemicals consisting of long-stranded molecules mixed
together and then woven into the fabrics used to make
clothing, carpeting, and other common materials. The long
molecules consisting of many atoms are held together at the
molecular level by electron bonds ranging in bonding power
from strong to weak. Some of those atoms share their
electrons tightly with their neighboring atoms and therefore
make a tight, long-lasting fabric.
Some atoms, although being
bonded strongly to the molecular group have a weak electron
or two that is barley held in its orbit around its atom. It
is these loosely-held electrons that are rubbed off, stick
to other materials, and form static electricity. That static
electricity is actually stored electricity poised to spark
when the carrier material is placed near a grounded object.
That grounded object is ready to accept the electrons from
the material that picked them up from the synthetic fiber --
which did not need them for its stability.
Static electricity builds up
and appears stronger in dry weather because there is little
moisture to cause it to leak off any temporary holding
material.
There is more lightening
during high humidity seasons than during dry seasons because
the forces of nature all come together and their net effect
is the overt and observed effect. Can you name the relevant
interacting factors here? Humidity, temperatures, dust,
movements and speeds, masses, and more?
In the case of lightening
during the summer, conditions are good for the formation of
large clouds. These clouds move fast and rub against each
other. That high-speed rubbing scrapes and shuffles huge
amounts of electrons that collect on some cloud formations
in specific air masses -- even in damp or wet air masses.
The build up of electrons from so much rubbing is large.
Once the amount of electrons reaches a voltage (potential
current) that is enough to overcome the resistance of the
air, a spark jumps from the clouds to the positively-charged
earth. Summer air is moist so that also contributes to
decreasing the air's resistance.
That grounding of the clouds
is similar to rubbing your socks on a synthetic carpet and
then touching a grounded object which causes a spark between
you and the grounded object. |